Everything you wanted to know about Specialty coffee
Why is a quick and easy process often prized above complicated pursuits? Especially when unique complexities have the ability to empower. It might not be everyone’s cup of..ehm coffee, but it could be when it is the perfect brew of the two.
This is where Speciality coffee comes in with its consistent, smooth and clean flavours. The journey to these simple characteristics, however, is extremely complex and delicate.
To broadly explain, Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) has developed a 100-point system that evaluates brewed coffee on the basis of its aroma, sweetness and acidity. Coffee with a score above 80 is considered to be Speciality. A high score is achieved when the entire coffee chain focuses on excellent standards from start to finish. More than anything, the process must ensure the wellbeing of the land and people involved in creating that perfect sip.
Heart of Speciality Coffee
Speciality coffee is a union of science and sensibility. From seed to cup, from the harvest of fully ripe cherries to roasting it, from the green beans to the aroma of their brew, all of it relies heavily on science and the sensibilities of farmers, roasters, and brewers.
As with any premium food or drink, raw ingredients have the highest potential to elevate the outcome. Quality control at the start of the cycle truly determines its deliciousness – no amount of excellent roasting technique and preparation can make up for a subpar coffee bean. Therefore Araku has created a fully integrated value chain - wherein coffee experts and farmers come together to create a delicious brew.
Every step in the coffee’s journey, from a planted seed to the cup, is significant. Even one chief defect in a single bean can make the entire pot of coffee tastes terrible. Most roasters and coffee traders end up buying beans from cross-country producers, exporters and importers.
But Araku Originals, since 2008, has aimed to ensure ethical transparency throughout the entire process of coffee production. It is India’s first 100% organic single-origin coffee, whose journey bypasses any middlemen. Every cup made from Araku’s beans can be traced back to a farmer in the Araku valley.
This is what we call a fine, honest cup of delicious warmth.
Speciality Coffee Revamp
The new ‘coffee culture’ is settling across major cities in India, where being geeky about coffee is seen as ‘cool’. This love for coffee makes one part of a like-minded and exclusive community that is inquisitive about coffee’s origin and brewing techniques. Here, there is no space for commercial instant coffee that is flat in flavours made in a minute.
After establishing a flagship store in Paris and having a presence at 85+ locations across France, we launched our Speciality coffee in India. By celebrating international standards in India, Araku is here to transform coffee into a mass delicacy. And we have brought our expertise with us to make waves (but mostly brew conversations) across India.
Our exclusive Coffeeologist, Hippolyte Courty, is always in direct contact with our farmers and creates beautiful (like exceptionally beautiful) coffee. As an expert cupper, he introduces and trains in the art of tasting and appreciating great coffee to everyone who is interested. With our cupping sessions and master-classes, everyone can be a part of this brimming coffee community.
Making of Speciality Coffee
Speciality coffee is made with single-origin beans. These beans come with ethical farming practices, unique flavours and are harvested like wine grapes - at one-acre farms with distinct soil, climate, and altitude. Precise and scientific roasting of raw green beans brings out the coffee’s unique profiles and flavours. Bad or amateur roasting can also convert perfect beans into scorching, overdeveloped or underdeveloped batches of coffee.
At Araku, each batch is 100% Arabica coffee of unblended single origin quality. And every harvest is processed in-house to ensure optimal selection and quality. These are then roasted in Araku’s facilities with drum roasting technology. This preserves the natural flavour and aromas of the beans so that they can express the unique taste profile of our terroir-based farms.
Our dedication towards creating beautiful cups of coffee is what makes Araku different. We focus on all the aspects of the coffee chain; two of them that make our coffee-creating process really unique are:
Estate-grown
Coffee at Araku is exclusively grown by our independent farmer cooperative in family-run micro-lot plantations. Each coffee-tree is nurtured from seeds developed and hand cultivated within our in-house nurseries. These nurseries use minimal mechanization in low-density plots wherein each bean is shade-grown. Coffee plantations are Araku’s heart and soul; we take complete care of them so that when they are brewed for your cup, they meet you just how you like it.
Organically farmed
Araku uses exclusive vitamin and mineral-rich biofertilizers to grow our coffee trees. Regenerative Organic+ farming, such as this, promotes plant quality and the integrity of our ecosystem. It creates coffee beans that are certified organic, non-GMO and chemical-free – ultimately ensuring rich untampered taste profile. Coffee is healthy but Araku goes further to make every brew exceptionally nutrient-rich as well.
Coffee has no boundaries. And Speciality coffee is especially focused on quality and community. Ethical sourcing, sustainable practices, accessibility and simplicity within complex flavours is what Araku is about.
Coffee has the ability to nurture friendships, conversations as well as communities. It is much more than a beverage. When you brew one and take a sip, appreciate the long journey it has been on to find its way into your cup.
Tell us in the comments section...how far would you go for the perfect brew?
