Understanding Specialty Coffee
Commodity vs. Specialty
In simple terms specialty Coffee is the term given to coffee of the highest objective quality as determined by a licensed coffee taster (SCAA), or by a Q-grader (CQI).
The rating for commercial coffee goes from 60-100, with;
60-79 being standard commodity (think 60 being airline coffee and 70’s being store bought)
80-90 Specialty grade ( all of our coffees sit comfortable within this range)
91-100 premium ultra rare (unless requested in large enough numbers we do not offer these due to the high price they demand)
Typically specialty coffee is grown with more care and at higher altitudes making the tasting of such far more complex and interesting.
This often results in the coffee crop being free from pesticides and artificial fertilizers as well as the increase in transparency in the farming practices (many have rain forest alliance and fair trade certifications)
Specialty coffee is increasing in popularity over recent years, more and more people are opting for an ethical and transparent practice as well as offering diverse flavor profiles.
Health benefits of specialty
Specialty is handled with greater care at higher altitudes meaning that the presence of fungus is dramatically reduced and the level of antioxidants higher.
Unfortunately i cannot provide any studies in comparison for commodity and specialty as there are often too many variables. However if interested the general positive effects are;
Cognitive enhancement and improvement of brain health.
Enhances heart health
Reduces risk for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, liver disease, type 2 diabetes.(Boyer. 2016,2017)
Promotes fat loss (Boyer. 2019- promotes gut health, appetite suppressant)
increases skin health (anti-inflammatory effect, increases blood flow.)
increase energy levels (Namely the effects of caffeine reducing sensations of tiredness)
We would love to recommend that you drink and buy as much of our coffee as possible however the studies into the effects of too much coffee (4+ cups a day), have shown increased risks of pancreatic illness, insomnia and increasing the likelihood of side effects from thyroid and ADHD medication.
commodity roasts
Commodity coffee is often roasted darker than specialty as to make up for the lower quality beans, typically the darker the roast the more you taste the roasting process itself and less the coffee’s natural qualities. This means that the coffee can hold a bitter almost burnt taste at times.
This often leads to people preferring commodity coffee with milk and sugar as to reduce the bitterness. Drinking coffee at very hot temperatures also has the affect of muting the harsh taste of some coffee.
However, we are not coffee snobs and can still take enjoyment from this coffee, indeed its only been a handful of occasions that we have found some coffee undrinkable.
Although if you were to visit our home we would offer specialty coffee……..and maybe a cake.
If you are keen to know the exact score of our coffees on the SCA guidelines then please feel free to contact us.