If you've picked up a bag of coffee with tasting notes like cherry, chocolate and fudge, or strawberry and ice cream, you might have wondered whether it's just flavoured coffee.
It isn't. Co-fermented coffee gets those flavours on the farm, during processing, and we source it for one reason: milk drinkers deserve more than one blend to choose from.
Fermentation in coffee, briefly
Coffee starts as a cherry. After harvest the fruit has to come off and the seed, the bean, has to be dried. Depending on the processing method, fermentation is part of that journey: microbes break down the sugars in the fruit, and that shapes the flavour of the coffee.
Washed, natural and honey processing all involve some fermentation. Producers manage it carefully because it has a big effect on what ends up in the cup.
So what is co-fermentation?
In a co-ferment, the producer adds other ingredients to that fermentation, such as fruit, spices or particular yeasts and cultures. The coffee ferments alongside them in a controlled environment, and the finished coffee carries the flavour of the process.
Producers use it to stretch what coffee can taste like, and it's why you'll find co-ferments with notes you'd normally expect from a bakery rather than a roastery.
Is co-ferment coffee the same as flavoured coffee?
No. Flavoured coffee has flavouring oils or syrups added to the beans after roasting. Co-fermented coffee is changed much earlier, during processing of the green coffee, before it ever reaches the roaster.
Co-fermentation is also a lively debate in specialty coffee. Some people love how expressive these coffees are, and others prefer a more traditional cup. We think there's room for both.
Made at origin, blended here
We don't ferment these coffees ourselves. Co-fermentation happens on the farm, with producers who have spent years refining the process. For our co-ferments that's El Vergel Estate in Colombia.
What we do is source and blend. We combine each El Vergel co-ferment with The Resident, our smooth, chocolatey Brazilian blend, so the co-ferment keeps its big, obvious character and The Resident makes sure it still tastes like coffee.
Why we source co-ferments
Black coffee drinkers have always had options: single origins, different regions, different processes, a new coffee every week. Milk drinkers, who are most coffee drinkers in Australia, usually get one choice: the blend.
Co-ferments are our answer to that. They let us offer milk drinkers different coffees with flavours they can pick out through the milk. Subtle tasting notes tend to vanish in a flat white. These don't.
They also deliver what the bag promises. We've all bought a coffee that claims strawberry and found a faint hint at best. With a co-ferment, if the bag says cherry, you taste cherry.
And they're fun. "This coffee tastes like Black Forest cake" gets people curious. It's an easy way into how processing changes flavour, and a cup that tastes like dessert makes people smile.
What The Resident does in the blend
A co-ferment on its own can be a lot. The flavours are big and distinctive, which is exactly why people love them, but by themselves they can feel one-dimensional, more like a flavour than a cup of coffee.
The Resident calms things down. It brings balance, so the co-ferment is bold without being overwhelming, and a fuller body that works with milk. It also gives the flavours a base to sit on, so they stop competing with each other. You get the cherry or the strawberry, and you still get a proper flat white.
Our co-ferments
Each of our co-ferments pairs an El Vergel co-ferment from Colombia with The Resident from Brazil, and each is made for milk drinkers who want flavour as well as balance.
| Coffee | Co-ferment | Tasting notes |
|---|---|---|
| Black Forest Cake | Cherry | Cherry, chocolate, fudge |
| Strawberries & Cream | Strawberry | Strawberry, ice cream, chocolate |
The lineup changes as new co-ferments come in, so check what's available now.
Dessert names, on purpose
Traditional coffee language, with descriptors like "stone fruit", "malic acidity" and "floral", can feel like a foreign language if you're new to specialty coffee.
Dessert names skip all that. Everyone already knows what Black Forest cake tastes like: cherry and chocolate. You take a sip and you get it, no training required. It makes choosing easier too. You may not know what to pick from a list of origins, but you know which dessert you'd order.
How to brew co-ferment coffee
With milk. This is where these blends shine. The Resident gives you chocolate and body, and the co-ferment adds the flavour on top. In a flat white or latte it can taste like your favourite dessert in coffee form. Any milk works. Full cream is what we'd steam.
As espresso. Our recipe for the co-ferments is 20g in, 38g out, a 1:1.9 ratio, in around 25 to 30 seconds. A slightly shorter shot than the usual 1:2 brings out more fruit, body and sweetness, which is what you want here. Too intense or sharp? Let the shot run a little longer. Thin or sour? Grind a touch finer. Change one thing at a time. If you're new to dialling in, our espresso guide covers the basics.
Fresh is best. Flavours like these are at their most vivid when the coffee is fresh. We roast every week, so buy the amount you'll get through in a few weeks and check the roast date on the bag.
Who is co-ferment coffee for?
Try it if you drink milk coffees and want more than "the blend", love sweet, dessert-like flavours, want tasting notes you don't have to hunt for, or are curious about coffee and want an easy way in. It also makes a great gift for the coffee lover who has everything.
Skip it if you prefer a classic, traditional cup, or like your coffee bold, dark and uncomplicated. The Standard, our darker blend, will suit you better.
Frequently asked questions
What is co-ferment coffee?
Coffee that's fermented alongside other ingredients, such as fruit, spices or particular yeasts, during processing. The process shapes the flavour before the coffee is roasted.
Is co-fermented coffee flavoured coffee?
No. Flavoured coffee has oils or syrups added after roasting. Co-fermentation happens during processing of the green coffee.
Do you ferment the coffee yourselves?
No. It happens at origin, with the producers at El Vergel Estate in Colombia. We source the coffee, blend it with The Resident and roast it.
Why do you blend co-ferments with The Resident?
For balance, body and a cup that still tastes like coffee. The co-ferment brings the flavour, The Resident holds it together.
Does it still taste like coffee?
Yes. You get dessert-like flavour over a smooth, chocolatey base.
What does co-ferment coffee taste like?
It depends on the coffee. Black Forest Cake is cherry, chocolate and fudge. Strawberries & Cream is strawberry, ice cream and chocolate.
Will I taste the flavours in a milk coffee?
Yes. They're intense by design, so you get the full note rather than a hint of it.
What's the best espresso recipe for co-ferment coffee?
20g in, 38g out, a 1:1.9 ratio, in around 25 to 30 seconds. Adjust the grind to taste from there.
Why are your coffees named after desserts?
Because you already know what Black Forest cake or strawberries and cream tastes like, so you can recognise the notes in the cup without any coffee training.
I'm new to specialty coffee. Is co-ferment a good place to start?
Yes. The flavours are easy to recognise, and they're a good way into how processing changes what coffee tastes like.
How should I store it?
In an airtight container away from light, heat and moisture, and use it within a few weeks of the roast date.