We probably all know that wellness specialists recommend starting the day with a warm glass of water, but how many of us actually start the day with warm water, and how many start the day with coffee? I would venture to say that coffee wins over a warm glass of water. We drink coffee every day, and not just one cup of coffee, but what do we really know about coffee?
The most important thing, perhaps, when talking about coffee should be taste, but taste is very subjective, and before delving into the subtleties of taste, let's first talk about coffee in general – how it's categorized, when it appeared, and what's important when choosing coffee. When choosing coffee, on some packages, we might see the phrase - specialty coffee.
What is specialty coffee?
Specialty coffee refers to highest quality coffee beans that have been rated 80 points or more on a 100-point scale by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). Coffee beans that score less than 80 points are considered commercial coffee, and their quality is significantly lower. It's also very important to note that specialty coffee is heavily regulated and strictly monitored by the SCA. Points are awarded based on the appearance of the coffee bean, the absence of defects, taste, the farm itself, and how the coffee is grown. So, the scores are made up of many small elements that require a lot of work and precision, which is why specialty coffee is usually more expensive. Commercial coffee does not receive as much attention, neither in cultivation nor in preparation. For commercial coffee, beans are harvested by machine, which can lead to rotten, unripe, or overripe coffee cherries being collected, whereas for specialty coffee, only perfectly ripe cherries are hand-picked.
Specialty coffee beans are single-origin beans from a specific farm. When we choose specialty coffee, we can even find out the farmer's name and follow them on Instagram, while with commercial coffee, it's often a blend of beans from many farms.
Another very important thing, perhaps even the most important, when it comes to specialty coffee, is that by choosing beans from different regions of the world, we can experience up to 100 different flavors, ranging from chocolate to anise, lime, or even jasmine. To experience the clearest possible flavors of the coffee bean, specialty coffee is roasted lightly and usually in small quantities to ensure it is as fresh as possible on the shelves. In contrast, commercial coffee is roasted dark or very dark to hide defects in the coffee beans and to taste only one flavor - bitterness.
In our Coffee Spells cafe, you can only find specialty coffee, and we always strive to have at least 5 different regions to delight our guests with various flavors.
We roast the coffee beans ourselves, and quality is very important to us, so we have decided that we will aim for all our roasted beans to be rated not 80, but 85 points or more.
