Special Process: Anaerobic, Honey & Beyond

Fermentation is where modern coffee gets creative, and this collection turns it up to eleven. Here you will find anaerobic and carbonic maceration lots fermented in sealed tanks, co-fermented and yeast-assisted coffees, and sweet honey-processed batches. These methods produce notes you rarely taste in a classic cup, like banana, cinnamon, boozy fruit or creamy, yogurt-like textures. For the coffee lover who wants to taste what a bean can become when the producer takes control of fermentation.

Coffee beans on drying racks outdoors

Special Process: Anaerobic, Honey & Beyond

Special process specialty coffee: anaerobic, carbonic maceration, co-fermented and honey lots with bold, expressive flavor. For adventurous coffee lovers.

  • Packaged coffee with 'BREWTEAFUL COFFEE' and 'SPOJKA ROASTERY' branding on a gradient background
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    Omniroasted Coffee

    Spojka - BrewTEAful Coffee - Omniroast - 200g

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    Spojka - BrewTEAful Coffee - Omniroast - 200g

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  • Spojka Roastery Hummingbird Costa Rica Omni Roast coffee bag with orange gradient, pink speckles, and silver text.
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    Spojka - Humming Bird - Omniroast - 200g

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    Spojka - Humming Bird - Omniroast - 200g

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Experimental Coffee Beans: Anaerobic, Carbonic and Co-Fermented

Looking for special process coffee? This is the experimental corner of specialty coffee, where producers take control of fermentation: anaerobic tanks, carbonic maceration borrowed from winemaking, co-fermentation with fruit or spices, selected yeasts and fruit enzymes, plus sweet honey processing. The result is flavor you rarely find in a classic washed lot, from banana, bubblegum and cinnamon to pineapple, hibiscus and jammy berries.

These coffees suit the days when you want your cup to surprise you, whether that means a fizzy tropical fruit punch or a clean, tea-like cup. Lots are tiny and rotate quickly, so a favorite can sell out. New to the idea? Our processing guide explains how each method shapes the cup.

Anaerobic and Carbonic Maceration: Fermentation Without Oxygen

In anaerobic processing the cherries ferment in sealed, oxygen-free tanks (sometimes with CO2 pumped in), which pushes flavor into the bean and can bring intense tropical fruit, spice and even boozy notes. The Alchemist from our partners at DAK is an anaerobic natural from Gasharu Farms in Rwanda, with a punch of ripe tropical fruit. Not every anaerobic lot is loud: El Rincon from Tanat is a Colombian anaerobic natural that tastes clean and herbal, with acacia honey, mint and green tea.

Carbonic maceration is a trick borrowed from winemaking, where whole cherries ferment in tanks filled with CO2 before drying. Banko Gotiti CM from our partners at COFFEELAB, an Ethiopian Heirloom lot from Gedeb in Yirgacheffe, tastes like a fruit cocktail with a fizz: melon, passion fruit and a funky kombucha note. Brew it in an AeroPress with a paper filter, using 17 g of coffee and 250 g of water at 92°C.

Co-Fermented, Yeast-Assisted and Honey: Flavor by Design

Co-fermented lots ferment together with fruit or spices, and yeast-assisted processes use selected microorganisms to steer flavor. Finca Quebraditas SL28 from our partners at COFFEELAB goes through a double fermented natural process with selected yeasts and tastes like a candy shop: banana, hard candy sweetness, soft vanilla and a pop of raspberry.

Honey processing leaves the sticky fruit layer on the bean while it dries, which gives brown sugar sweetness and lower acidity. There is no honey involved. Bach from our partners at Spojka takes it to the extreme with a Raisin Honey process, 100% pulp and no water, finished in rum barrels, for cognac, raisins and candied hibiscus. For espresso and milk drinks, Nectar from Heresy blends a natural Ethiopian lot with a fermented honey lot from Honduras, with stone fruit, flowers and chocolate.

What is special process coffee?

Special process is an umbrella term for methods beyond classic washed and natural coffee: anaerobic fermentation, carbonic maceration, co-fermentation with fruit or spices, yeast-assisted processing and honey. Producers control fermentation to shape flavor, which is why these coffees often taste more intense, sweeter or stranger than a classic lot. Lots are small and rotate, so a favorite can sell out.

What do anaerobic, carbonic maceration and co-fermented coffees taste like?

Expect intense, unusual flavors: bubblegum, cinnamon, banana, tropical fruit and a lactic, yogurt-like creaminess. Carbonic lots such as Negele Gorbitu from GRINGO lean toward pineapple, blueberry and violet, while the double fermented Quebraditas goes for banana and hard candy. Some lots, like El Rincon, stay clean and herbal instead. The product page lists the process and tasting notes. Let the cup cool a little, because these coffees often reveal more flavor as it cools.

Is honey process coffee made with honey?

No. The name comes from the sticky fruit layer left on the bean while it dries, which adds sweetness and lower acidity, with brown sugar and cooked fruit notes. Honey processes come in degrees such as yellow, red and black, depending on how much of the layer stays on the bean and how it dries. At the far end, Raisin Honey uses 100% pulp and no water.

Which special process coffee should I start with, and how do I brew it?

If you are curious but cautious, start with a balanced lot like Bombona from Coffee Collective, an anaerobic washed Colombian with blackberries, chocolate and caramel, or the tea-like BrewTEAful from Spojka, an anaerobic washed Sumatran lot made with fruit enzymes. Keep brewing simple: an AeroPress, V60 or Chemex with a paper filter keeps the fruit sparkling. In an AeroPress, 17 g of coffee to 250 g of water at 92°C with a medium-fine grind is a good start. Use fresh water and a scale, because small changes show in expressive coffees.