Co-fermented coffee: is there a difference?

Navigating the Nuances of Specialty Coffee Processing

Discerning the subtleties between flavored, infused, and co-fermented coffees is not straightforward due to the absence of standardized definitions in the industry. Hence, understanding these terms often depends on the insights of coffee experts.

An article in Perfect Daily Grind from March 2023 sought clarity by consulting with industry leaders like Saša Šestić of ONA Coffee and Project Origin, and Steven Restrepo, the Head of Coffee at Café de Colita.

Steven delineates flavored coffees as those typically produced through fermentation with the addition of yeasts, bacteria, and sometimes artificial flavorings. Saša contends that infusion might happen at any stage of the coffee’s journey, whereas Steven holds that infusion, particularly with artificial flavors, is a post-roasting process.

The concept of co-fermentation adds another layer. Ally Coffee, in a recent piece, describes co-fermentation as either adding elements to the initial ‘mother culture’ pre-processing or mingling them with the coffee during the fermentation phase. This description suggests co-fermentation might overlap with flavoring or infusing.

Yet, consensus is elusive.

Rodrigo Sánchez Valencia, a third-generation coffee producer from Aromas del Sur in Huila, Colombia, prefers not to use “infused” when talking about co-fermented coffees. He views co-fermentation as inherently more natural, hence a more desirable process than infusion, which he feels may connote the use of artificial additives. Co-fermented coffees, in his practice, gain their complexity from natural ingredients like fruits or other microorganisms during fermentation.