Specialty coffee is a category of coffee that comes from a specific geographic and climatic region and is distinguished by its unique and exceptional flavor.
Coffee goes through many stages before it reaches your cup—starting at the farm, then through harvesting, processing, storage, roasting, and finally brewing. Each of these stages plays a crucial role in developing the coffee, and quality must be maintained throughout to produce high-grade coffee. Therefore, specialty coffee is the result of outstanding effort across the entire production chain.
The pursuit of quality begins with growing a distinguished variety of coffee at the right altitude, in the right soil, and under the right climate. The first key player in the production process is the farmer, and everything can go to waste if the farmer is not dedicated to quality. The farmer is also responsible for harvesting the coffee cherries with precision, selecting only ripe cherries from healthy, disease-free trees.
Post-harvest processing has a significant impact on the flavor of the coffee. At this stage, the coffee must be processed quickly and accurately. It then needs to be dried properly before being sorted by size. After sorting, the coffee is packed and prepared for shipping. Storage conditions, such as humidity and temperature, are sensitive factors that must be controlled to preserve the quality of the beans.
Roasting the green coffee beans is another critical stage. The roaster plays the role of a chef, turning raw ingredients (coffee) into a masterpiece. The roaster must understand the desired flavor profile and take the necessary steps to bring it out. The final step in this long production journey is brewing the coffee properly to achieve a cup with excellent taste.
Specialty coffee is the result of shared dedication and effort from the farmer, exporter, roaster, and barista. It comes in different sizes, flavors, from different origins and processing methods, yet all share the same commitment to high quality and exceptional taste. This remarkable production chain is the pride of specialty coffee.
