Specialty coffee begins with the producers. These farmers are responsible for growing and harvesting the coffea arabica trees. While Arabica coffee is seen as the best sort, its twin, Robusta, is seen as ugly. Many commodity coffees contain low-quality robusta beans, which have a bitter taste.
Specialty coffee farmers are typically skilled, managing farms that have been in their family for generations. They know the ins and outs of their soil and focus more on quality than quantity.
The coffee belt is a region that produces the majority of the world’s coffee. It is generally located between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn and includes parts of Central and South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. This “belt” of coffee-growing countries stretches 3,200 miles from Central America to Australia.
The conditions here are perfect for growing high-quality arabica coffee beans. Many Coffee Belt countries are located at high altitudes above 1200 meters (4000 feet).
The cool climate results in slower growth for the trees and more time for the coffee cherries to mature. There are fewer pests high up, too.
Shady conditions are another big bonus. Specialty coffee plants are often grown beneath a canopy of larger trees, unlike commodity robusta plants which are often planted in direct sun to turbo-charge growing speed and increase yield.
The shady conditions referred to in the text help to slow down the growth rate of the plants, which in turn gives the flavors and natural sugars more time to develop.
Why else is shade-grown specialty so great? It helps to reduce the deforestation of tall tropical trees.
Picking the coffee cherries
Ripeness is key for truly great coffee; it’s one of the main factors that sets specialty coffee apart.
If you look inside a bag of coffee beans that are being traded as a commodity, you will probably find a mix of ripe, under-ripe, and over-ripe beans. This is the result of quantity-focused strip-picking.
Large-scale roasters then have to roast these beans for a longer period of time to hide their unpleasant, sour flavors. And over-roasting is a death wish to coffee. The cup tastes burnt, bitter, and too strong. Not what any coffee lover wants.
Move over to a sack of specialty coffee, and you’ll find another story. To ensure that the coffee beans are ripe and of the best quality, producers skilled in specialty coffee beans carefully handpick them.
These cherries are very red and very sweet. What was the last time you went blackberry picking and ate an underripe berry? Didn’t taste great, did it?
The best flavor in coffee comes from the ripest fruit!
Remember those high altitudes we mentioned? They’re not the easiest to navigate.
Specialty coffee is more expensive than commodity coffee because it is difficult to handpick on steep terrains and rough ground.
After harvesting coffee, the fruit and mucilage surrounding the coffee bean must be removed. There are three main coffee processing methods:
- Natural: this is the oldest method and is also called the ‘dry’ method. The growers spread the cherries out in thin layers, turning them often. Commodity natural processed coffee might be left directly on the ground (this gives the beans an unwanted, earthy flavor), while specialty natural processing usually takes place on raised beds. Turning the beans regularly also stops any mold in its tracks. Once dry, the producers hull the cherries to remove the husk.
- Washed: here, the coffee cherries are first de-pulped to strip off their fleshy fruit layer. They then go into fermentation tanks, where enzymes within the coffee break down the remaining flesh. Washing comes next, before the beans are left to dry on special tables or patios.
- Pulped natural: This is a clever mix of the above two methods. We mainly find pulped natural coffee in Brazil.
You can be sure that the processing of specialty coffee is done properly. This is important because the way coffee is processed affects its flavor.
Take the natural process. Adding fruit to coffee can give it a unique touch, but if not done correctly, it can taste earthy and fermented.
In the specialty coffee trade, supply chains are kept short. Artisan roasters typically buy their coffee directly from the source.
The coffee might be bought either directly from farmers or through an importer that focuses on ethical coffee and has a presence in coffee-growing countries.
Coffee roasting is awesome. The coffee roasting process turns raw coffee beans into something that tastes good and has different flavors.
When the roasting is done well, that is. Coffee roasting is an art that is more complex than cooking a Sunday dinner. Most specialty beans are roasted by skilled independents.
Indie roasters undergo hours of coursework and practical training to develop a deep understanding of coffee beans. Small batch roasting by hand allows for flexible tweaking and tailoring of recipes as necessary.
They’re often times over-ripe and stripped of their fruitiness, leading to a more one-dimensional and less exciting cup of coffee Commodity coffee beans are not given the same special treatment as microlot coffee beans. They are often times over-ripe and lack the fruitiness that makes for a more exciting cup of coffee. Most are roasted in bulk by mega machines. The issues really arise from roasting the beans too dark.
Roasting companies that use low-quality robusta beans mask the bad flavors by over-roasting them.
If you ask us, very dark roasts don’t improve the taste of the beans, they just make them taste bitter and burnt.
Specialty coffee roasting is another story. This coffee shop is all about highlighting the great flavors found in high-quality coffee beans. Goodness, there are a lot to bring out! The beans have been hand-picked and then gradually grown, meaning that they are full of natural deliciousness.
There’s nothing bad to hide- only lots of delicious flavor notes to emphasize! Specialty roasters take a lot of care to create perfect roasting methods, using just the right amount of roasting time. We avoid over-roasting because it’s unnecessary.
The roasting method
The love and care begins before we even put on the sunscreen. The roaster looks at the green (unroasted) coffee beans to see how dense and moist they are. It is important to set the start temperature so that the best possible temperature can be achieved.
All eyes and ears (and noses) are on the roast as it begins, and we adjust all the way through. Roasters use signals called ‘sensory milestones’ to mark key stages in the beans’ roasty-toasty journey:
- Stage 1: grass (smells like a just-cut lawn)
- Stage 2: hay (smells cozy like a barn of warm hay)
- Stage 3: bread (smells like a bakery)
The ‘first crack’ comes next. When the beans start giving off heat and begin popping, it’s just like popcorn! The act of roasting is an exothermic reaction, meaning it gives off heat.
