All coffee is special. Specialty coffee is extraordinary.
We’re currently experiencing a coffee renaissance around the world. Roasters and specialty coffee shops are seemingly everywhere now, and not just in big cities, but also every small town in between. In the U.S., what was once just a “cup of Joe” has transformed into something much fussier (in a good way).
Traditionally, coffee is harvested from across the globe, from multiple farms in multiple countries, then shipped, stored, roasted, and brewed. Not much thought given to where or how. Within the last 20 years, however, “single origin” coffees—those from only one farm/region—became sought after. Turns out, different patches of dirt produce different results. For example, a farm in Ethiopia will have different soil than a farm in Columbia, and one might be located at a higher elevation than the other. Obviously their climates will be different too. Just like wine grapes, location makes a big difference, and that difference is something not only worth discovering, but worth paying for.
This phenomenon explains why light roasts are currently all the rage. By lightly roasting coffee, you’re maintaining more cell structure within the bean, and can thus taste more of that bean’s unique flavors. When dark-roasting, you erase a lot of that nuance, and end up with the classic roasty coffee flavor we’ve all come to know and (mostly) love. A good way to think about it is that light roasts allow you to taste the bean, dark roasts allow you to taste the roast.
Obviously there’s a time and a place for dark roasted coffee, we aren’t haters. But, when it comes to nuance and to just plain nerd stuff, light roasted coffees are where the magic is. As a big bonus, single origin beans help ensure ethical sourcing and fair prices for growers due to the crop’s limited nature and higher demand, which is crucial if we want the industry to continue expanding quality coffee.
All in all, we are big supporters of the coffee adventure. Discovering, tasting, experiencing. We hope you’ll join us, and come try our constantly rotating selections from across the world, one origin at a time.
