What Is Specialty Coffee and What Makes Coffee Beans qualify as Specialty Coffee Beans

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How to Choose Specialty Coffee Beans: First Look at Green Beans, Then Roasted Beans

Many well-known international coffee companies, in order to provide high-quality products, will definitely put in considerable effort before roasting coffee beans. Cuppers will search for "premium sample beans" for this season according to their desired taste profile and flavor characteristics. Afterward, they proceed with coffee bean roasting. Through cupping methods, cuppers determine whether the roast level needs adjustment. After layers of quality control, they once again confirm whether the taste and flavor performance differs from their own products. Therefore, they always seek to establish long-term partnerships with large coffee plantations that can supply coffee beans consistently, enhancing the stability and excellence of their established brand quality.

Major international coffee companies hire cuppers to evaluate coffee beans and seek long-term partnerships with large coffee plantations. Unfortunately, domestic coffee consumption is considerably lower compared to foreign countries, making it impossible to match international standards in seeking partnerships with large coffee plantations.

In recent years, many small coffee plantations, through the diligent cultivation of farmers and fair trade methods combined with Cup of Excellence certification, have encouraged coffee farmers to participate in high-quality coffee scoring competitions. Gradually, they have also begun to cultivate high-quality specialty coffee beans. Not only that, but they also place greater emphasis on the freshness and preservation of green beans. We advocate for fresh and diverse coffee beans, adopting small-batch specialty roasting and providing customized services. We can create custom roasting for different consumer groups, all to seize the opportunity of "freshness." This should be something that major international coffee companies cannot achieve currently!

How Are Coffee Beans Graded?

Why do coffee beans need to be graded?

Coffee bean grading has no absolute standard values. To indicate coffee quality levels and facilitate trading convenience, coffee grading has become a very important indicator. For example, many coffee-producing regions still trade according to grading systems today. There are many grading methods, some based on processing methods (washed, natural), coffee bean size, defect rates, growing altitude, etc. However, more and more single-origin beans now indicate the specific plantation or cooperative name, and some even add their botanical variety names. Although coffee bean sizes are generally similar, coffee bean grading and classification still primarily use bean size and color depth as criteria.

Coffee Bean Grading Examples:

Kenyan Coffee Beans: Grades include AA, A, B, C, and PB. AA is the highest grade, followed by A, B, and C in descending order. Additionally, there's a type called Peaberry (abbreviated as PB). These beans are smaller in size, have special flavors, are extremely rare in production, and typically command higher prices.

Indonesian and Ethiopian Coffee Beans: Graded based on defect counts. Indonesian beans are mainly graded into 6 levels: Gr1–Gr6, while Ethiopian beans are divided into 5 levels. Gr1–Gr2 are reserved for washed beans, where Gr1 represents only 0–3 defective beans per 300g of green beans, and Gr2 represents 4–12 defective beans per 300g. Natural processed beans are graded as Gr3, Gr4, or Gr5 respectively.

Guatemalan Coffee Beans: SHB: Grown at 4500–5000 feet altitude (Strictly Hard Bean); HB: Grown at 4000–4500 feet altitude (Hard Bean); SH: Grown at 3500–4000 feet altitude (Semi-Hard Bean); GW: Coffee beans selected from below 2000 feet altitude (screened).

Costa Rican Coffee Beans: SHB: Grown at 3900–5400 feet altitude (Strictly Hard Bean); GHB: Grown at 3300–3900 feet altitude (Good Hard Bean); HB: Grown at 2600–3300 feet altitude (Hard Bean); LGA: 500–2000 feet altitude (Low Grown Altitude).

I hope that through this introduction to coffee bean grading systems, everyone can gain a deeper understanding of the importance of coffee beans.

How to Choose Coffee Beans?

How to select coffee beans? Let me answer your questions.

Choosing coffee beans can start with examining their freshness, purity, and appearance. How to select high-quality beans? Refer to the following information, and you can also transform yourself into a coffee bean expert!

Freshness:

Place one or two coffee beans in your mouth and chew. If they make a very crisp sound, it indicates the coffee beans haven't been affected by moisture. Then, take a deep sniff with your nose to clearly smell the aroma of the coffee beans.

