Infused and co-fermented coffees are a contentious topic. While some welcome their compellingly complex flavours, others insist they mask a coffee’s innate characteristics, causing more harm than good.
In late 2023, the Specialty Coffee Association updated the rules and regulations for the World Barista Championship. In a surprising move, participants can use infused and co-fermented coffees in their routines – so long as additional ingredients are included before the “green coffee stage” (as per the SCA’s wording).
This decision has further divided the industry. Some look forward to seeing competitors showcase these innovative processing methods, but others believe infused and co-fermented coffees have no place on such a prestigious platform.
Regardless of opinion, how can we expect this rule change to impact the competition, and in turn, the wider industry? I spoke to Emerson Nascimento, barista and World Coffee Championships competitor, and Anja Rahn, coffee researcher and founder of Dr. Kôfē.
You may also likeour article on why transparency is key for infused coffees.
Addressing the infused coffee controversy
Since they burst onto the specialty coffee scene in the late 2010s, infused and co-fermented coffees have caused a stir. This year, the division was particularly noticeable at big industry events like World of Coffee and Specialty Coffee Expo. Some exhibitors and attendees displayed or wore anti-infusion stickers and t-shirts, while others proudly included infused coffees in their cupping lineups.
At other esteemed events, organisers have made their opinions clear. In stark contrast to the 2024 WBC rule updates, the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama excluded infused coffees from its 2024 Best of Panama competition, citing the need to “protect the authentic identity” of the country’s coffee sector.
The discourse between proponents of terroir and advocates of infused coffee will continue for some time. But where does it originate from?
Emerson Nascimento is a Brazilian barista and two-time World Coffee in Good Spirits Champion. He explains that manipulation of natural coffee flavour is the main concern.
“Producers add other ingredients – such as fruits, flowers, or spices – to their coffee during processing,” he says. This usually occurs in the fermentation stage so that additional ingredients will easily impart explosive and intriguing flavour notes.
Ultimately, the goal is to offer new experiences to consumers and provide market differentiation for producers. Those who take a more purist approach, however, maintain that infusion and co-fermentation make coffee taste “synthetic” and mislead buyers.
Specialty coffee is far from reaching a consensus on the topic, but with more events taking a strong stance either way, these decisions will impact the wider industry.
The WBC embraces infusion & co-fermentation
The World Barista Championship is one the main drivers of innovation in specialty coffee. To simultaneously demonstrate its responsiveness to the specialty coffee community, organisers regularly update rules to reflect wider trends in the industry. The 2023 competition’s acceptance of plant milks is a strong case in point; many had demanded this move for some time.
With this in mind, it’s no real surprise that the WBC decided on infused coffees. As these innovative processing methods have become more prominent over the last six or so years, it was inevitable that the SCA would acknowledge the trend at some point.
However, the decision to accept rather than exclude these coffees is significant. In its own words, the WBC focuses on: “promoting excellence in coffee [and] advancing the barista profession”. While other notable industry competitions have shunned infusion and co-fermentation over claims of flavour inauthenticity, these coffees adhere to the WBC’s values and mission.
Prior to the 2024 updates, section 3.1.C of the World Barista Championship rules disqualified any coffee that has: “additives, flavourings, colourings, perfumes, aromatic substances, liquids, powders, etc. of any kind added at any point between the time the coffee is picked (as cherry) to when it is extracted into beverage”.
Meanwhile, the updated rule stipulates that: “no additives of any kind may be added to coffee after it reaches the ‘green coffee’ stage, i.e. seeds of the Coffea genus, dried as a part of the post-harvest process, and free from all pericarp layers. This includes exposure to aromatic substances, flavourings, perfumes, liquids, powders, etc.”
What does this mean for the competition?
Most obviously, the new rule allows competitors to use infused, flavoured, and co-fermented coffees in their routines. At previous editions, baristas faced disqualification for knowingly (or even unknowingly) using these coffees, so there has been a clear shift in accepted practices.
