The term ‘specialty coffee’ is interesting. Wine has a lot of similarities to the coffee industry, but you rarely hear anyone make the distinction between specialty or commodity quality wine like they do with coffee. In a lot of ways, it is better to have that acknowledgement of a spectrum of quality.
The journey of a coffee bean starts as a cherry on a coffee tree. Broadly speaking it is grown, nurtured, picked, processed, shipped, roasted, brewed, then drank. So, the question is, at what stage in the journey does the coffee become elevated to ‘specialty’?
It is widely understood, that specialty coffee needs to be grown above 1200MASL (meters above sea level) to possess qualities that we recognise as ‘specialty’. This is because at high altitude there is less oxygen and cooler climate. When plants are grown in those conditions, it puts more energy into growing fruit, filling the cherry with more sugars and nutrients than its faster growing lower altitude brothers and sisters down the mountain. More sugars and nutrients means more complexity and sweetness.
Processing has a huge effect on the end result of the coffee. How ripe the cherries are when they are picked off the tree, the time it takes to get the cherries to the wet mill, the pulping process, time in fermentation tanks, and the drying process are all huge factor in bringing out the best in a coffee bean.
The roasting process can be unforgiving and the bring out the best a coffee has to offer can be a delicate balancing act. There is a way to roast coffee with care and precision that allows it to show off all of the hard work that has gone into growing and processing. Put simply, roasting correctly should show off all the natural qualities that the coffee possesses without introducing new flavours embedded by the roasting process.
Brewing coffee to perfection takes an equal amount of skill and precision. The smallest changes in temperature, grind size, or dose can have a profound effect on the brew.
The journey coffee makes from start to finish is similar to a relay race, where each part of the supply chain plays an important part in ensuring it’s ‘specialty’ status is intact. We rely on everyone in the supply chain to do their best before passing the coffee on to the next person.
At Inglewood Coffee, we take every possible measure to ensure we are doing everything possible to compliment the work being down further up the supply chain and deliver something to home and café baristas that is truly exceptional.
Written by: Cory Slater