Have you noticed how many new specialty coffee shops have opened up in your neighbourhood lately? It seems like every corner has a new café serving delicious cups of specialty coffee.
Just a few years ago, this type of high-quality coffee was hard to find. But now, specialty coffee is becoming incredibly popular all across the country.
People are realizing that specialty coffee tastes amazingly good compared to the typical coffee you’d get at diners or coffee chains.
The Flavours are so rich and smooth. Once you try a perfect cup of specialty coffee, it’s hard to go back to the bitter, burnt taste of lower quality commercial coffee.
The popularity of specialty coffee has grown so quickly that it has turned into a booming industry. Coffee lovers are traveling across the world just to visit famous coffee farms and try the most premium specialty coffees.
This craze over specialty coffee shows no signs of slowing down. More and more people are discovering the joys of truly exquisite, handcrafted coffee every single day. In this blog, we’ll explore what makes specialty coffee so special compared to commercial coffee.
Defining Specialty Coffee
Have you ever wondered what makes specialty coffee so special? It all starts with the beans themselves. Specialty coffee is made from the absolute best, highest-quality coffee beans in the world. But what exactly does that mean?
These premium beans are grown in very specific regions that have the perfect combination of soil, altitude, temperature, and rainfall for coffee plants to thrive. The coffee cherries are nurtured with tremendous care and handpicked at the peak of ripeness by skilled farmers.
After harvesting, the coffee cherries go through a meticulous process to remove the outer layers and extract the inner beans. Steps like fermentation and drying are carefully monitored to optimize the chemistry and flavours of the beans. Finally, the beans are roasted in small batches by master roasters who adjust the time and temperature with great precision to gently coax out the beans’ full aromatic potential.
This artisanal process from farm to cup is what allows specialty coffees to develop such incredibly rich, complex flavour profiles that you simply can’t find in regular commercial coffee.
Commercial coffee, on the other hand, prioritizes cost and efficiency over quality. The beans are often sourced from large industrial plantations and harvested by machines before reaching full ripeness. The beans then go through highly automated processing and roasting designed to maximize output rather than craft amazing flavour.
The difference in quality is clear when you look at the scoring system used by professional coffee tasters and buyers. For a coffee to be classified as “specialty grade,” it must score 80 points or higher on a 100-point scale evaluated by certified tasters from the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). These tasters assess the coffee’s flavours, aromas, acidity, body, and overall balance.
Commercial coffee blends typically only score in the 50s or 60s, while truly exceptional specialty coffees can reach scores in the 90s. That’s because specialty coffee starts with premium beans harvested at peak ripeness and goes through an artisanal process focused on developing dynamic, nuanced flavours.
Quality and Flavour
So, what does all that careful growing and processing translate to in the cup? An incredible, multi-layered flavour experience unlike anything you’d get from commercial coffee.
When you take a sip of a high-scoring specialty coffee, you’re immersed in a kaleidoscope of natural flavours and aromatics. You may detect notes of sweet berries, tart citrus, deep chocolate, toasted nuts, or even delicate floral hints reminiscent of jasmine, rose, or honey.
The flavours unfold and intermingle as you go through each sip, almost like listening to the different movements of a symphony. The mouthfeel is smooth and velvety, enveloping your palate.
In contrast, even the best commercial coffee tends to have a very one-dimensional, harsh flavour profile described as “burnt” or “bitter.” That’s because the lower-quality beans and industrial roasting methods prioritize efficiency and consistency over developing nuanced, natural flavours.
With specialty coffee, you’re not just getting a caffeine jolt – you’re experiencing a multisensory journey that engages your sense of smell, taste, and mouthfeel. It’s a true affordable luxury that allows you to slow down and appreciate the craftsmanship and artistry that went into creating that cup.
Ethical and Sustainable Practices
But the appeal of specialty coffee goes far beyond just the incredible taste. The industry is deeply committed to ethical, sustainable, and environmentally-friendly practices from crop to cup.
Many specialty roasters practice direct trade, where they cut out middlemen and build personal relationships directly with the farmers who grow their beans. This allows the roasters to pay higher prices directly to the farmers, supporting their livelihoods.
On top of that, portions of the profits from specialty coffee sales often go towards investing back into the farming communities. This funding provides vital resources like education, healthcare, clean water access, agricultural training, and more. It helps create economic opportunities and upward mobility.
Environmentally, a lot of specialty coffee is grown using organic farming methods that avoid harsh pesticides and chemicals. Shade-grown techniques are frequently utilized as well, where the coffee plants are grown under a canopy of taller trees that preserve natural ecosystems and biodiversity.
Even the packaging and production try to minimize environmental impact. Many specialty roasters use renewable materials like kraft paper bags or compostable plant-based plastics. The roasting process is engineered for energy efficiency and lower emissions.
In almost every aspect of the supply chain, the priority is balancing delicious coffee with ethical treatment of workers, giving back to communities, and protecting the environment. It’s a stark contrast to the massive industrialized commodity coffee operations.
Supporting Small Farmers and Local Economies
By choosing specialty coffee, you’re not just treating your taste buds – you’re supporting economic sustainability and vibrant communities around the world.
The higher prices paid for specialty coffee go directly to small-scale farmers, allowing them to earn a decent living wage. This uplifts entire families and communities by providing income for basics like nutritious food, clothing, housing, healthcare, and education.
On a larger scale, specialty coffee companies frequently invest portions of their profits into programs and infrastructure to benefit the entire farming communities where they source beans. This funding builds schools, health clinics, agricultural cooperatives, clean water systems, and more. It creates economic opportunities and self-sufficiency.
