What’s So Special About Specialty Coffee

By Dave

Specialty coffee is the good stuff. It scores above 80 points in professional tastings that are called cuppings. “Gourmet” and “premium” are terms that get thrown around loosly and there aren’t any real standards that apply to them. The following briefly explains some terms you should look for when you want to buy good coffee.

One reoccurring theme in specialty coffee is that it comes from extremely low yields and high selectivity. This is one of the primary reasons that specialty coffee is more expensive than commodity coffee.

Variety:
We only serve the Arabica specie of coffee and focus on heirloom varietals of that species.  Robusta and other species are inferior in the cup and modern hybrids of Arabica have been developed to increase yield and disease resistance rather than aroma, flavor, sweetness, brightness and body. There is actually little genetic diversity in Arabica coffee outside Ethiopia, where it originated. Most Arabica coffee is a descendant of Bourbon and Typica varieties.

Terroir:
Terroir is a French wine term meaning place.  It refers to the unique microclimate and environmental factors that affect the wine. Just like wine, the environment where coffee is grown is very important. The exact impacts of many of these factors aren’t fully understood but there are two important considerations that we should be aware of. One is elevation. Arabica coffee only grows at high elevation, and up to a point, the higher the better.  High elevation hard bean coffee is denser and develops more complexity and acidity. Shade is also very important to developing of the plant and ripening of the fruit as well as the environment.

Processing:
Once the coffee cherries are picked, the seeds, or beans, must be separated from the fruit before it rots or ferments. This is achieved by milling the coffee in the natural/dry method or Wet/Washed method. In the Natural process, the fruit is allowed to dry on the seeds before being removed. This imparts fruit, funk, body and base notes. The washed/wet method of processing provides a cleaner, crisper cup. Here the coffee is run through a depulper to remove the skin and some fruit. The remaining sticky, slimy pulp is left to ferment, sometimes under water, to loosen it so that it can be washed off.

Roasting:
Roasting green beans transforms starches into sugars, and releases oils and aromatics. Bready and grassy flavors and aromas develop into chocolaty, caramel and nuttiness as sugars brown and caramelize. Under roasted coffee will be underdeveloped. Over roasted coffee will burn, producing carbon-y, resinous flavors and bitterness. Coffee roasted too low and slow will be flat and bready. Coffee roasted too high and fast will be burnt on the outside and underdeveloped inside. The darker you roast the more homogenous the coffee becomes because the uniqueness of the terroir, variety and processing method is overwhelmed by the affects of dry distillation. Acidity is muted and additional body develops as the coffee roasts. When you're buying coffee, keep in mind that every roaster’s definition of different roast levels are a little different. Some people's French roast is lighter than others' French roast but City Roast is lighter than Vienna, which is lighter than French for everyone.

Learn more about specialty coffee at the Specialty Coffee Association of America's website.