The Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) was applied in this study to simulate the anaerobic digestion (AD) of wastewaters from soluble coffee processing in sequential batch reactors. As these substrates present considerable levels of phenolic compounds, modifications were made to the basic structure of the ADM1. Additionally, the Luong inhibition model replaced the Monod model to describe the consumption of soluble organic matter. On the other hand, the removal of phenolic compounds was carried out using the Haldane model, appropriate when the inhibition by excess substrate is present, taking into account in this case the quantification of phenols and benzoic acid as total phenols. The new ADM1-based model was calibrated with experimental data from the AD of post hydrothermal wastewater (PHWW) of spent coffee grounds (SCG) and validated with experimental data of the AD of effluents produced during the soluble coffee processing. The simulation results demonstrated that the new model moderately described the removal of phenolic compounds ( > 90 %), methane production (2.243 kgCODm−3 in calibration and 6.16 kgCODm−3 in validation), and the production and consumption of organic acids over time. However, in future research new metabolic pathways may be included in the model to improve its quality even more. •ADM1 was modified to simulate the anaerobic digestion of residues from soluble coffee processing.•Luong’s inhibition kinetics was incorporated into the ADM1 to describe the substrate degradation.•The removal of phenolic compounds was described by the Haldane kinetic.•The model moderately described methane production and phenolic degradation.