Purity:

Observe whether each coffee bean's color, size, and shape are consistent. Italian-style blends popular in recent years are made from multiple types of coffee beans combined to create each brand's unique taste profile, so differences in size and color are normal phenomena. Dark and medium roasting will cause coffee beans to develop oils, but if lightly roasted beans are oily, it indicates they have deteriorated.

Appearance:

Pay attention to whether the coffee beans' surface is complete, avoiding broken or chipped conditions. Beans with black cracks are generally better.

The Steps for Selecting Good Coffee:

Step 1: Choose Fresh and Delicious Beans

1. Go to specialty stores or small coffee roasting workshops that roast coffee beans daily to select fresh coffee beans.
2. Choose stores that properly store coffee beans. Placing coffee beans in sunlight or dirty containers is unqualified. Roasted coffee beans are easily affected by oxygen in the air, causing oxidation of their oils, loss of aromatic compounds, and accelerated deterioration due to temperature, humidity, and sunlight. The correct method is to store coffee beans in a cool place, choosing containers with one-way exhaust valves to prevent air from entering.
3. Reputable coffee shops or small coffee roasting workshops usually maintain certain quality standards for their products and roasting methods. Not only that, but you can also gain considerable coffee-related knowledge from them!

Step 2: Purchase a Month's Supply at a Time

When buying freshly roasted coffee beans, the principle of purchasing small quantities is the best strategy. Otherwise, if you buy too much at once, coffee beans will lose their original flavor over time. When buying by gram, purchasing half a pound (about 230 grams) at a time is the most appropriate amount.

Step 3: Proper Refrigeration to Preserve Coffee Bean Flavor

The storage period for roasted coffee beans at room temperature is approximately 2–3 weeks at most, but they should be kept away from air as much as possible and stored in airtight containers. If the storage period exceeds 3 weeks, it's best to store them in the freezer. However, remember to store coffee beans in sealed containers or multiple layers of plastic bags when placing them in the refrigerator to avoid coffee beans absorbing food odors from the refrigerator. This way, the quality of coffee beans won't change too much, but it's still recommended to consume freshly purchased coffee beans as soon as possible for the best experience.

Coffee Bean Composition Analysis

Fat:

The fats in coffee are divided into many types, with the most important being acidic fats and volatile fats. Acidic fats refer to fats containing acids, and their acidity strength varies depending on the coffee variety. Volatile fats are the main source of coffee aroma, emitting about forty aromatic substances, making them extremely complex and subtle components.

Sugar:

Coffee beans contain about 8% sugar, and most of it converts to caramel during roasting, giving coffee its unique brown color.

Essence:

Can be divided into several types, accounting for nearly one-third of roasted beans.

Caffeine:

Caffeine is the most notable component among all. Its effects are extremely wide-ranging, affecting various parts of the human body including the brain, heart, blood vessels, gastrointestinal tract, muscles, and kidneys. Moderate caffeine stimulates the cerebral cortex, promotes sensory, judgment, memory, and emotional activities, makes heart muscle function more active, dilates blood vessels, enhances blood circulation, and improves metabolic function. Caffeine can also reduce muscle fatigue and promote digestive fluid secretion. Additionally, it promotes kidney function, helping the body expel excess sodium ions. Therefore, due to increased diuretic effects, unlike other narcotic or stimulant substances that accumulate in the body, caffeine is typically excreted within about two hours.

Tannic Acid:

After refinement, tannic acid becomes a light yellow powder that easily dissolves in water. Once boiled, it decomposes to produce pyrogallic acid, which makes coffee taste worse.

Minerals:

Include lime, iron, sulfur, phosphorus, sodium carbonate, chlorine, etc., but because they don't account for a high proportion, they don't significantly affect coffee flavor. Combined, they only bring a slight astringent taste.

Crude Fiber:

The fiber in green beans carbonizes during roasting. This carbonization combined with the caramelization of sugars forms coffee's color, but powdered fiber quality significantly affects coffee flavor.

How to Taste Coffee

There's no single correct way to drink coffee. You can drink pure black coffee, or add sugar and milk. In Africa and Arab regions, people even add spices like cinnamon to coffee. People who aren't accustomed to coffee's bitterness usually add sugar and milk to counteract it. However, drinking a cup of pure, unadulterated black coffee allows you to experience the rich flavor of coffee itself and is considered the mark of a coffee connoisseur. Regardless of how you drink it, tasting coffee still involves some etiquette and knowledge.

