Before the roast: coffee rehydration

Coffee is dried after processing so it can be stored and transported before roasting. Rehydration means adding a measured amount of liquid back to the unroasted beans. This changes their moisture content and can influence how they roast and taste.

Rehydration can use water alone, or a liquid containing other flavours. The result is not simply a copy of what goes in. In his experiments with soda, coffee researcher Christopher Feran found that most samples tasted surprisingly similar, despite using different drinks.

For Amokka Christmas, we use a diluted, non-alcoholic gløgg infusion to introduce a gentle spice character before roasting. This is an additional step at our roastery, after the coffee has been washed and dried in Ethiopia. The beans absorb the infusion over several hours before being roasted. We chose Chelchele for its natural sweetness and delicate fruit notes, which work well with the cinnamon and clove. The result is a seasonal coffee where the spices complement the coffee's own flavour.