Coffee can be broadly defined as specialty or commercial grade. Most of the coffees offered by Green Grinds are specialty coffees. The term specialty is used for those coffees that score more than eighty points on a hundred point scale by the American Specialty Coffee Association. In 1974, the term specialty was first used in the Tea and Coffee Trade Journal to focus or describe the quality of the beans produced in some microclimates.
From the consumer’s viewpoint, the most immediately noticeable difference between commercial and specialty coffees is packaging: Commercial coffee comes in little bottles of instant or is already ground and packed in a tin or a collapsed, plastic-encased brick. Specialty coffee is stored or delivered as whole beans, either in one-pound bags or in bulk, and needs to be ground before it is brewed.
Commercial coffee is usually roasted and packed in large plants, under nationally advertised brand names. Specialty coffee is usually roasted in small stores or factories, using traditional methods and technology, and is often sold where it has been roasted.
Specialty coffees offer considerably more choice than commercial coffees. You can buy coffee by the place where the bean originated (Kenya, Colombia), by roast (French roast, Italian roast), or by blend designed for the time of day, price, or flavor. Commercial coffees offer only a very limited selection of blend and roast, and little possibility of buying single-origin, unblended coffees.
If you are looking for an original flavor and unique taste, then specialty coffee is a must for you. Good coffee roasters follow the recommended roast profiles to bring out the best taste of each bean. Specialty coffee can be more expensive, and will take more time to prepare. The best specialty coffees, bought fresh and brewed correctly, are more than good; they are superb, and superb in a variety of ways.