Steps:

When a cup of coffee is served, don't rush to drink it. You should approach it like tasting tea or wine, following a gradual process to achieve relaxation, refreshment, and enjoyment.

1. Smell: Experience the rich aroma wafting from the coffee.
2. Observe Color: Coffee should ideally present a deep brown color rather than being pitch black and impenetrable.
3. Taste: First take a sip of black coffee to experience the taste of pure coffee. Coffee should have some sweetness, slight bitterness, slight acidity without astringency. Then taste it in small sips, don't rush to swallow the coffee in one gulp. Hold it in your mouth temporarily, allowing the coffee to mix slightly with saliva and air before swallowing.

Temperature:

The best temperature for drinking coffee is 85-88°C. Because regular coffee's texture isn't very stable, it's best to taste it while hot. To prevent the coffee's flavor from diminishing, preheat the coffee cup in hot water. The ideal temperature for coffee is 83°C at the moment of brewing, 80°C when poured into the cup, and 61-62°C when it reaches the mouth.

Generally, tasting the coffee served by your host while it's hot is basic coffee etiquette. If it's a high-quality coffee, besides reduced aroma when cooled, the taste performance remains consistent with when hot, or even better.

Flavor:

Coffee beans contain about 5-8% sugar, most of which converts to caramel during roasting, creating the source of aroma and bitterness. Unconverted sugar retains slight sweetness. Tannic acid released during roasting combines with caramel to produce a slightly bitter sweet taste. Therefore, people generally perceive coffee's taste as having bitter, acidic, sweet, aromatic, and astringent qualities.

Appropriate Amount:

Drinking coffee isn't like drinking alcohol or juice. A full cup of coffee can be intimidating to look at. Generally, seven or eight-tenths full is appropriate. Moderately portioned coffee not only stimulates the taste buds but also doesn't leave a heavy feeling after drinking, instead leaving a pleasant aftertaste. At the same time, moderate coffee can appropriately help the body recover from fatigue and refresh the mind. Coffee comes in different strengths, so you can't drink several cups continuously like tea or cola. The appropriate amount for drinking coffee is 80-100cc. Sometimes if you want to drink three or four cups continuously, you should dilute the coffee concentration or add plenty of milk to avoid feeling nauseous. You can also vary the sugar pairing to make coffee more delicious.

Why Should Coffee Be Cup Tested?

Cup testing (Cupping or Cup Testing)! Coffee lovers have probably heard this term. Cup testing is generally needed in three types of situations: for coffee farmers or traders testing green bean grades, for roasters testing roasted coffee, and for baristas testing coffee brewing. Do ordinary people need to cup test? Of course, because when we taste a cup of coffee, what exactly are we drinking from the cup? Are the aroma, mouthfeel, and flavor that coffee brings really what we want? For example, is the so-called "Taiwanese coffee" that claims to be non-acidic, non-bitter, and slightly sweet really good coffee? Also, is the price of roasted coffee beans directly proportional to good-tasting coffee? This is often complex and subtle. I can only say that "freshly" roasted beans are more important. And what is so-called "specialty coffee"? Is it very expensive and extremely rare estate beans with special flavors? This definition is too narrow. What's important is how we know the true flavor that the cup of coffee brings. Even the cheapest Brazilian beans have their own deliciousness. Therefore, I divide the factors that truly determine a good cup of coffee into the following four items and their degree of influence:

1. Mastery of coffee green bean origin flavor: 40%
2. Control of coffee bean roast level: 30%
3. Storage of fresh roasted beans: 20%
4. Brewing method: 10%

Therefore, when we taste a cup of coffee, we can understand the coffee characteristics expressed in terms of aroma, mouthfeel, and flavor through cup testing, and find a cup of coffee that you love. Of course, professional cup testing has specific roast levels of coffee, cup brewing procedures, and cup testing processes. If ordinary people use this cup testing method to find good coffee, you'll be greatly disappointed. This is besides the three professional cup testing occasions mentioned above. Ordinary people tasting coffee can also understand the characteristics expressed by coffee through the cup testing process. Cup testing is both simple and difficult, but it's best to approach it with a normal mindset. Don't let drinking coffee become a painful experience. For us, the purpose of cup testing is to present the flavors we experience in the form of data scores through this process, allowing everyone to understand coffee bean characteristics. At the same time, through cup testing, everyone can better understand coffee bean flavors and choose their favorite coffee beans.

