What's the Difference?

I have often been asked the question as to what the difference is between 'specialty' coffee and 'gas station' coffee. What justifies paying twice the amount at Starbucks as you do at Speedway? Isn't one cup of coffee the same as any other? My answer is a qualified NO! Although the higher price of some specialty coffees like Starbucks is certainly due to the psychological recognition of such brands as premium brands, 'specialty coffee' is more than marketing. There are some companies that simply put more into ensuring the quality of their coffees than other companies do. Essentially, there are three factors that contribute to the quality of coffee you get from a coffee shop.

1. The first step in achieving quality coffee begins at origin. Do you know where the coffee you are purchasing came from or does it just say something generic like "coffee" or "100% Arabica" on the package? How close can the coffee retailer pin-point the coffee's origin? By farm? By region? By country? By continent? Or none of the above? Why is this feature so important? Because if the retailer knows precisely where the coffee came from, the chances are greater for the quality of its harvesting and processing to be more clean-cut. The coffee beans actually come from a fruit and go through highly involved processes to be removed. Many factors attribute to the quality of the bean as it is being processed so it helps to know something of the quality standards held by the particular farm harvesting the bean. Some very high quality specialty coffee retailers, however, do not reveal the locations of the coffees in some of their blends so as not to give away the 'secret ingredient' to the blends. In order to ascertain the quality of blends, you must ask the retailer about its quality standards in the farms that it deals with or if it even knows what farms it deals with. There are objective criteria in measuring defects in coffee beans. Does the retailer even know where its coffee comes from or does it just advertise itself as the "finest coffee available."



2. The second step contributing the quality of a particular brand's coffee is the roasting. Coffee roasting is a very intricate process as the coffee bean is very delicate. A whole culture exists around the art and science of roasting, including a professional organization and a trade magazine. It is serious business. The level of investment in roasting determines the quality of the coffee that ends up in the cup (or on the shelf at the grocer) just as much as the level of investment in the processing of the coffee. If coffee is roasted carelessly, the quality is lessened. Underroasting can leave coffee tasting bitter and overroasting can leave it tasting burnt. When attempting to select a higher quality coffee, pay attention to what the retailer says about its roasting standards.



3. The third step contributing to quality coffee is how the coffee is actually brewed. Brewing coffee is simply extracting the flavor oils from the beans using hot water, but some brewing methods achieve this goal more efficiently and effectively than others. Most coffee shops brew their coffee using drip brewers. Although brewing through paper filters leaves much of the flavor oils behind, it is quicker to brew coffee in such a way. A french press, or press pot, is preferable but more time consuming. In this method, the coffee sits ground coarsely at the bottom of the pot, the pot is filled with near-boiling water, and then a mesh filter is plunged four minutes later thrusting the coffee grounds to the bottom and leaving the brewed coffee above the filter. Some specialty coffee retailers, like Intelligentisa in Chicago, brew coffee using only french presses. The more important metric of coffee quality, however, is the proportions of coffee to water used. The Specialty Coffee Association of America recommends 2 tablespoons of ground coffee to every 6 fluid ounces of water. Brewing a higher proportion of coffee to water yields a 'stronger' taste and brewing a higher proportion of water to coffee yields a 'weaker' taste. Most specialty coffee retailers, including Starbucks, follow the SCAA's recommendation. Other coffee retailers, like Dunkin' Donuts, Tim Hortons, McDonalds and Speedway, brew 'weaker' coffee--making is less expensive to brew but also more palatable to consumers who think coffee like Starbucks is 'too strong.'

The bottom line in quality coffee is that you will choose to drink coffee that you recognize as a reasonable price for your palate. In other words, in spite of the objective criteria mentioned above, the quality of the coffee is just as dependent on the person drinking it as it is on the company bringing it to market. Nevertheless, if you are consuming the coffee for more than just a quick caffeine buzz, I would advise you always to research what you are drinking.