Why more and more people drink specialty coffee every day.
Written by Ricardo Quintero
WHY MORE AND MORE PEOPLE DRINK SPECIALTY COFFEE EVERY DAY.
Bountiful aromas, amazing flavors and knowing that producers are being recognized fairly for their work, these are some of the reasons why specialty coffee is increasing in global popularity.
For consumers that are looking for great coffee tastes, from the more classic chocolaty and sweet, to the more exotic fruity and juicy, but with much less bitterness and burnt taste in their daily cup.
Quite distinct from commodity coffee specialty coffee pulls apart from the norm and elevates the experience of coffee to new levels where things such as origin, fun flavors coming from the coffee varietals, harvesting, post harvesting processes and direct and equitable engagement with producers become the center of attention.
In other words, a far better cup of coffee that is fair.
Here are 3 key things that make Specialty coffee memorable.
1. Non intensive and ecofriendly plantations
Picture a forest full of natural plants and wildlife, now imagine that same forest hosting coffee trees under its shade.
There, at high altitudes, the perfect mix of rain, sun, shade and wildlife is where the true magic of coffee happens.
Less intensive plantations in natural ecosystems add richness and depth to coffee flavors and it is in this context that every tree, bird and insect is important.
Pineapple and bananas growing besides coffee at Finca el Champú, 2050 mts.
2. Lightly roasted specialty coffee is unforgetable
Marketing jargon such as “slow roast”, “Wood Roast” “Artisanal roast" can sometimes be deceiving when it comes to describing flavor profiles.
Reality is, beans will always need to be roasted with care to create the necessary chemical reactions for coffee flavors to come to life. This process usualy takes between 8-18 minutes.
The true magic happens when roast masters maximise the potential of high-quality coffee and roast it just enough to ensure that the best flavors and aromas come to life allowing each individual batch to express its natural potential.
Lightly roasted specialty cofffee.
Light brown in colour and no oil on the surface is how you recognise them. Opening a bag and smelling them is how you fall in love with them.
Light acidity, a mellow body, and bright flavours is how you remember them.
3. Coffee worth sharing
There’s nothing like sharing a nice moment with friends or family around a cup of coffee, and cool methods such as Chemex or French press are becoming more popular thanks to their ease of use, for their amazing coffee results and for the fun ways of bringing people together. And although many of these methods are quite old, it is only now, that with Specialty coffee you can get the most from them.
