THE ‘SPECIAL’ IN SPECIALTY COFFEE

Ever wondered what is it that makes the beverage rewarding? Read on.

Specialty coffees are grown in ideal climates and are distinctive for their full-bodied flavour and little to no defects. However, much has to be done, to keep up the fragile chain of custody for specialty coffee and ensure a perfect coffee experience with very little defects.

Beginning with the choice of varietal, superior standards have to be maintained right through the processing, the packaging, the shipping and treatment, once it arrives. Make no mistake, this also includes how the coffee is roasted, treated by the barista and even the servers. In fact, roasters may be responsible not only for the preservation of the quality delivered by the farmer, but they also need to meet standards for transforming the quality of the green bean to the barista. Similarly, the barista is responsible not only for the preservation of all the attributes of the roasted coffee, but also for the revelation of those attributes to the consumer. This is not only through the brewing process, but also in the total experience of drinking that beverage. Indeed, specialty coffee making is an art that involves precision, expert knowledge and extreme care, one that comes at no mean cost.

Classifying coffee:

Coffee needs to score greater than 80 on a 100-point scale, for it to be classified as specialty grade. Even minor bean defects such as discolouration, dryness, fungus, presence of foreign matter, maturity, insect damage and any cuts, breaks or chips, all affect the coffee’s rating. Aspects such as taste, body, aftertaste, balance, sweetness, uniformity of the cup are also considered when classifying specialty coffee.

Knowledge of the bean:

For coffee roasters, nothing is more important than an intimate knowledge of the bean-where the bean is at every stage of the processright from country of origin, the farm and even the micro-lots on the farm itself. That’s not all. Factors such as coffee varietal (whether it is Robusta or Arabica), growing altitude (the higher the better), processing method (dry process; semi-dry process; or wet process), date of harvesting (seasonal variations) and transportation method, all make a difference to the overall coffee experience.

Let’s admit it, specialty coffee is special, and will always be defined by the quality of the product, whether green bean, roasted bean or prepared beverage and by the experience it delivers to everyone involved in every stage of its packaging, process and preparation, particularly the customer, who gets to reap the full reward. Shouldn’t we pay a little more for that little extra, then?