If you love drinking coffee, you have 2 choices – speciality or regular. If you reside in the United Kingdom, you already know that speciality coffee is really special because many people are looking for where to get it.
Before you even drink your first shot of hot java, you must know that those special beans took a journey through a very complicated path. Several stages are involved in farming and processing the special beans. So if you’re not careful when brewing, you may ruin the entire batch.
How is Speciality Different from Regular Coffee?
In present-day society, when you mention “regular” among growers, roasters, or drinkers, it is a disguised way of referring to low quality and “not so great in taste” coffee. When you drink a shot of regular, oftentimes, you will get a sour aftertaste. This is less than a thrilling experience.
But speciality refers to coffee with guaranteed quality. All through the stages of its production, from the seed to the cup, top quality standards are observed. You can click here to read the history of this coffee.
What Are the Characteristics of Speciality Coffee?
The product is so named because of the entire process it goes through, from farmers to consumers using one source for the beans. It also talks about the method employed in roasting and extracting it. Do not confuse this with premium or gourmet types. Those are purely marketing terms that do not have standard definitions for the taste and flavor of the beans.
According to Speciality Coffee Association (SCA), speciality coffee starts from green beans with outstanding quality. Then it is roasted carefully to extract their highest flavors, following the SCAA established standards.
The standards ensure that the beans score a minimum of eighty points on the scale of one to hundred for quality. The features that are tested include sweetness, clean cup, balance, uniformity, body, acidity, aftertaste, flavor, aroma, and fragrance. Overall, they must taste better than the average cup of joe.
Speciality beans grow in ideal and special climates. They are distinct because they have little or no defects and provide a full cup taste. Also, their unique tastes and flavors are because of the unique characteristics of the soil in which farmers produce them.
The popular species of coffee are Robusta and Arabica. But only Arabica is considered speciality. Both species grow at altitudes. Therefore, the countries that are popular for growing speciality varieties are Indonesia, Brazil, Ethiopia, and Colombia, among others.
How Do You Brew Speciality Coffees?
These coffees are driven by quality, not like the other products in the market. So you can already guess that the usual drink you get from the local grocer is not regarded as speciality. The clear difference between shops that make speciality coffees and the regular chain stores is the brewing method.
When making pour-over coffees, kettles that have gooseneck spouts provide incredible precision. Also, timers ensure that you brew the drink with consistency. If you are using a manual method, you can make the same brew in 8 other ways, resulting in a slight body and flavor variation.
How Do Brewers Source Speciality Coffees?
If you have these coffees at home, you won’t keep running to big box stores to grab a bag. The beans are not only grown and roasted differently but are also sourced in a different way.
The roasters visit the farms personally. During the visit, they establish relationships and connections with growers. As a result, the growers will allow them to enter the farm and pick their choice of beans. Now, these roasters do not need to read about the beans in catalogs because they already have access to the beans themselves.
This relationship benefits both the roasters and the farmers, including their workers. The roasters sell products of the highest quality while the farmers get to make more profit from the sale of first-grade beans.
Consequently, the relationship supports local communities. Also, the community members benefit by providing higher quality beans. They also strive to establish long-term connections between the roasters and the farmers.
Higher Quality Coffees Sell Differently from the Regular Coffees
Many roasters that sell high-quality coffees aim at transparency when sharing and selling speciality coffees. They are willing to tell you how they sourced the beans. They also tell their customers the names of the growers they source from.
Coffee lovers know how important it is to connect to their drinks. So these roasters want you to hear stories and see pictures that will encourage you to enjoy all their input in getting you great quality products. Speciality coffees are special because they value cooperation, quality, sustainability, and more importantly, people.
How to Get High-Quality Coffee in the UK
Are you wondering where you can get speciality coffee beans in UK and at a good price? There are many online and physical stores that sell them but what you need to know is how to buy them. You need to read the label before purchasing your bag of beans. They tell you the quality of the product and how to make it.
Beware of labels that read 100 percent coffee. This may sound odd, but 100 percent Arabica does not mean that it is of good quality. The label should explain where the beans came from, their variety, producer, the processing method, altitude, and cup profile.
Fortunately, most products in the United Kingdom have adequate information on their labels. So before you purchase any bag, ensure it is the right one.
Conclusion
Speciality coffees tell the story of love and support for one another. Imagine the relationship roasters develop with growers so they can produce high-quality beans for coffee lovers. So when you get a top-quality bag, ensure you brew it with care.