The true value of specialty coffee is being misunderstood

The specialty coffee standard is being misunderstood

To ensure outstanding quality in terms of taste, aroma and balance, SCA has set a strict specification to be described as “Specialty”. High-quality coffee beans must be grown and produced under special microclimate conditions. Ensure the ideal of soil characteristics, composition and preliminary processing. All stages must ensure transparency and maintain sustainability with related organic relationships.

SCA has jointly developed a 100-point scale to classify all coffee beans from all over the world. The coffee beans continue to undergo testing by a certified grader. Because to be called “Specialty Coffee”, coffee beans must reach 80 points or more. Those unroasted coffee beans must be free of defects or less than five secondary defects, before being purchased and delivered to the roaster.

Besides the stable structure, the taste of the coffee beans is also highly evaluated by the general system. Cupping is also a step in the grading process. It involves roasting and tasting under ‘blind’ conditions. Then, based on the skill of the tester, the coffee beans will be evaluated and assigned a score for each internal attribute. For example, the acidity, sweetness, aroma, and brightness have reached the standard.

As you can see, growers and producers always have to adhere to an absolute quality processing process. Today, however, the word “Specialty” is everywhere in the industry. It was used non-stop on packaging and advertised as a mass product. Not only that, the inexperienced bartenders and roasters are also not really knowledgeable about it, they carry the name of that specialty everywhere arbitrarily

Consumer’s responsibility so that specialty coffee is not misunderstood

As a consumer, you have the opportunity to purchase whole beans or pre-ground packets of coffee. Home brewing allows you to extract flavor and aroma immediately before brewing, resulting in a fresher, tastier cup of coffee.

43 Factory Coffee Roaster and the “artisans” involved in this supply chain, always put a lot of effort and love into providing you with true high-quality Specialty coffee. We want to bring a uniform and aromatic cup of coffee to each customer. The coffee has a moderate amount of acid, creating a slight acidity, ecstatic aroma and moderate aftertaste. Those are the cups of coffee worthy of the title “Specialty”.

So, if you want to cherish your own experience, master the true meaning of the misunderstood Specialty beans. It is also a way to kindly appreciate the efforts of those who have made their best efforts in that value chain. They brought me every fragrant coffee bean, every warm cup of tea. And it is also your responsibility for seemingly normal expenses, but with great consequences.