What is co-fermentation?
Coffee processing has developed rapidly in recent years.
For specialty coffee consumers and the specialty coffee industry, processing methods such as carbonic maceration and anaerobic fermentation seem to have become the standard. As consumers are hungry for innovation and new experiences, processing methods such as washed, natural and honey are now routinely found amongst more exotic processing.
Coffee processing is usually performed with little to no additives, relying on the natural flavours and sugars of the fruit and seeds of the coffee fruit as well as the bacteria and microbes that the coffee produces in certain environments (e.g. in anaerobic environments, high temperature environments etc.). Using these naturally occurring flavours, producers are able to create coffees that are unique, interesting and have the signature of their terroir. Sometimes, there are additions of certain yeasts and sugars to the fermentation process to help producers to stabilise fermentation and allow for greater consistency across large lots.
Co-fermented coffees are processed with additional ingredients, such as fruits, herbs or spices to alter the flavour of the coffee that persists even after roasting. But why are people so angry about it?
Much of the beauty, intrigue and romance of specialty coffee is around flavour. The exceptional flavour potential (and vastly different flavour profiles) of coffee, a simple crop that can offer such rich and different flavour experiences, by the hand of the soil it’s grown in, the water and sunlight it is provided and the skills of those who process them. This is what coffee nerds argue over their home kitchens about, it’s what the best baristas in the world try to articulate and harness on the world stage and it’s what a large portion of the specialty coffee community is built upon. It is understandable how co-fermented coffees threaten this culture and the potential progress of exploring coffee’s flavour potential.
Co-fermentations can happen in two ways: either the fruit/herb/spice is added to the mother culture before it is added to the coffee, or the fruit/herb/spice is added directly to the coffee before fermentation and they ferment together.
Coffee fermenting with passion fruit. Image courtesy of Covoya Coffee
What is the Difference Between Infused/Flavoured/Co-Fermented Coffees?
There are varying opinions on whether there is a difference as no formal definitions of these terms exist. Looking at an article by Ally Coffee, infused coffees are co-fermented either by adding the ingredients to the mother culture used in fermentation prior to processing the coffee or by adding the ingredients directly into the fermentation vessel along with the coffee during its fermentation. According to this definition, the terms can be used interchangeably.
However, not everyone agrees. In a recent Perfect Daily Grind article, third generation coffee producer in Colombia, Rodrigo Sánchez Valencia states that he “avoids using the term “infused” to describe co-fermented coffees altogether. From Rodrigo’s perspective, co-fermented coffees are more natural, and are therefore more preferable in comparison to infused coffees.
This is largely because he believes the term “infused” can imply artificial additives and flavours. Conversely, the flavours in co-fermented coffees are usually created during fermentation using exclusively natural ingredients, such as fruits or other microorganisms.”
Motivation for Co-Fermentation
Coffees that are co-fermented can fetch a higher price when producers are selling their coffees, for example, a producer with a lower yield crop might decide to process this lot as a co-ferment in order to avoid the financial impact of the lower production volume.
In turn, many specialty coffee consumers are on the hunt for new flavour experiences, new sensory experiences and innovation in their cup. In many ways, demand has largely led supply. Ultimately, what is proving to sell well will be provided, and the demand by final consumers will drive the supply of co-fermented coffees.
What Has The Industry Reaction Been?
In 2024, Best of Panama, the most prolific green coffee quality competition in the country, disqualified multiple lots for being “altered from their natural DNA expression... by using foreign additives.”, taking a harsh stance against any form of co-fermentation. Panama is known as one of the best producing countries of the exclusive and rare geisha varietal. They are world leaders in setting the top end of quality standards and their stance against co-fermentation is significant and influential. Additionally, in 2023, the winner of this competition sold their geisha lot for over R187 000 per kilogram, it is a loud statement to exclude the producers who are co-fermenting their coffees from this kind of financial opportunity.
Many have taken the stance that transparency is the key issue here. If the producer, as well as the roastery that sells the coffee to the final producer, is transparent about the coffee’s processing, the decision to support co-fermentation or not is the final consumer’s choice.
Furthermore, many have found issue with the effect this will have on producers who do not co-ferment their coffees. Where does this progression in market preferences leave the producers who have brought innovation, and significant investment, to their farming techniques, the quality of their crops, the quality of their processing plants and the quality of their land in order to achieve high-quality flavour? Is the industry cannibalising its own progress by focusing resources on “un-natural” processing methods and does this threaten the progress of coffee-only processing methods?
Whether co-fermentation is a passing trend or here to stay, we will only know as time passes. Many influential businesses and individuals in the coffee industry have stood up firmly against co-fermentation, such as Best of Panama. This has created a significant divide in the industry. Exclusion or inclusion of co-fermented coffees in one’s menu is a statement to the industry, and one that puts you in the “for” or “against” camp, whether that was the intention or not.
South African Context
Many South African roasteries have decided to buy co-fermented coffees. In 2024, at the Specialty Coffee Expo, one could tell by walking into the venue and taking a single whiff of the air, that co-fermentation is the ‘flavour of the month’ for many small South African coffee businesses. There is much excitement about the possibilities around co-fermented coffee and its allure to new consumers.
The progression of processing methods and flavour innovation in coffee has been rapid in recent years. In an industry full of energetic, motivated and passionate professionals, we can’t predict what will happen next, and we certainly couldn’t predict whether co-fermentations will be adopted by the industry in the long term. The ultimate decision lies in the preferences of us, the coffee consumers, and what we want to consume. We vote with our money, and what we want coffee to look like in the future is up to us and where we buy our coffee from.
