The Difference Between Single Origin Coffee and Specialty Coffee_ Most Classic Single Origin Coffee Beans_ Single Origin Coffee Bean Prices

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Understanding Single Origin Coffee Beans

Simply put, single origin coffee beans are not blended but come from a single variety from a specific producing region. When coffee beans are rated 80 points or above by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), they are considered "Specialty Coffee."

Reject the Ordinary - Experience Single Origin Coffee with All Five Senses

When it comes to single origin coffee, it's not just bitter and astringent. From aroma to taste to mouthfeel, the flavor characteristics of coffee can be roughly divided into five categories: aroma, bitterness, acidity, sweetness, and body.

1. Aroma

including dry fragrance (Fragrance) and wet aroma (Aroma). Many people say "smelling coffee" is more satisfying than "drinking coffee" because volatile coffee aromatic compounds can be perceived through smell. Common expressions include floral, nutty, and fruity aromas. Typically, loss of aroma indicates deterioration in quality.

2. Bitterness

The fundamental taste of coffee, produced when sugars, starches, and fiber undergo caramelization and carbonization during the roasting process. Coffee with stronger acidity tends to have weaker bitterness, while bitterness-focused coffee often lacks sufficient acidity.

3. Acidity

In terms of variety elevation, coffee grown at high altitudes is more acidic than that grown at lower altitudes. Lighter roasted beans have more abundant acidity, while darker roasts lack acidity.

4. Sweetness

During the roasting process, some carbohydrates like sucrose and glucose undergo caramelization, while the remainder forms sweet flavors. Sweetness can typically be detected at the bottom of the cup or in the coffee's aroma.

5. Body

Utilizing the tactile sensation in the mouth - similar to the difference in thickness between soy milk and plain water - as well as the degree of saturation that coats the mouth after sipping.

Try to recall which of these five taste sensations is most prominent in your sensory experience. Then consider the coffee you usually drink - what makes it enjoyable? Where do you feel it falls short? When taken seriously, coffee tasting becomes a discipline that heavily relies on accumulated experience. (Reference: Huaizong Han, "Specialty Coffee Studies (Volume 2): Cupping, Flavor Wheel, Golden Cup Standard - The Beginner's Bible for Coffee Connoisseurs")

Once You're Hooked, You Can't Go Back

Although the third wave of coffee revolution has popularized light roasting to experience the original flavor without over-roasting, coffee isn't about being more acidic - it's about having more complexity. From the first sip to the final aftertaste, coffee with layered complexity reveals flavors in sequence rather than exploding all at once, making them difficult to distinguish. We call such complex coffee "individualistic."

As for what kind of coffee suits your personal preference, the most important thing is to try different origins and brands to enrich your sensory experience.

If you truly develop an interest, many coffee experts say that once you're accustomed to the world of single origin coffee, you can't go back to Starbucks.

Giving Bitter Black Coffee a New Identity

From survival to lifestyle, our coffee drinking habits have evolved. Initially for staying awake or as a post-meal beverage, then for stealing moments of leisure and emptying our minds. Now, what we want to emphasize is that coffee can actually be like "wine tasting" - worthy of careful appreciation, organizing our thoughts, and rehabilitating our senses that have been spoiled by unscrupulous merchants.

So when we finally have a free afternoon and walk into a small shop filled with coffee equipment and stacked with coffee bean bags, perhaps when opening the menu this time, we can skip the vanilla latte or mango smoothie and try something different. Try that bitter black coffee from your memory - you might discover some hidden meaning this time.

Single Origin Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's freshly roasted single origin coffee beans - such as Yirgacheffe and Mandheling - offer full assurance in both brand and quality, suitable for brewing with various equipment. More importantly, they offer excellent value for money. A 227-gram half-pound bag costs only about 70-90 yuan. Calculating at 200ml per cup with a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, one bag can make 15 cups of specialty coffee, with each cup costing only 5-6 yuan. This represents exceptional value compared to café prices that often run dozens of yuan per cup.

FrontStreet Coffee: A Guangzhou-based roastery with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans, also offering online services. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473