You can use any roasted beans of the coffee you want to taste, appropriate grinding methods, and your chosen brewing method to prepare the coffee. Recording the grinding, brewing, and tasting of coffee beans step by step is what we call "coffee tasting cup testing." Generally, coffee tasting cup testing is divided into the following items for scoring:

1. Dry Fragrance

After grinding fresh coffee beans into powder, carbon dioxide from the cells releases these aromas. Smell this aroma forcefully. Aroma characteristics express the essence of flavor. Sweetness indicates acidity, pungency indicates stimulating taste. Aroma intensity reflects the freshness of coffee from roasting, grinding to brewing.

2. Wet Aroma

The coffee aroma released during the brewing process or immediately after pouring coffee into the cup. You can detect fruity, grassy, and nutty aromas, and the detected aromas should be consistent with the coffee beans. Aroma intensity is related to coffee freshness.

3. Acidity

Coffee beans are a fruit and will always have some fruit acidity. The fruit acidity of coffee varies in intensity depending on the coffee variety and origin, but the roast level is the main determinant of coffee acidity strength. The darker the roast, the less acidity; the lighter the roast, the more acidity. Acidity also has good and bad aspects. If it has fresh fruity acidity, that's proof of fresh coffee. If it has vinegary acidity, it might be too old and not fresh enough. If coffee isn't roasted properly, it will have astringent acidity, like eating unripe fruit.

4. Bitterness

Coffee is a fruit with bitterness, just like cocoa beans. Very high-purity chocolate also has bitterness. So it's normal for coffee to have bitterness. The key factor affecting bitterness strength is still roasting. The darker the roast, the more complete the caramelization, so roasting not only affects acidity and bitterness but also increases sweetness as the roast level increases. However, during the caramelization process, if it exceeds the limit, caramel becomes charcoal—that is, burnt. Burnt bitterness is not a flavor that should be present in coffee.

5. Body

Explore the mouthfeel of coffee liquid. Gently slide your tongue over the roof of your mouth. Oils in coffee will create an oily sensation. Proteins will express thickness. Coffee's body richness consists of these two sensations, like the body variation from pure water to yogurt. Creamy, rich coffee isn't necessarily the best body, and lighter coffee sometimes isn't a sign of insufficient body. The best coffee body still interacts with other coffee flavors.

6. Flavor

Coffee's flavor mainly comes from the inherent qualities of green beans from different origins. Whether a truly good cup of coffee can truly express its original flavor is key. For example, Mocha's wine-like alcohol and fermented flavors, Mandheling's grassy notes, Central American beans' nutty flavors, and Yirgacheffe's jasmine floral and citrus peel acidity. These special flavors are what we pursue when tasting coffee. This is the true meaning of drinking "specialty coffee." Whether a cup of coffee can truly express the flavor characteristics of its coffee-producing region can be measured by this item. This flavor information often provides feedback on the suitability of the coffee roasting process. Aromatic coffee beans are suitable for light roasting, while grassy and fermented flavors are suitable for darker roasting.

7. Aftertaste

When brewed coffee enters the mouth, hold it for a few seconds, then forcefully swallow a small portion, causing vapor to quickly pass through the back of the palate into the nasal cavity. It may leave chocolate sweetness or even campfire or tobacco aromas. Aftertaste might have clove-like stimulating notes or pine resin flavors, or even a combination of these aromas. When coffee beans aren't fresh, bad flavors will appear during the aftertaste process, while fresh, clean coffee leaves an endlessly memorable impression in the aftertaste. Have you ever had an experience where an aftertaste lingered for days and was unforgettable? This is the aftertaste item of coffee.

8. Correction

When we drink a cup of coffee, it should at least score 60 points. If there are slight mistakes, we might taste "bad-tasting" coffee. Therefore, when we taste a cup of coffee, we start scoring from 50 points, adding the previous 7 items totaling 50 points, and finally get the tasting score for a cup of coffee. Whether you're a coffee roasting professional or a coffee enthusiast friend, record all the coffees you usually drink... let yourself better understand that tasting coffee is also so profound!

