Whether you are already a fan of specialty coffee or trying to explain its advantages to a friend, the question often arises: “Why is specialty coffee more expensive than regular coffee?”
From the mountains of Colombia to a cappuccino in our hands, specialty coffee travels across the globe while maintaining its flavor and quality. In this article, we’ll explore the journey of coffee, the people involved, and the various levels of quality control in the coffee lifecycle.
Where does coffee come from?
Native to the mountains of Ethiopia, the arabica coffee plant, scientifically known as Coffea arabica, is now cultivated in numerous countries located between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, an area commonly referred to as the Tropics.
From Brazil and Colombia to Vietnam, China, and Kenya, arabica coffee comes from the seed of a fruit grown at high altitudes. This specific growing environment naturally results in lower caffeine content, fruitier flavors, and higher acidity.
Produced in the Global South, coffee is primarily consumed in the Global North, with the notable exception of Australia. Scandinavian countries are the world’s largest consumers (per capita), followed by the United States.
Coffee has become an essential part of our daily routines. Whether it’s to wake up in the morning or as a midday break, few people go without a cup. Its routine presence often makes us forget that we are consuming tropical fruits and all its journey.
What is specialty coffee?
Specialty coffee is a term commonly used to describe the highest-rated coffees on the market. We prefer to expand this definition, understanding it as a quality standard deeply reliant on the meticulous work of numerous professionals. As the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) defines it:
Specialty coffee can consistently exist through the dedication of the people who have made it their life’s work to continually make quality their highest priority. This is not the work of only one person in the lifecycle of a coffee bean; specialty can only occur when all of those involved in the coffee value chain work in harmony and maintain a keen focus on standards and excellence from start to finish. This is no easy accomplishment, and yet because of these dedicated professionals, there are numerous specialty coffees available right now, across the globe, and likely right around the corner from you.
With this definition in mind, let’s take a closer look at the different steps and professionals involved in coffee’s journey from farm to cup.
At the farms:
One of the first factors distinguishing arabica specialty coffee lies in the characteristics of its production environment. From small plots at high altitudes to tiny agricultural areas, the production of specialty coffee depends intrinsically on skilled human labor.
- Altitude: Generally, arabica coffee is grown at higher altitudes where the temperate climate benefits its growth and provides greater protection against pests. Higher altitudes also slow the plant’s development, allowing it to accumulate more oils and sugars, which contribute to fruitier flavors and higher acidity.
- Manual and selective harvesting: Due to the steep and rugged terrain of high-altitude farms, specialty coffee is usually produced in small lots, accessible only by hand. Each cherry is picked at peak ripeness, ensuring uniformity in harvesting and processing. This requires multiple harvests to allow all the cherries to mature, demanding skilled and experienced workers.
The middleman:
To get coffee to roasteries, a middleman—often a trader or green coffee buyer—is usually involved. The trader plays a critical role in evaluating and maintaining coffee quality throughout its lifecycle. Trained to identify each coffee’s qualities, potential defects, and unique characteristics, traders ensure that the coffee produced by farmers retains its quality until it reaches the roasters.
Green coffee buyers are also essential for accessing remote coffee-growing regions, streamlining bureaucratic and logistical processes for export and import. Additionally, they maintain direct relationships with producers, ensuring sustainable and fair practices.
From roasting to the cup:
After sampling and negotiating between traders and roasteries, coffee is selected and delivered to roasters. The green beans then go through roasting, tasting, recipe adjustments, and packaging before being sent to cafés, where skilled baristas bring out the best in each coffee.
- Roasters: Roasting coffee is an art that requires deep theoretical knowledge of machinery, the unique characteristics of each coffee, and how to enhance its flavors. Beyond this knowledge, countless hours of practice are essential to perfect recipes. Roasters also play a key role in tasting the coffee, identifying areas for improvement, and making adjustments to ensure the highest quality standards.
- Baristas: Baristas are the final professionals in the coffee lifecycle. They are trained to bring out the best in each coffee, enhancing its aromas and essential characteristics while adapting recipes to various brewing methods. Additionally, baristas guide customers in selecting coffee that matches their preferences. Uniquely positioned in the coffee lifecycle, baristas showcase the collective effort and dedication of all the professionals involved, allowing us to fully appreciate the depth and complexity of the coffee in our cup.
Conclusion
From intercontinental journeys to multiple quality control stages, coffee’s lifecycle depends on countless skilled and dedicated hands. Produced on rugged terrain in small lots, specialty coffee undergoes rigorous quality control at every stage—from farmers to baristas, via traders and roasters.
While these processes and production factors make specialty coffee more expensive, they also provide numerous benefits to both consumers and coffee professionals. Let’s recap some good reasons to choose specialty coffee:
High-quality product: Choosing specialty coffee ensures you’re consuming a premium product that has undergone multiple stages of tasting and calibration, delivering superior flavor and an enhanced sensory experience.
More sustainable option: Due to the characteristics of the terrain where it is grown, specialty coffee generally avoids mass production practices. This allows the land to rest, preserving soil sustainability and promoting environmentally friendly cultivation.
Fair and stable compensation: To meet the high-quality standards required at various stages of the coffee lifecycle, specialty coffee relies on careful selection, specialized knowledge, and manual labor rather than industrialized processes. These factors help to fairly value the work of coffee producers and pickers, ensuring better wages and more stable contracts.
If you’ve found good reasons in this article to choose specialty coffee, consider subscribing to our newsletter for the latest updates on Fábrica Coffee Roasters and our products.