How To Make Specialty Coffee? Specialty coffee is a notion that recognizes the value of unique coffee beans in its own right. To produce a cup of coffee with the most exquisite taste, the coffee beans must go through an exceedingly rigorous procedure in all steps.
Special coffee overview Coffee with a twist?
Specialty coffee is no longer merely the moniker of a different coffee after four decades. Specialty coffee is like a sticker on the hearts of coffee lovers worldwide, confirming the beverage’s excellence.
To fulfill specialty coffee standards, coffee must meet the following criteria:
- Because of a reliable seed supply, Arabica coffee accounts for most of today’s specialty coffee.
- Grown and tended on a farm that satisfies all soil, water, air, and altitude requirements.
- Planting and upkeep strategies that are effective Coffee berries are harvested and classified. Coffee must be processed and stored correctly.
- Brewing and extracting Specialty coffee properly is developed through all steps to create actual coffee bean quality, with a cupping score of over 80 (according to SCAA criteria). The taste of the coffee will change if one constituent is lacking, and it will no longer be classified as specialty coffee. So, how do you make a unique cup of coffee?
How to create a unique cup of coffee Coffee with a twist?
Specialty coffee cultivation and harvest
Not all Arabica coffee beans are Specialty Coffee; specific Arabica varietals produce excellent results, while others produce poor results under the same growing and maintenance conditions. Only around 10% of Arabica coffee varieties in the world currently exceed the standards to make specialty coffee, according to the High-Quality Coffee Association of America (SCAA).
As a result, people choose coffee kinds extremely carefully before making a unique coffee. Altitude, water, air, and other elements all impact the quality of coffee beans. To produce the highest quality coffee beans, coffee farms must meet certain conditions, such as height, clean water, fresh air, distance from residential areas or industrial zones, and so on.
Aside from that, the process of cultivating and caring for coffee plays a significant impact in defining the quality of the beans. When it comes to harvesting, traditional farms pluck their crops.
This method of harvesting saves time, but it results in unequal coffee bean quality because it harvests both ripe and green berries. All specialty coffee farms harvest their beans by hand to deal with this issue. Coffee is picked when the fruit is fully mature, the quality of the beans is consistent, and the beans are correctly sorted.
Processing of specialty coffee Coffee with a unique flavor
To ensure the finest quality and taste, the coffee cherries will be processed as soon as possible after being gathered. Wet processing is used on all specialty coffees. Every stage from husking to fermenting to drying is followed to a precise standard and handled with care to ensure that the coffee is not injured or has any adverse effects on the quality.
Specialty coffee manufacturing procedures are highly complex, and many variables must be kept under control. Time and temperature are critical parameters to consider during the fermentation process. To avoid the coffee not drying uniformly or being re-wetted during later storage, the drying time should be regulated reasonably, not too quickly or too slowly.
The coffee is inspected and categorized after processing based on size and weight. Sifting through the most excellent coffee beans to create Specialty Coffee is a very critical phase. Coffee beans that do not satisfy the color specifications or are damaged will be thrown away.
To proceed to the following stage, coffee is kept correctly. This stage directly impacts the quality of the coffee; thus, temperature, humidity, packaging, and storage procedures must all be carefully monitored. Even a minor error in any of the factors might affect the flavor of the coffee.
Roasted specialty coffee specialty coffee
The transformation from raw coffee beans to fragrant roasted coffee beans is complex. People will have to check and pick raw coffee beans using test samples before roasting. To ensure the best coffee flavor, screening by taste and color is done once more. After that, the quality of the coffee beans will be tested once more after roasting.
If these samples pass quality control, the rest of the beans will be burned at 230-260 degrees Celsius. To generate the best flavor of Specialty Coffee, the roaster will rely on the quality of the beans to change during the roasting process. Because coffee’s scent fades over time, specialty coffee must be stored with extreme caution.
Specialty coffee grinding and preparation
Before preparation and extraction, high-quality coffee beans are ground. When coffee beans are cracked and ground, their aroma is released, resulting in the best-tasting cups of coffee. You should not rub and store coffee since the smell of the coffee will spread and fly away much faster as the contact area between the coffee and the air increases.
According to a published study, the coffee loses up to 60% of its inherent flavor after 15 minutes of being ground. As a result, you must check the freshness of the coffee before brewing it.
There are a variety of techniques to make a fantastic cup of Specialty coffee. The fineness of the coffee powder should also be varied depending on the method of preparation. To have the most excellent Specialty coffee, you must stick to the requirements for step quality, temperature, pressure, water-to-coffee-powder ratio, and so on, regardless of how you prepare it.
The unique aspect of it is that it is already Specialty coffee if you don’t have to meet all of the criteria above. The Cupping score of more than 80 points aids in identifying specialty coffee.
Making a unique coffee Specialty coffee is a procedure that necessitates a team’s meticulousness and passion for coffee. That is why, for decades, specialty coffee has been at the forefront.
