Co-ferment or not to ferment? What was the question?

6. oktober 2026 · 4 min lesing

When I started as a barista in 2007, the one value that struck me was traceability. Even though at the time there were not many established standards (brewing by spoon and other measurable objects), the weight was introduced and established as a factor in 2014? or later.

And time correlative to grind size became more or less common knowledge? I don't know if it's established today even.

That says something about how young the industry is, though its history is old and contains many subjects. So the big question for me has always been: what is speciality coffee and how does it differ?

From what is called commodity coffee, one has to sort out the robustas.

I'm not saying they don't have their place, but it is a genre on its own.

Commodity coffee is at its best a signature of its origin, but most commonly in blends. That means there are not many incentives from the commercial side to promote regional coffees, as stability and supply chain are the first priority.

Logistics as a first concern relies on a more institutional economy. Meaning, the supervisors have to supervise, and to supervise is for the good of the staff and the workforce.

Of course ethics is a global concern, but in an industrial economy it's better to rely on institutional knowledge, as detail and supervising would probably multiply the cost.

Now what's all of this got to do with co-ferment coffees?

Well, a lot ((un)fortunately).

Co-ferment coffee is coffee that is fermented in some juice.

There are points where this is interesting. For instance, when a coffee is aged, it makes no sense to roast it to hell or put it through another process. To bring it back to life is hard and expensive. Francisco Escobar knows about this. And in his research papers: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/384895389_Caffeine_Crystal_Growth_on_Roasted_Coffee_Beans_Misidentified_as_Biological_Spoilage

Coffee as an aged product can still be useful, but most likely also misused.

For us who grew up in the 90s, fragrance coffees were a thing. And I dived right into it, as it was my coffee of choice, the coffee that tasted of caramel and almonds. It had syrups added.

Back in 2007, I discovered that everything except the coffee in its most natural form was coffee's true origin. That was the default, and the narrative became: we need to find out what terroir tastes like and establish a standard. And the mapwork became the Coffee Family Tree, and maps like https://www.nordicapproach.no/post/complete-guide-to-ethiopian-specialty-coffee have become more common and consist of more or similar results.

Now in 2026, I can say standards are being established. To buy coffee that has additives, like flavors such as almonds, nuts, chocolate, or tutti frutti, is not really considered coffee. It is considered coffee with added taste.

So how do co-fermented coffees differ?

When coffee is co-fermented, something is added earlier in the process, such as juice or pulp or so. It gets fermented together. Therefore, the question becomes: is it coffee? Well, to say it honestly, I would say that it depends on the fermentation.

Because if the coffee is a byproduct of, let's say, strawberries, it has to contain some traces of origin, and it should not be artificial. We should talk about cleanness too, because it matters. Cleanliness gives clarity; it removes disruptions. Therefore, one can say co-ferment coffee is not something you should just throw away as fragrance coffee.

Most people who judge in World Barista Championships would not necessarily point out the difference.

And there is a reason for that too, because the lines are blurred and yeast is a very complex thing to speculate on. It doesn't remove the point that it is co-fermented with something. It just points out that this too, in its genre, is becoming an era where it needs to be more defined, and the craft behind it needs to be conserved as it's part of the craft.

Because if you could co-ferment with bananas and it would taste the same even if it was aged coffee or a fresh crop, then it's just fragrances. But if it's defined natural nuances between fermentation and terroir, then sure, it's a great thing.

We have been experiencing this ourselves.

Unfortunately, we don't ship internationally yet.