The world of specialty coffee has exploded over recent years. People are waking up to all of the different possibilities and ways that they can brew delicious coffee.
Whether you’re the sort of person who wants to explore all of the different specialty coffee shops in the area, or you are looking to try all the different coffee beans from different regions around the world, it helps to know the basic terms when it comes to specialty coffee.
Single origin
The origin of coffee refers to the coffee beans and where they are from. In many supermarket coffee blends and instant coffee, a variety of beans are used, with some companies prioritizing cost over quality. Opting for a coffee bean delivery subscription can ensure you receive carefully selected, high-quality beans that provide a superior coffee experience.
Single origin coffees allow you to enjoy the flavours and character of coffee from a specific region. These will be grown on one specific area of land and that means that the coffee from this area takes on a certain taste profile based on the altitude and growing conditions. Single origin coffees will give a much more unique taste.
Arabica and Robusta
Arabica coffee is by far the most popular, especially if you are visiting coffee shops and drinking their beverages. This type of coffee requires certain altitudes in order to grow. It needs farmers who know what they are doing and tend to their crops.
Robusta on the other hand is much easier and forgiving to grow in many conditions. It is not renowned as being of such high quality, but it has had a resurgence in recent years with people looking for higher caffeine content. Robusta tends to have a much higher caffeine content.
Crema
Crema is a term you will definitely come across. It is the fine layer of foam that forms when an espresso is properly drawn into a cup. There is a level of foam in the oils made by carbon dioxide as the coffee extracts. It is the sweetest part of the espresso itself, and it is crucial whether you drink espresso on its own, or whether you use it to add to other drinks such as a latte.
Barista
A barista is an artist when it comes to coffee. It is the job of somebody to make the coffee in a coffee shop with professional commercial coffee machines, which means preparing espresso, brewing filter coffee, steaming milk, and everything else that could be involved in the coffee-making process.
The term is also used to describe certain drinks as being “barista-style”. For instance, drinks like cappuccino and latte which are traditionally made by a barista.
Fair trade
Fair trade is utterly essential. It is a way to ensure that farmers are treated fairly and not exploited. The organization, Fairtrade can help you to check. They have a logo that should only be carried on coffee that can prove it uses fair trade practices.
This can be hard to check and regulate, but the best sellers of coffee beans only deal with coffee importers that can be checked and verified as being fair trade.
The “Third Wave”
If you hang around with enough coffee lovers you might hear the term “the third wave” which is said to have started around the year 2000 and became huge when the Roasters Guild started using the term.
The Guild used it in their newsletter and discussed coffee use as having waves of popularity. The first was in the early 20th century when coffee was becoming more widely available.
In the 1970s there was the second wave, where coffee houses became more popular, and brands like Starbucks started and grew at a rapid pace.
The third wave generally refers to the 2000s and the coffee culture we have now, partially defined by lighter roasts in specialty coffee as well as craft coffee, made by baristas with a focus on quality as well as fair trade. Many would say we are still in the “third wave” right now.
Extraction
Hang out at coffee shops and coffee tastings and you will also hear the term “extraction” a lot. It is the process of flavour leaving the beans and being extracted into the water. Under-extracting and over-extracting can make a bitter or sour taste and the right levels of extraction are often debated among aficionados.
Summary
Specialty coffee can feel like something of an intimidating world if you are new to it. One of the barriers that can feel a little bit awkward is the language barrier and terms that you simply don’t understand. These terms can give you a good starting point for learning the kind of terms that coffee lovers, coffee shops, and others may use when talking about specialty coffee.
Visit www.coffeefriend.co.uk for more information and delicious coffees!
