In today's society, no matter what it is, everything must be upscale—whether it's food or drink, as long as you add the word "specialty," its value instantly skyrockets. But whether it's truly worth it depends on individual choice. Coffee, as one of the world's three major beverages, has its own unique history and culture, and likewise blossoms and bears fruit all over the globe. Coffee today has been called a showdown between specialty coffees, so what is specialty coffee? Front Street Coffee is here to share with everyone.

 
Specialty Coffee, as a proper term, was first proposed by Ms. Erna Knustsen, known as the "Godmother of Specialty Coffee," in 1974 in the Tea & Coffee Trade Journal, highlighting that "only in the most favorable microclimates and terroir can specialty coffee with unique flavors be cultivated," aiming to distinguish it from bulk commercial coffee on the New York futures trading market.

  
Specialty coffee is 【jointly accomplished by five major parties who continuously pursue quality for life】. From beginning to end, these people maintain consistently excellent standards to ensure quality, making it their priority work goal, and all participants can work collaboratively—none of them can be absent! They include coffee farmers, green bean buyers, roasters, baristas, and consumers. In the overall cycle from production to consumption, everyone cooperates with excellent quality as the constant effect, and only then can the true essence of specialty coffee be achieved.
　　
Carefully select the most suitable variety, plant it at the altitude, climate, and terroir most conducive to the development of coffee flavor. Carefully process with washing and sun-drying, select the highest-grade flawless green beans, and deliver them to customers with zero defects during transportation. Through the masterful skills of the roaster, the richest regional flavors are brought out, and then using a recognized extraction method, a delicious cup of coffee is brewed.

Specialty coffee is 【coffee that consumers drink with excellent flavor, are willing to give good reviews, and feel satisfied with】; the definition of excellent flavor means the coffee's flavor leaves a distinct impression—bright, crisp acidity with a special feel, while the aftertaste carries sweetness; and the coffee itself must, from green bean to becoming a cup of coffee, implement consistent and strict production procedures, unified processes, and rigorous quality management at all stages. Only coffee meeting the above conditions qualifies as specialty coffee.
 
Let's use Front Street COE22 from the Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) store's bean list as an example:
 
The Front Street COE22 sourced by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) comes from Arsi in the Sidama region of Ethiopia. The coffee variety is one of the oldest Arabica varieties—Typica—and it uses the sun-dried processing method.
 

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) · Ethiopia Cup of Excellence 22nd Place (COE 22)
Region: Arsi, Sidama, Ethiopia
Producer: Adem Banta Sute
Variety: Typica
Processing Method: Sun-dried

 
Ethiopiais the coffee origin widely known to the public, whileArsiis in West Arsi. West Arsi is located between the famous Yirgacheffe coffee-growing area and Harerge, at an altitude of 1900-2200m, in the western part of the Sidama region. The name of this area comes from a branch of the Oromo people who have long lived here.

 
The producer of Front Street COE22 coffee beansAdem Banta Suteproduced 4,500 kilograms of coffee on his own 6-hectare land. He describes himself this way: I grew up on a coffee farm and have been farming my whole life. Placing in this competition is a reward for my efforts.

 
Typica,has bronze-colored terminal leaves, and the beans are oval or slender-pointed; the flavor is elegant, but the plant is weak, with poor disease resistance and low yield. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), through cupping Typica from different origins, has found that no matter where it is planted, Typica carries its unique serene, clean flavor, balanced characteristics, and mouthfeel, spreading across coffee-growing regions worldwide.

 
The processing method of this Front Street COE22 issun-dried processing. In Ethiopia, over seventy percent of coffee cherries are processed by the sun-dried method. Sun-dried coffee has greater sweetness and body than washed coffee.

And the producer of this coffee bean, Adem Banta Sute, after harvesting and screening usable coffee cherries, placed the coffee cherries with the entire pulp and skin intact onto raised drying beds for sun-drying. Before the moisture content drops to 25%, manual even turning is required, turning once every 30 to 60 minutes to avoid unpleasant over-fermentation flavors. It is precisely this raised-bed drying method, which involves high-intensity manual labor and isolates the cherries from contact with the ground, preventing musty off-flavors during sun-drying, that creates the exceptionally clean fruit flavors. After more than two weeks of sun-drying, the dark brown coffee cherries are professionally stored, waiting for the entire flavor to mature. Only before shipment are the coffee beans removed from the coffee cherries, and the sweetness can be imagined.

 
Friends who have visited the Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) store will more or less have their own understanding of specialty coffee, and friends who come to the Front Street store to taste coffee can also see the brewing techniques of Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) baristas.
 
Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) brewing method: three-stage extraction. Use 30 grams of water for blooming for 30 seconds, then pour in a small stream in a circular motion until reaching 125 grams for the stage break. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until 225 grams and stop. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the filter cup. (Timing starts from the beginning of blooming) Extraction time is 2'00".

 
And the brewed flavor of this Front Street COE22 is citrus-like acidity, berry juiceiness, creamy smoothness, and honey-like aftertaste.
 
In Master Han Huaizong's book "Specialty Coffee Studies," it is mentioned that specialty coffee is seven parts variety, three parts environment. In order to gain a deeper understanding of specialty coffee, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) personally experienced and researched specialty coffee, and established its own coffee estate for Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) in Lincang, Yunnan.

 
At the Yunnan Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) estate, Front Street planted the elegant-flavored Typica. The estate's soil is fertile, the location has ample rainfall, and there is a large temperature difference between day and night. This altitude is suitable for growing Arabica varieties. The weather within the estate is changeable—one second it's sunny, and the next it may turn cloudy and start drizzling. It is precisely this microclimate that gives this Front Street sun-dried Typica its full flavor.
 

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) · Front Street 2013 Yunnan Sun-Dried Typica Coffee Beans
Region: Lincang, Yunnan, China
Estate: Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Estate
Altitude: 1300m
Variety: Typica
Processing Method: Sun-dried

 
Its brewed flavor has soft berry acidity, nutty notes, brown sugar-like aftertaste, and a distinct tea-like feel.

Professional coffee knowledge exchange For more coffee bean information please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account cafe_style )
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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.