A speciality coffee flavour note across London.
Cannabis or dank notes in speciality coffee present as a deep, resinous, herbal quality with an earthy, slightly skunky undertone that some drinkers associate with the terpene-rich aroma of hops or pine alongside dried plant matter. In the cup it tends to feel heavy on the palate, sitting in the mid-to-back of the throat rather than brightening on the tip of the tongue. These notes are most commonly linked to natural and anaerobic processing methods, where prolonged contact with the fruit and fermentation activity drives the development of volatile aromatic compounds, particularly terpenes such as myrcene and linalool, that cross over sensorially with cannabis.
This note is typically associated with coffees from Ethiopia, particularly from naturals processed in regions such as Yirgacheffe and Sidama, where the combination of heirloom varieties and traditional drying methods can produce unusually complex and resinous aromatics. Colombian and Guatemalan anaerobic naturals often display similar characteristics, where extended fermentation is used intentionally to push the cup profile into more experimental territory. Processing method tends to matter more than origin alone, and the note typically intensifies with lighter roast levels, which preserve rather than burn off the volatile compounds responsible for it.
On a bag or cafe menu, look for descriptors such as herbal, resinous, earthy, funky, or terpene, as roasters who have detected this quality often reach for those adjacent terms rather than naming cannabis directly. Anaerobic natural or extended fermentation in the processing notes is a reliable indicator that this character may be present. Filter brew methods such as pour-over and AeroPress tend to highlight these aromatic compounds most clearly, as they allow the coffee's volatile notes to express without the muting effect that milk or high pressure can sometimes introduce.
Take our 60-second flavour quiz and discover roasts across London that are aligned with your palate — including ones carrying cannabis/dank notes.