People all over the world love to drink coffee. They often regard it as an integral part of every morning. However, more and more people are focusing not only on the sheer necessity of drinking this liquid gold, but also on its quality. Do you want to drink really good coffee? If so, it's worth you learning to recognise it. Here are 5 key things to look out for when buying speciality coffees from artisanal roasterssuch as Story Coffee Roasters.
In order to properly assess speciality coffee beans, you should check their origin. On the packaging of a good coffee, you will find the name of the country, the region, the name of the farm, the altitude of the crop and how it was processed, among other things. This is extremely important because the more information the producer provides, the greater the chance that the coffee beans comes from an honest source and has been carefully prepared.
For example, grains coffees from Ethiopia sourced from the Guji region and harvested at an altitude of between 1,900 and 2,100 metres will have a completely different flavour profile to Brazilian arabica from a lowland farm. Our Story Coffee Roasters ensures full transparency of information. On the packaging of the products in our shop, you will find all the key information demonstrating the quality and origin of the coffee.
The roast date of the coffee is definitely one of the most important pieces of information on the packet. Coffee beans are a living product that already begins to lose its characteristic aroma after roasting. The flavour of the coffee also becomes less pronounced. The best beans are those that are roasted between 7 and 30 days in advance.
The smoking date on the packaging is crucial, especially if they are speciality coffee beans. So you can't just look at the best-before date. Did you know that a lot of coffees from the market are already outdated the moment they... hit the shelf? Freshly roasted coffee is artisan coffee - from places like our roastery.
We roast the coffee on the fly and pack it in special packaging with a one-way valve that allows the gases to escape without allowing air. Coffee beans after firing it can breathe freely in it.
Coffee beans hide a lot more than you think. Their appearance can help us judge coffee quality. Pay attention to whether the grains are:
Uneven, broken or very dark beans are a sign of poor selection, over-roasting or carelessness on the part of the roaster who wants to mask the imperfections of the beans being sold. Also avoid very oily and shiny beans, as this can be a sign of having been stored too long.
Decent coffee is not only about the aroma and quality of the beans, but also about the taste. On the packaging high quality coffees is a description of the sensory profile - this is the set of tastes and aromas that are perceptible when brewing and drinking coffee. The most commonly perceptible notes in coffee are:
Coffees without a sensory description, information on the farm or roast date are usually of low quality. In the case of coffees speciality The beans are assessed by Q-graders, who award them points on a 100-point scale. Beans that score a minimum of 80 points out of 100 are counted among the highest quality speciality coffees.
Why good coffee beans Is it expensive? Well, you pay not only for the quality, but also for the ethics of the grain harvest and its unique taste. The price of the beans is influenced, among other things, by the manual harvest and the selection of only the best fruit. In addition, it can be conquered by low crop yields, i.e. fewer beans are harvested per bush.
The higher price of coffee beans is also influenced by their transport and storage under controlled conditions. Fresh, small batches roasted in artisan roasters - such as ours - cost more. Coffee roasting plant Warsaw Story Coffee Roasters. We invest in sustainable sourcing, direct relationships with farmers and precise roasting processes. This ensures you are buying coffee that tastes great and supports responsible farming practices.
Want to read more? Check out our article "Why are coffee prices going up?„.
Choosing a good coffee bean should not be a matter of chance. It pays to know more about its origin, appearance and taste. It is also good to be able to recognise fresh beans and be aware of why you pay more for artisanal coffee.
Do you want to drink really good coffee? Opt for quality and local smoking roomsand not products from the supermarket. Because coffee beans is more than just ... caffeine.
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