Specialty Coffees there’s no denying that experimental processing methods have revolutionized the specialty coffee industry. Traditionally, coffee has been processed using washed, natural, and honey processing methods. In parts of Asia, techniques like wet hulling (Giling Basah) and Monsoon Malabar have also been practiced for decades.
Today, the possibilities for coffee processing seem almost limitless. Methods like anaerobic fermentation and carbonic maceration push boundaries, enhance coffee flavors, and even create new taste profiles. Flavored and infused coffees are also part of this evolution, where producers deliberately introduce additional ingredients during processing, allowing the green beans to absorb specific sensory qualities.
However, within the broader specialty coffee conversation, it’s crucial to distinguish between these two. To explore this further, I spoke with three coffee professionals. Keep reading to discover their insights.
What Exactly Are Flavored and Infused Specialty Coffees?
Defining infused and flavored coffees can be tricky since there are no official industry terms, leaving much of the interpretation to personal opinions. Nanelle Newbom, Sales West representative at Equal Exchange and a roaster and green buyer at Torque Coffees, offers her perspective on what constitutes a flavored coffee.
“Flavored coffee is when separate ingredients are added to either green or roasted coffee to create a new flavor,” she says. “In my view, manipulating coffee’s flavor by adding yeast strains or controlling oxygen levels during processing doesn’t make it flavored.” However, she points out, “Introducing ingredients like cinnamon sticks into the fermentation tank during processing results in what I would call a flavored coffee.” Nanelle also highlights the debate between using natural versus artificial ingredients.
“For many coffee professionals, the distinction between natural and artificial additions is more of a spectrum,” she explains. “The line is often blurred, and differing views on what qualifies as flavored coffee don’t necessarily make one opinion more valid than another.”
Comparing Flavored and Infused Coffees
Saša Šestić, founder of ONA Coffee and Project Origin, and the 2015 World Barista Champion, is highly regarded for his expertise in fermentation techniques, particularly carbonic maceration. In 2021, he contributed two articles to Perfect Daily Grind, discussing the challenges and common questions surrounding infused coffees.
Saša defines infused coffee as “the addition of specific ingredients and flavorings,” which can include essential oils, spices, acids, herbs, fruits, vegetables, or any other ingredient. “These elements must be detectable in the final beverage,” he explains.
He elaborates that infusion can occur at various stages, such as during fermentation, while the coffee is drying on patios, during storage, or even in barrels. “Coffee can be infused in its green state, after roasting, or even once it’s ground,” he adds. In contrast, Nanelle Newbom believes that infused coffees are primarily created when ingredients or flavorings are introduced during the processing phase.
Barrel-Aged Coffee: How Does It Fit In?
Barrel-aged coffee is another example of flavored coffee, achieved by aging green coffee beans in barrels that were previously used for aging alcoholic beverages like whiskey, wine, or rum. Steven Restrepo, Head of Coffee at Café de Colita, explains the goal of barrel aging: “The green coffee absorbs some of the barrel’s flavors.” Green coffee beans, being highly sensitive to environmental factors, take on the characteristics of the barrel’s wood. This process often imparts fruity, fermented, and “funky” flavor notes, reflecting the previous contents of the barrel.
Nanelle recalls roasting barrel-aged coffee a few years ago, which garnered a lot of interest. “It sold very well, both as retail bags and by the cup,” she says. “I prefer smelling it over drinking it, but it caught people’s attention.”
The Key Differences Between Infused and Flavored Coffees
The definitions of flavored and infused coffees largely depend on the perspectives of coffee professionals, making it challenging to pinpoint clear distinctions between the two. Steven Restrepo defines flavored coffees as those modified through fermentation, using yeasts, bacteria, or the addition of artificial flavors. In contrast, Saša Šestić believes that infusion can occur at any stage of the supply chain, while Steven asserts that infused coffees involve adding artificial flavors after roasting.
Nanelle offers yet another view. “Some coffees are supplemented with additives like CBD or collagen,” she explains, “often referred to as ‘infused’ coffees. But whether these additions happen after roasting to preserve their properties remains unclear.”
The line between infusion and flavoring can indeed be blurry. Nanelle points out that adding beer yeast during fermentation controls the process but doesn’t qualify as infusion while introducing hops during processing would result in an infused coffee. Adding fruits complicates things further, as fruits contribute both fermentable sugars and distinct flavors, leading her to classify such coffees as infused. Despite these complexities, Saša believes that the distinction between infused and flavored coffees will become clearer over time as the industry evolves. “As we gain more knowledge about these processes, the definitions will undoubtedly change and become more refined,” he predicts.
Do Infused and Flavored Coffees Benefit the Specialty Coffee Sector?
There is certainly concern that infused and flavored coffees can create issues, particularly regarding transparency. Nanelle believes it boils down to whether these added flavors truly provide value. “Any flavor or infusion introduced once the coffee reaches its export destination diminishes the value for producers,” she explains. “It undermines the intrinsic qualities tied to terroir, farming practices, and processing. Instead, it shifts the value to roasters, taking it away from the producers.”
On the other hand, Steven sees infused and flavored coffees as an opportunity for producers, traders, and roasters to offer something new. “You can enhance flavor profiles without adding ingredients to the roasted coffee,” he says. “Clients often request personalized, unique products, so why not help farmers deliver this?”
“As long as there’s demand for these types of coffee, we’ll continue to create them,” he concludes.
Is There a Growing Market for Infused and Flavored Coffees?
Despite divided opinions among industry professionals, Steven asserts that there is indeed a market for flavored and infused coffees. “Our journey into fermentation processing began when our clients in China requested whisky-infused coffees,” Steven explains. After initial success, he experimented with a range of flavors, adding ingredients like apple, orange, strawberry, chocolate, chewing gum, and lemon. “Our best-selling infused coffees, though, are passion fruit and cinnamon,” he says.
Beyond these, Steven notes a growing demand for extended fermentation techniques. “Prolonged, controlled, or newer fermentation methods are incredibly popular in specialty coffee, and demand continues to rise. China, South Korea, Japan, and Saudi Arabia are some of the key markets for these coffees.”
Nanelle agrees, observing that interest from both roasters and consumers is increasing. “Some of these coffees are designed for end customers, while others target roasters. Even newer or smaller roasters want to innovate and stand out,” she explains. This gives producers a strong opportunity to market a broader range of products, often at premium prices.
Transparency Is Key in Specialty Coffee
Many coffee professionals agree that for flavored or infused coffees to retain their value, full transparency about the processes used is essential.
“For example, if a roaster adds flavorings or infusions, they need to communicate this to ensure that no value is taken away from the producers,” Nanelle explains.
Steven echoes this sentiment, noting that transparency is sometimes lacking in the industry. “In my experience, not everyone is fully open about how their flavored or infused coffees are made,” he says. “We openly share our techniques because it takes years to learn how to do them successfully—and even longer to master.” He stresses that being transparent about flavoring and infusion processes would benefit the coffee industry as a whole. “People who don’t understand the effort behind these methods often view them negatively,” Steven adds. “But this is a labor of love—you don’t create these coffees just for profit.”
While the coffee industry would undoubtedly benefit from establishing clear definitions for both “infused” and “flavored” coffees, it’s equally important to deepen our understanding of these categories to determine their place in the sector’s future. “Setting clear industry standards is essential to prevent the defamation or undervaluing of these coffees,” Nanelle concludes. “Furthermore, it allows us to raise awareness about the coffees people are buying, selling, and consuming.”
