ArticleProcessing
The Rise of Anaerobic Processing in Australian Coffee
575products use anaerobic, thermal shock or carbonic maceration
Across our database of 12,544 coffee products, 575 use anaerobic, thermal shock, or carbonic maceration processing. These methods are still a small fraction of the market — but they're growing fast, commanding premium prices, and producing flavour profiles that would have been unrecognisable a decade ago. Here's what the data tells us about who's leading the charge and what it means for your cup.
What is experimental processing?
Most coffee you drink has been processed one of three ways: washed (fruit removed before drying, producing clean, bright cups), natural (dried inside the fruit, yielding heavier body and fruit-forward flavours), or honey (a hybrid where some mucilage remains). These are the traditional trio — reliable, well-understood, and responsible for the vast majority of specialty coffee.
Experimental processing pushes beyond that baseline:
Anaerobic fermentation
Coffee is sealed in oxygen-free tanks during fermentation. Without oxygen, different microorganisms dominate, producing intense, complex flavours — think boozy fruit, tropical acidity, and winey depth. It's the most common experimental method we track.
Carbonic maceration
Borrowed from winemaking (Beaujolais, specifically), whole coffee cherries are sealed in CO₂-filled tanks. The intracellular fermentation produces distinctive candy-like sweetness, red fruit notes, and a creamy mouthfeel.
Thermal shock
Cherries are rapidly alternated between hot and cold water baths, causing the cell walls to rupture and accelerating sugar absorption. The result is amplified sweetness and a silky, syrupy body. It's the newest and rarest of the three.
How much of the market is experimental?
Of the 6,242 products with process data, experimental methods account for 9.2%. Traditional processing still dominates — but the experimental segment is notable for how quickly it has grown from near-zero just a few years ago.
Anaerobic
510
Carbonic Maceration
42
Thermal Shock
37
Traditional vs experimental: the full breakdown
Here's how every major processing method stacks up across the 6,242 products that list their process:
Which roasters are leading the charge?
Experimental processing isn't evenly distributed. A handful of roasters account for a disproportionate share of anaerobic, carbonic, and thermal shock products. These are the roasters betting biggest on innovative fermentation.
What does experimental processing taste like?
The tasting notes on experimentally processed coffees skew heavily toward tropical fruit, fermented flavours, and intense sweetness. Here are the most common descriptors across all 575 experimental products:
- vanilla35
- strawberry32
- peach32
- apricot31
- pineapple31
- milk chocolate30
- floral29
- raspberry27
- cherry26
- plum24
- chocolate24
- orange22
Compare that to traditionally processed coffees, where you'd expect to see chocolate, caramel, and nutty notes dominating. Experimental processing doesn't just change how coffee is made — it fundamentally shifts the flavour vocabulary.
What this means for Australian coffee
Experimental processing is still niche — 9.2% of products with process data — but its influence on the specialty market is outsized. These coffees tend to be limited releases, priced at a premium, and marketed to adventurous drinkers willing to pay for novelty.
For roasters, offering anaerobic or carbonic lots signals innovation and strong origin relationships. For consumers, these methods expand what coffee can taste like — from wine-like and boozy to candy-sweet and tropical. Whether you see that as exciting progress or gimmicky flavour engineering depends on what you want from your morning cup.
Explore the roasters pushing processing boundaries
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