Then we reach the ‘development phase’. A shorter brewing time will result in a coffee with fruitier and more floral notes, while a longer brewing time will produce a coffee with richer and more caramelized flavors.
The roaster drops the beans into the cooling bin when they are happy. Stopping the roasting process prevents the coffee from being overcooked and tasting unpleasant.
Light and dark roast coffee
A bag of hand-roasted specialty coffee is a great way to improve your coffee-drinking experience! You might choose a bright, fruity light roast. Light roast coffee beans are roasted for a shorter amount of time, resulting in a higher caffeine content. These beans also have a more complex flavor, with notes of flowers, fruit, and acidity.
They’re ideal for a filter or cafetiere. While darker roast coffees take a bit longer to roast, they ____. This allows the sugars more time to caramelize, resulting in a rich coffee with hints of chocolate, nut, and toffee.
The heaven-made match for your espresso machine or AeroPress.
Various growing factors impact the flavors in a coffee:
- Altitude
- Soil quality
- Weather conditions
- Processing method
- Amount of shade
- Humidity
The conditions have to be just right in order for coffee to taste its best. High altitude and top-quality soil are key for delicious coffee. This coffee is roasted to perfection and will give you a great cup of coffee.
Specialty coffees come in a tantalizing spectrum of flavors. This coffee variety offers a range of flavors, from bright and berry-like to rich and honeyed or reminiscent of chocolate-covered raisins.
Industry evolution of specialty coffee
We describe cultural flavor preferences and intensities using words, and that’s all, right? Specialty coffee is just a word, says Sean McManus, owner of Neighbourhood, an espresso bar in Surry Hills.
If everyone specializes in a certain area, it becomes less special. The goal is to never be satisfied with where you are and to always strive for more. When you think you’re finished with a task and wipe your hands of it, that’s when it’s actually most vulnerable.
The World Barista Championship (WBC) has played a role in the development of the specialty coffee industry.
Many trends have been set by this stage, and it has given baristas a chance to share their passions with the public – from the farmers who grow the coffee beans, to new technologies and research that have improved the flavor of coffee.
Sasa Sestic, who owns Ona Coffee and was the 2015 World Barista Champion, says that the increased use of EK43 grinders in specialty coffee shops is a result of Matt Perger’s competition.
Sasa became obsessed with water for coffee after Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood’s presentation on the subject. This is a common reaction to the presentation, as it is very informative.
Evolution occurs more quickly in environments where there is a lot of Competition.
According to Sharon Jan, the green coffee buyer for Seven Miles Coffee Roasters, specialty coffee is typically coffee that scores 80 and above on a scale of 100. However, when creating products for the Australian specialty market, coffee that scores 85 and above is often required.
Do people in Australia now expect specialty coffee? Does the large number of cafes in Sydney and Melbourne, and the competition between them, mean that customers expect a higher standard of coffee?
We need to consider that specialty will evolve at different rates in different places around the world for our definition. The necessity for periodic review and update of knowledge in a specialty in order to keep pace with changes in the field and maintain a high level of measurement.
It’s important to state that the objective scoring we’ve been talking about is the quality measurement of coffee on a cupping table. Where a coffee is selected by the roaster or assessor.
Should specialty coffee be roasted in a certain way to remain special, or should there be set brewing parameters for a barista to follow?
Sasa noted that specialty coffee is sustainable because 6-10% of crops from the farms he deals with are of specialty grade.
The cost of production is a major factor in determining whether a farm can survive by selling only specialty items. The yield in some countries is so much lower that it is impossible to produce a crop.
Tuli and Emily argue that climate change will have a significant impact on crop yields and production costs. Crops are moving to cooler climates due to the raised cost of production. This will require people to pay more for specialty coffees.
Flavor: More than numbers
In our interviews, people seem to think that specialty coffee is more than just measuring and assessing the quality. The company is responsible for its actions, telling a transparent story of how its products are sourced and produced sustainably. We posed the question to a panel to see if this was in fact the case.
Storey says that traceability is a necessary part of their business model and that it is something they take very seriously. He says that it is important to be able to track the origins of their coffee beans in order to ensure quality control.
The coffee company has to be aware of the source of their coffee beans in order to guarantee future harvests and to make sure farmers aren’t destroying coffee trees to plant other, more profitable crops.
It is important to ensure that the relationship with the farmer is something that will last for a significant amount of time.
A specialty coffee can only be produced if the farmer is convinced that their bucket of cherries, which have been carefully sorted to remove any defects, will be able to get a good price despite the lower yield.
They need to provide for their families.
It’s important for businesses in a specialty market to be able to trace their products, in order to identify any issues. Coffee from some countries can be linked back to the specific trees it was harvested from.
It is important to be able to identify exceptional coffee so that we can cultivate it.
He feels that a farm’s ability to survive on specialty items alone depends largely on the cost of producing those items. The yield is significantly lower in some countries, making it impossible to produce crops.
Tuli and Emily also say that climate change will have a big impact on how much crops cost to produce. The price of specialty coffee is going to increase because crops are being grown in cooler climates.
Conclusion
Specialty coffee can be defined simply as coffee that is grown in a particular way and is of exceptional quality. However, getting people to agree on this definition is much more complicated. The average consumer is not likely to go to great lengths to understand this product or train their senses to enjoy it.
People generally want a drink that tastes good and makes them feel good while consuming it.