What is Specialty Coffee?
Michalis 'BIG Mike' Kotzakolios


Defined Tag: Specialty Coffee.
Specialty, as the name implies, means something beyond the standard. As such, in the coffee industry, specialty coffee is a premium kind of coffee that has underwent stringent processing and classification, which includes--among others--the region where they came from, their origin, and the manner by which they were taken care of and harvested. Also included is the cupping, roasting, and brewing methods undertaken.

Cupping, for instance, is a method by which coffee experts measure and evaluate specialty coffee using several proven and systematic bases, such as the fragrance or smell of the coffeebean, and the aroma after mixing it with water. Experts will also evaluate the coffeebean on the basis of the taste after it has been brewed including it's aftertaste at varying temperatures. Most importantly, they will also consider the body of the coffee. This simply means the consistency and the feel of the coffee in the mouth.

After the cupping evaluation of specialty coffee, roasting is the next factor evaluated. Following the correct method of roasting is necessary to enhance the taste and aroma of a coffeebean. Haphazardly done, roasting can make or break a coffee. It is in these method where coffeebeans are exposed to extreme temperature so as to stir various chemical reactions from within which would then prepare it for a much better classification for consumption. Last of the method for coffee specialty consideration is brewing. Brewing is the final method by which the taste of the coffee is better enhanced through several considerations. Major components of this would be the water mixture and the kind of water used, the brewing style and equipment used, and last is the brewing time and filter used.

Given the above process of evaluation, specialty coffee in general carries a distinctive taste and flavor that provides an edge to the taste buds of coffee experts thus creating a specialty niche to the majority of coffee lovers.

BIG Mike is a well known author, developer and Adsense expert as well as the owner of Niche Maniacs - a unique Adsense Marketing System designed to build long-term passive income streams from Adsense, Amazon, YPN, Chitika and other PPC services.