If you have been drinking supermarket coffee for a while and you are getting curious, specialty coffee is the logical next step. You do not need to spend a fortune or buy a professional machine: all it takes is learning to read a bag and to ask for what suits the way you brew. In this guide we go over what to look at before buying your first bag.
What specialty coffee actually is
Specialty coffee is coffee that scores above 80 points on the Specialty Coffee Association scale. Behind that number there is traceability: you know which farm it comes from, which variety it is and how it was processed. If you are coming from supermarket coffee, you will notice the leap from the very first cup.
The score is given by specially trained cuppers, who assess aroma, acidity, sweetness, body and the absence of defects. It does not guarantee you will like a coffee, but it does mean the bean was grown, picked and processed with care, and that someone tasted every lot before putting it on sale.
How it differs from commercial coffee
Commercial coffee usually blends beans from many unidentified origins, often with very dark roasts that hide the defects. Specialty is the opposite: the roaster wants you to taste where the bean comes from. That is why two specialty coffees can taste completely different, and why it is worth trying several before settling on one.
What to look for on the label
A good label tells the story of the bean. The more specific the information, the better the sign. Be wary of bags that only talk about “intensity” or an “exceptional aroma” without saying where the coffee comes from or when it was roasted.
- Origin: country, region and, ideally, the farm or cooperative.
- Variety: caturra, bourbon, geisha, SL28…
- Process: washed, natural or honey.
- Roast date, not an expiry date.
The process
The process describes what was done with the fruit after it was picked. In a washed process the pulp is removed before the bean is dried, and the result tends to be clean and bright. In a natural process the whole fruit is dried, bringing sweeter, fruitier notes, sometimes almost winey. Honey sits halfway between the two.
The roast date
Ideally you drink it between 7 and 30 days after roasting. Before that, the bean is still releasing too much CO2; after that, the aromas fade. That is why how you store coffee at home matters so much.
If a bag only shows a best-before date, it has most likely been on the shelf for months. Buy from roasters that print the day they roasted and, if possible, that roast every week. You will notice the difference in the aroma as soon as you open the bag.
Which roast to choose for your brewer
Light roasts usually work better for filter and medium roasts for espresso. If you are not sure, go over the differences between light, medium and dark roast before buying.
Think first about how you are going to brew. If you use a V60 or another filter method, look for profiles with acidity and fruit notes. If you prefer a French press or a moka pot, a bean with more body and chocolate notes will give you a rounder cup. And if you make cold brew in summer, go for sweet, low-acidity coffees.
Whole bean or ground
Always buy whole beans if you can. Ground coffee loses its aroma very quickly and is also ground for a specific method that may not be yours. A simple burr grinder is the best investment you can make when starting out, even more than an expensive coffee maker.
Where to start
Ethiopian coffees are a good way in: they tend to have floral and citrus notes that surprise anyone used to everyday coffee. If you prefer something more familiar, a medium-roast Brazil or Colombia will give you sweetness, nuts and chocolate without surprises.
- To explore: a washed Ethiopian, floral and light.
- To play it safe: a natural Brazil, with body and cocoa notes.
- To drink with milk: a medium roast from Colombia or Guatemala.
The water does not have to be bottled, but if your tap water is very hard, filtered water will help bring out the nuances you paid for. It is a cheap change that often matters more than switching coffees.
How much it costs
A 250 g bag of specialty coffee usually costs between 9 and 14 euros in Spain. It looks expensive next to commercial coffee, but at 15 g per cup you get around sixteen cups per bag, so each one comes to roughly 60 to 90 cents.
Buy small bags and rotate origins. That way you will learn what you like without piling up coffee that goes stale in the cupboard, and you will be able to compare with judgement once you find a roaster you trust.
And remember that the best bean is ruined by a bad grind. If you want to know more, click here.
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