How do East African farmers address PTD in coffee flavor?

PTD (potato taste defect) is also known as potato taste defect of coffee. As the name suggests, this defect causes a cup of coffee to taste like raw potatoes. Usually they appear in coffee lots from Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, Western Uganda.

PTD defects are caused by a chemical called 2-Isopropyl 3-methoxy pyrazine (IPMP). However, the cause originates from the beetle Antestiopsis orbitalis. It is a type of shield beetle that can be found in many regions of the world, including in Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. However, the antestia bug that causes PTD is mainly found in the Great Lakes region of Africa. The adult beetle is about 6 to 8mm long, shield-shaped, dark brown mixed with orange and white patches. They often hide in fruit bunches or flowers, making holes in the fruit, allowing bacteria to enter, creating pyrazine, which causes the smell of raw potatoes.

Coffee from the East African region possesses incredibly rich, diverse flavors and can score 90 SCA points or more. But when faced with potato defects, the coffee scores dropped and did not meet standards, causing great losses to manufacturers. Ruth Ann Church – President and founder of Artisan Coffee Imports said that at the 2013 Cup of Excellence (CoE) events, up to 62% of Baristas from Burundi and 51% of Rwandan Baristas had to withdraw from the competition because of coffee. have PTD.

PTD also hinders the development of the coffee industry in some East African countries. Research has shown that just one additional antestia beetle per tree can increase the risk of PTD occurring by up to 73%. It is estimated that having 15 antestia beetles per tree can cause a yield decrease of 30% – 38%.

For the specialty coffee industry, this defect has caused serious losses to farmers in areas affected by PTD. They not only cause farms with antestia worms to reduce output and quality, but also cause other farms in the area to lose sales and reputation.

Experts have proposed many and conducted many studies, but until now no solution has been proven to completely eliminate this defect. However, manufacturers can cooperate to minimize risks. According to the President of Artisan Coffee Imports – a green coffee trading company headquartered in Michigan, USA that specializes in supplying Rwandan and Ethiopian coffee, manufacturers should have a more comprehensive process to check PTD from cultivation to Processing. Besides, they can create a flavor guarantee policy for roasters. In particular, the contract should include an agreement on quality control and taste defects between the parties.

Roasters should grind coffee in small batches and not use these coffees for concentrated drinks like espresso or AeroPress. If coffee is discovered to have PTD, the roaster must filter and clean the grinder carefully.

In addition, to reduce PTD, the coffee industry should invest and support coffee production in this area. When receiving many sources of capital, farmers can focus on improving and developing their farms, thereby completely preventing PTD.

PTD errors in coffee cause coffee to lose its delicious flavor, but avoiding using coffee from these countries will be a great disadvantage to farmers who are trying to grow high-quality coffee. Besides, potato-flavored coffee is not common. Therefore, we need more support to support these farmers in developing their coffee.

If you want to enjoy specialty coffee in East African countries without worrying about PTD errors, stop by XLIII Coffee to experience Gisheke #21132, Vunga #21135 from Rwanda or Nyagishiru #1552 from Burundi!

Don’t forget to follow XLIII Coffee’s journal channel to read lots of useful information.

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