Anja Rahn is a Q and R Grader, a coffee science expert, and the founder of Dr. Kôfē – a website for people interested in coffee chemistry. “The SCA wants to push innovation in the community,” she says. “Allowing infusion and co-fermentation at the WBC gives these coffees a spotlight, but it’s a passing trend that will likely re-emerge in the next five to ten years, as trends often do.”
Exactly when infusion and co-fermentation can happen is a key part of the rule update. If these processing steps are implemented after a coffee has been dry milled, it cannot be used in the competition. This is when coffee reaches an optimal moisture content for export and the producer has removed all of its pericarp layers (including the exocarp, mesocarp, and endocarp).
Conversely, if infusion or co-fermentation takes place before this stage in production (i.e. in cherry form or post-wet milling), competitors can use the coffee. Given that producers usually add additional ingredients during processing (before the coffee is dried), most infused and co-fermented coffees will be accepted at the competition.
The clarification about when additives can be included is likely an intentional move to exclude traditionally flavoured coffees, which are sprayed with chemicals after roasting to impart artificial flavours – such as hazelnut, caramel, and vanilla.
Is this a step in the right direction?
Although no competitors used infused and co-fermented coffees at the 2024 World Barista Championship, we’re likely to see more at future editions. But is the decision to include them a positive one?
Ultimately, the answer depends on personal opinion. While some may welcome the typically fruit-forward flavour profiles on the industry’s biggest stage, others claim these processing methods are at odds with the values of the competition and wider industry.
In a bid to stand out, we could see baristas opt for these coffees to showcase more intense and complex flavours. Moreover, to align with judges’ expectations and potentially receive higher scores, some competitors could attempt to use infused coffees to their advantage. For example, if a producer adds pineapple during fermentation, it is likely to impart some flavour to the coffee, and the barista can clearly explain this to the judges.
Emerson, however, points out that this approach is flawed, and fundamentally undermines the purpose of the competition.
“The barista’s role is to extract their chosen coffee’s complexity – created by the producer – and to confidently convey this information to the judges,” he says. “But highlighting strawberry notes when the coffee was co-fermented with strawberries is far too obvious. The flavours will be so pronounced that you don’t even need to focus to detect a particular tasting note or aroma.”
This tactic is likely to work against competitors. In some cases, especially when developing new infusion or co-fermentation techniques, it can be difficult to replicate exact flavour profiles. If a barista centres their routine around certain tasting notes, but is unable to produce consistent flavours across batches, they risk scoring significantly fewer points.
Do producers stand to benefit?
Over the last few years, producers have become more actively involved in competitions like the World Barista Championship. As part of their routines, competitors often talk about how they worked closely with a certain farm or producer to implement a particular processing method or source a “rediscovered” variety.
Infused coffees then present an opportunity for producers and baristas to collaborate in new and differentiated ways, including creating unique and specific flavour profiles. But perhaps more importantly, the main purpose of adding certain ingredients (including cinnamon) can be to regulate the rate of fermentation rather than imbue flavour – an often overlooked point in the infused coffee debate.
Anja, however, points that experimenting with infusion and co-fermentation doesn’t always yield great results – leaving producers in particular worse off.
“Many smallholders are at risk of investing more money than they can earn back,” she says. “If co-fermentation is going to harm anyone, it’s likely to be these producers who are willing to try something new in the hopes of receiving a better income.”
In time, we’re likely to see a few infused and co-fermented coffees on the WBC stage. Given the competition’s influence on the wider industry, the new rule update will hold sway over the diversity of processing methods we see in roasteries and coffee shops.
But the “terroir” vs “infused” debate will continue for the foreseeable future. While some stick to their claims that these processing techniques adulterate natural coffee flavour, others view them as welcome innovation.
Enjoyed this? Then readour article on the difference between infused and co-fermented coffee.
Photo credits: Specialty Coffee Association
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