"Coffee Knowledge" The Origin of Specialty Coffee and the Characteristics of Specialty Coffee Beans

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The origin and current situation of specialty coffee:

The term "specialty coffee" was first coined by Ms. Knudsen from the United States in the "Coffee & Tea" magazine. At that time, Ms. Knudsen was a coffee buyer for BC Ireland in San Francisco. She was very dissatisfied with the current situation in the industry where the quality of raw coffee beans was ignored and some large roasters even mixed a large amount of Robusta beans into the mixed beans. So she proposed the concept of specialty coffee and advocated improving the quality of the industry.

This term is used to describe coffee beans that grow in special environments and have a distinctive taste. Its use at the International Coffee Conference has made it spread rapidly. In fact, according to Ms. Knudsen, people started drinking specialty coffee, but later, due to the growing demand for coffee, the discovery and use of new coffee varieties caused the quality of coffee to decline. People even gradually became tired of this unpalatable and unhealthy coffee and began to turn to other beverages. In this case, Ms. Knudsen made people realize the value of specialty coffee again, thus giving rise to the specialty coffee craze.

The market for specialty coffee is also developing. In the 1990s, with the rapid increase in specialty coffee retailers and coffee shops, specialty coffee became one of the fastest growing markets in the food service industry, reaching $12.5 billion in 2007 in the United States alone. Now specialty coffee has become the fastest growing coffee market. Coffee producing and importing countries around the world have realized the huge potential of the specialty coffee market and are constantly working towards the production and preparation of specialty coffee.

Characteristics of specialty coffee beans:

1. Specialty coffee beans must be high-quality beans without any defects. They must have an outstanding flavor, not "no bad taste", but "tastes particularly good".

2. Specialty coffee beans must be of excellent varieties. The coffee beans produced have a unique aroma and flavor, which is far beyond the reach of other tree species. However, the yield is relatively low. In recent years, in pursuit of disease and pest resistance and increased yield, many improved tree species have emerged. For example, Kenya has promoted the high-yield rurial11 species on a large scale, but the taste and quality have been greatly reduced. Of course, it cannot be called "specialty coffee."

3. The growing environment of specialty coffee beans also has high requirements. Generally, they grow at an altitude of 1,500 meters or even 2,000 meters above sea level, with suitable precipitation, sunshine, temperature and soil conditions. Some world-famous coffee beans also have special geographical environments, such as the high mountain clouds in the Blue Mountain area, the free shade provided by the "flying clouds" in the afternoon in Kona, and the volcanic ash soil in Antigua, which provide conditions for the growth of specialty coffee.

4. The best way to harvest specialty coffee beans is by hand. That is, only ripe coffee berries are picked to avoid picking coffee berries of different maturity levels at the same time. Because unripe and overripe berries will affect the balance and stability of the coffee flavor, specialty coffee beans need to be picked frequently and carefully by hand during the harvest period.

5. Fine coffee beans are refined using water treatment. The water-washed refining method can produce coffee beans with fewer impurities, but if the water quality and time are not properly controlled during the fermentation process, the coffee beans will easily become sour due to excessive fermentation. Beans processed by the dry method also need to be checked in time to prevent the coffee beans from being contaminated by wet ground and debris. Processed beans should be dried in time, and the drying should also be moderate. Generally, the moisture content of processed beans is 11-13%. Insufficient drying can easily cause the beans to mold, and excessive drying can easily cause the beans to age and affect the flavor.

6. Specialty coffee has a strict grading system. After being processed, the raw beans are usually stored as "parchment coffee beans" with the inner skin, and the inner skin is removed before export. The beans go through a strict grading process to ensure uniform quality. In addition, protection during storage and transportation is very important, such as controlling temperature and humidity, controlling ventilation, and avoiding the absorption of foreign flavors. If these are not done well, then even the highest grade beans will no longer be specialty.

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