It’s easy to see why so many start their day with coffee. It’s a warm, naturally stimulating drink. Even the scent of a freshly brewed pot can be invigorating.
Coffee also comes with some clear health benefits. Coffee beans are high in antioxidants and phenolic compounds, which explains why coffee drinkers have been found to have a lower risk of diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, chronic liver disease, certain cancer types, and reduced all-cause mortality.
But an even better brew is possible thanks to fermentation.
The process of coffee fermentation (also known as cultured coffee) begins after the beans are harvested but before they get roasted. Fermented beans produce a beverage with beneficial compounds not found in a conventional cup.
People have been fermenting all manner of food and drink throughout history. But what does it do to the taste of coffee? Think fermentation; you will probably imagine sour and salty flavors from probiotic foods like yogurt and pickles.
Fermented coffee still tastes like coffee. It isn’t salty or sour and doesn’t contain probiotic cultures, but it creates a more enjoyable and healthier beverage in several ways.
One of the drawbacks of conventional coffee is that people can be sensitive to its inflammatory acids. Fermentation breaks down these acids into compounds much less likely to lead to gastrointestinal discomfort.
The fermentation process also breaks down the tannins found in coffee beans. Tannins give coffee its bitter flavor and dark color. Coffee’s signature taste remains, but fewer tannins mean a drink that is less bitter and less likely to stain your teeth.
Fermentation also addresses another drawback of conventional coffee: caffeine. Of course, we look to coffee for a reliable pick-me-up, but the high caffeine content means too much can leave you feeling wired and jittery. Fermentation dramatically cuts caffeine content (about 90 percent less caffeine than regular coffee). Unlike most decaffeinated coffee stripped of its caffeine through chemical solvents, fermented coffee is naturally less caffeinated.
Dayes Coffee is a fermented brand crafted for better health and superior flavor. It was developed in 2022 by retired Yale and Rutgers University cancer pathologist Dr. Grant Lee.
Even before Dayes begins its proprietary fermentation process, Lee demands high-quality premium-grade Arabica beans. Premium-grade Arabica uses far fewer pesticides than regular coffee because it is grown at a high altitude where there are far fewer coffee pests.
After harvesting, beans undergo a 50-enzyme complex fermentation process in South Korea. The coffee is placed in an incubator and carefully mixed to ensure that each bean is evenly fermented. The fully fermented coffee is then shipped to the United States and roasted fresh in Middletown, New York.
Dr. Lee is both the CEO of Dayes and its master roaster. He aims for a medium to medium-dark color roast that’s enough to bring out the nutty, sweet, and chocolate notes of the beans but one that minimizes the harmful compounds such as Benzo(a)Pyrene & acrylamide found in darker roasts.
The result is a great coffee; you can feel good drinking it all day.
Dayes coffee also lasts longer. Fermentation breaks down volatile oils in the beans, giving them a longer shelf life. Lee recommends brewing your coffee for the best flavor within three months after the roasting date. However, the fermented beans’ stability means they can keep from going rancid for up to two years.