Even closer to home, your specialty coffee purchase supports local small businesses too. Most specialty roasters and cafés are independent mom-and-pop operations, not mega chains. Your dollars recirculate right back into your local economy and community.
That cozy neighbourhood cafe doesn’t just serve amazing coffee – it becomes a gathering place and hub of activity that attracts people and helps surrounding businesses thrive. Talk about a cup of coffee that keeps on giving!
The Specialty Coffee Experience
On top of the unbeatable flavours and feel-good nature of specialty coffee, the entire process of brewing and enjoying it is an experience in itself.
Part of the appeal for coffee enthusiasts is the engagement with the brewing process. Specialty coffee drinkers often experiment with different brewing devices like pour-overs, French presses, vacuum pots and more to explore how various methods influence extraction and flavours.
They tinker with variables like grind size, water temperature and ratio to develop their technique. It becomes a passionate hobby and connection to the craftsmanship behind each cup.
Compare that to the typical commercial coffee experience, which is focused on convenience and grab-and-go. While that may fit a busy lifestyle, it distances you from appreciating the coffee itself. There’s far less of a personal connection to where those beans came from or how they were prepared.
With specialty coffee, you’re not just rapidly caffeinating – you’re slowly savouring the culmination of so many efforts. From the farming to the roasting to your own meticulous brewing, you can taste the labour of love in each sip.
Cost vs Value
Of course, we can’t ignore the elephant in the room – specialty coffee typically costs more than that diner or drive thru coffee. But there are good reasons behind that higher price tag.
First, the premium Arabica beans that go into specialty coffee are rarer and more expensive to grow compared to the commodity-grade Robusta used in most commercial blends. Then you have the additional labour involved in artisanal harvesting and small-batch roasting.
On top of that, the investments in ethical sourcing, farmer support, sustainable agriculture, and environmentally-friendly practices add to the operational costs. But for true coffee lovers, those higher costs directly translate to higher quality in every aspect – better beans, better farming, better roasting, and better practices overall.
You’re not just paying for a cup of coffee; you’re paying for an arts-and-crafts level beverage crafted through ethical processes. The premium value comes through in a richer, more dynamic, almost transcendent drinking experience compared to bitter commodity coffees.
Think about it – a $5 specialty latte is still less than many people spend daily on lunch or evenings out. For an affordable luxury that connects you to hardworking farmers, sustainable agriculture, and the art of craftsmanship, that’s a small price to pay.
How to Transition to Specialty Coffee
If all this talk about the incredible flavours and ethics behind specialty coffee has piqued your interest, you may be wondering how to get started on this delicious journey yourself. Have no fear – transitioning from commercial to specialty coffee is quite simple!
The first step is finding a source for high-quality specialty beans. Your best option is to locate a local coffee roaster in your area that specializes in sourcing and roasting premium Arabica beans. Many roasters now have online stores or subscriptions that let you have freshly roasted beans delivered right to your doorstep.
When visiting a local roaster, don’t be shy about asking for recommendations! The staff will be passionate coffee experts who can guide you towards bean origins and roast levels that may align with your palate preferences. For instance, if you like brighter, fruitier notes, they may point you towards a natural processed coffee from Ethiopia. Or if you crave a richer, chocolatey profile, they could suggest a fuller bodied Sumatran.
To get acquainted with specialty coffee flavours, consider grabbing a few different 4-8 oz bags from varying origins and roast degrees so you can do a tasting flight at home. Take notes on what flavours you pick up and which cups were your favourites.
If there aren’t any local specialty roasters nearby, fear not – you can still find an amazing selection of freshly roasted specialty coffees online from excellent mail-order roasters. Many offer sampler packs or subscriptions so you can regularly try new seasonal rotations and special micro-lots.
No matter where you source your beans from, be sure to check the roast date and try to use them as fresh as possible for maximum flavour and aromatics. Most roasters recommend using beans within 2-4 weeks of the roast date.
On the brewing equipment side, you don’t need anything wildly fancy or expensive to get started with specialty coffee at home. Simply having a quality burr grinder (not a blade grinder) and a gooseneck kettle for hot water will make a huge difference in dialling in extraction.
For the actual brewing method, you really can’t go wrong with either a pour-over cone dripper for clean, bright cups or an immersion style French press which tends to accentuate the body and richness. Whichever you choose, just be sure to follow good practices for factors like:
- Proper water temperature (195-205F)
- Ideal coffee-to-water ratios (around 1:16)
- Appropriate grind size for your brew method
- Optimal contact time between the grounds and water
Taking the time to get these variables dialled in will help you maximize the flavours from those precious specialty beans. And don’t be afraid to experiment and make adjustments to suit your personal taste preferences. Your taste buds will be forever grateful!
Conclusion
Look, we get it – you’re probably thinking, “This specialty coffee thing sounds great, but is it really worth the hype?” Trust us, until you experience those first few sips of an incredibly rich, flavour-packed specialty coffee, you simply can’t understand what you’ve been missing.
It’s like your taste buds have been living in black-and-white their whole lives, and then suddenly, they experience vivid colour and depth for the first time. Those bright fruity notes, the deep chocolatey undertones, the floral aromatics that make your nose tingle – it’s a genuine multi-sensory revelation.
More than that, though, specialty coffee connects you to this entire world of passionate people. The farmers lovingly nurturing those special plants, the roasters obsessing over every step to coax out maximum flavour, the baristas meticulously crafting each cup. With every sip, you’re tapped into that human journey and craftmanship.
So do yourself a favour – treat your taste buds and expand your horizons a little. Find a great local specialty cafe or order some premium beans online from a top roaster like Mecca Coffee. That first mind-blowing specialty coffee experience will make you an instant believer. The rest of us coffee snobs will be waiting to welcome you to the flavour-packed side!
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