13 December 2025
Caffenol: developing with coffee
Instant coffee, vitamin C and washing soda. Three things you have at home. That's all you need to develop a 35mm roll. It's not magic, it's chemistry. And it's addictive.
Caffenol is one of the best-known recipes in alternative development. The name comes from caffeine + phenol, the active components that make coffee develop silver. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) acts as an accelerator. Sodium carbonate regulates the pH. Together, a solution that genuinely works.
Why it’s worth knowing
It’s not a trick. Caffenol produces negatives you can print, scan and work with. The results have their own character: a certain softness in the grain, a tonal response slightly different from conventional developers. Not better or worse. Just different.
What matters is understanding why it works. And when you do, you understand a little better why all the other developers work too.
The basic formula (Caffenol-C)
For 500ml of solution:
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Instant coffee (Nescafé-type) | 40g |
| Ascorbic acid (pure vitamin C) | 6g |
| Anhydrous sodium carbonate | 16g |
Mix in this order: ascorbic acid first, then the carbonate, finally the coffee. Temperature: 20ºC. Time: 15–20 minutes for ISO 400, with agitation every 3–4 minutes.
The workshop