How to Drink Coffee from Ground Coffee Beans?

1. Water Temperature for Brewing Coffee

Before brewing coffee—you need good water. Mountain spring water is best.

Fresh water after boiling contains appropriate amounts of carbon dioxide that can enhance coffee aroma, but continuous boiling will cause carbon dioxide to evaporate and decrease. Therefore, the optimal water temperature is 95°C. Water temperature that's too low won't fully extract coffee flavor, while water that's too hot will cause coffee components to deteriorate. Both excess and deficiency are undesirable.

2. Filter Brewing Coffee

Starbucks recommends that you can actually use the simplest French press without buying expensive coffee makers.

French Press Coffee Brewing Method

[Coffee Bean Amount]: Use 20g of coffee beans to 180cc-200cc of hot water. You can adjust the amount of coffee beans according to your preferred taste intensity.

1. First, pull out the lid with filter from the French press and pour the freshly ground coffee powder into the pot.
2. Pour in the appropriate amount of hot water according to the ratio and start timing.
3. Let it sit for one minute. Then stir slightly with a stirring spoon to ensure all coffee powder is evenly moistened.
4. Put on the lid but don't press down, then let it sit for another minute.
5. Slowly press the filter to the bottom.
6. Complete. Pour out the coffee and drink! (Note: don't pull out the filter when pouring coffee, otherwise coffee grounds will float up.)

What Are Male and Female Beans?

Actually, coffee beans have no male-female distinction at all—many people call coffee peaberries "male beans" and flat beans "female beans." From a botanical perspective, this is an extremely absurd statement. In the plant kingdom, some species truly have male and female distinctions, known as "dioecious," such as Bischofia javanica and Ficus pumila, where male plants don't flower and bear seeds. Some are "monoecious" where female flowers must be cross-pollinated to produce fruit and seeds, such as most gourd plants. As for coffee and other Rubiaceae plants, they can "self-pollinate." A single flower has both male and female organs, so there's no distinction between male/female plants or male/female flowers. The ovary of a coffee flower has two ovules and can self-pollinate, so the pollination rate is extremely high. Usually, both ovules are successfully pollinated and develop into coffee fruits (commonly known as coffee cherries) containing two seeds called "flat beans." Very rarely, only one ovule in a coffee fruit gets pollinated and develops into a single round seed, correctly called "peaberry." Only 5% of beans on the same coffee tree are peaberries, while the rest are flat beans. Peaberries aren't particularly precious or variant beans—just because they only account for about 5% of the total, they require special selection. Due to their small quantity and more labor-intensive processing, their price naturally becomes higher than beans of the same grade. Many people believe that peaberries in coffee have more intense flavor because nutrients are completely contained in a single bean, being non-astringent and non-bitter with the best flavor, making them the finest among coffees.

Whether flat beans or peaberries, since they are seeds, they are all "female." I ask, how absurd is the term "male seeds"! The so-called "male and female beans" in coffee originated from Indonesia and are sensational gimmicks to fool foreign tourists. Knowledgeable people shouldn't be deceived. It's understandable for ordinary laypeople to follow this说法, but if you're in the coffee industry, you should spread correct knowledge.

Coffee Brewing Methods

Siphon Method:

Using siphon principles, heated water rises through the siphon tube to mix with coffee powder, then flows back to the lower cup after complete extraction. The entire process is full of performance enjoyment, allowing guests to taste coffee in an atmosphere of appreciation and savoring.

Filter Paper Method:

The filter paper coffee maker was invented by a German housewife in 1908. Filter paper can filter out fine coffee grounds, maintaining good coffee taste. Additionally, filter paper is single-use and very hygienic. The filter paper method has certain requirements for coffee grind size. Coffee powder that's too fine will clog the filter holes, while particles that are too coarse will cause water to flow too quickly, resulting in coffee that isn't aromatic enough.

Drip Method:

Uses extremely finely ground coffee powder with cold or ice water, extracting slowly at a rate of 40 drops per minute. Coffee brewed by the drip method contains extremely low caffeine and has a particularly refreshing taste. Its price is three times that of regular iced coffee, and it requires advance reservation.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small storefront but diverse bean varieties, where you can find various famous and lesser-known beans. They also provide online store 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