Interpretation of SCAA's definition of boutique coffee: the link is too long and the quality requirements are a bit exaggerated.

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I think the handsome word "Specialty coffee" is about to become a household name in China. There are many cafes with the name of boutique coffee, but in fact, the meaning of the word "boutique coffee" is not so clear, so most people still cannot tell whether it is in line with the spirit of boutique coffee. Let's talk about the definition of boutique coffee.

The following is the answer to what is What is Specialty Coffee? on the website of the American Fine Coffee Association.

The sustainable development of fine coffee must be through the contribution of a group of people committed to maintaining high quality, not just one person in the coffee bean production process.

From the beginning to the end, all links in the production chain must work together, abide by the norms and keep improving in order to create boutique coffee.

This is not a simple achievement, because a group of dedicated operators, there are a lot of boutique coffee blooming around the world, even around you.

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In the past, the eyes of fine coffee sometimes focused on the production process of raw coffee beans, sometimes on roasting, sometimes out of the cup.

At present, SCAA seems to want to tell consumers that the "boutique coffee" that is really delivered to you is the result of the joint efforts of every link, which is actually a relatively pertinent definition, because if anything goes wrong, the boutique coffee in front of you may really become a bad bad coffee.

SCAA also describes the important roles in the production process, so let's move on:

Get to know people who are committed to fine coffee

Farmers

High-quality coffee began with generations of producers who tried their best to grow high-quality coffee and had to take good care of the selected altitude and climate for several years before the first harvest. The boutique coffee maker dedicated his or her life to improve the best quality coffee in the world.

For them, quality is the most important consideration, not production. Only when the coffee is flawless and in the most mature state can it move on to the next production process.

For farmers, trade with quality and conscientious buyers as much as possible in order to make higher profits to support their personal, family and community lives.

Raw bean merchant

The raw beans are then taken over by raw bean merchants, some of whom are certified by SCAA cup side specialists or coffee quality appraisers of the Coffee quality Institute (CQI).

Their professional cup testers can acutely distinguish the quality of coffee through cup testing and systematic brewing of coffee.

Through the cup test, cup testers will grade the coffee and determine which ones meet the quality requirements of the selected coffee to determine the items to be purchased, and they will also share their flavor description in the product packaging.

Raw bean merchants provide a great deal of information to coffee roasters and coffee workers.

Baker

The high-quality coffee is then transferred to the roasters, some of whom are certified by the American Baker Association (RG) to complete multi-hour roasting courses and practical training in roasting high-quality coffee raw beans.

Coffee roasting is an art, must have a wealth of knowledge and experience in order to complete the boutique level of coffee roasting.

Coffee must be closely monitored in the process of roasting in accordance with conductivity, thermodynamics and chemistry to ensure that the final roasted coffee beans have the highest quality and flavor.

Barista

Once the boutique coffee beans reach the retail channel, it means that they have passed the high standards of quality control in the first three stages, but have not yet completed all the processes.

Some baristas are certified by the American baristas Association to complete multi-hour bar courses and practical training to professionally complete the final stage of boutique coffee bean production.

Professional baristas are not only adept at operating coffee brewing equipment, but also have an in-depth understanding of the production experience of coffee beans and are able to dig out the flavor hidden in coffee beans.

If the boutique coffee is not extracted as correctly as possible, it may lose its true flavor. The barista ensures that every coffee bean is fully extracted.

Consumer

Didn't you think you were part of the boutique coffee industry? In fact, it is consumers who actively seek and choose to complete the final production of boutique coffee.

When you take the time to find a local high-quality coffee shop or bean baking factory, you can further learn from the barista that enjoying a cup of fine coffee depends on the dedication and enthusiasm of many people, which will enable you to make smarter choices. you pursue not only the highest standards of coffee quality and flavor, but also the excellence of every character in the boutique coffee production process.

After reading the latest definition of SCAA, let's compare other definitions.

I. the definition of SCAA in the past

Boutique coffee is also known as rare coffee or precious coffee, boutique coffee can only grow in the ideal growing environment.

Because it is planted in the unique local conditions, boutique coffee has a special flavor.

Erna. Rna Knutsen

Second, coffee godmother Erna. The definition once proposed by Erna Knutsen

Coffee beans with unique flavor are produced under special local conditions.

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It can be seen that the above two definitions are based on the growth environment and flavor of coffee beans, and do not extend to other parts.

On the other hand, the latest definition of SCAA boutique coffee extends to the entire coffee production process, from the cultivation, processing, raw bean merchants, bakers, baristas and even consumers of coffee beans.

I quite agree with the definition that this link is very long and the quality requirements are a bit exaggerated, because it more faithfully reflects the current situation of fine coffee.

Of course, Taiwan is a region with relatively developed boutique coffee. at present, there are more than 3000 roasters (including cafes, roasters, baking studios, individuals, etc.) in Taiwan, which is ridiculously high in terms of Taiwan's population and area. it makes sense to have the highest roasting rate in the world.

Definition of boutique coffee

Therefore, we may not be able to understand the difficulty of this definition. After all, it is not very difficult to find a manor-level cafe as long as you have the will.

Maybe just half an hour's drive, every county and city can find some cafes that cultivate boutique coffee, roasting super high-end beans of coe in their own small world, telling you the greatness of this cup of coffee in front of you.

Taiwan is the best spokesman for boutique coffee. Fully conforms to the definition

However, this is not the norm in the world. whether it is a country with a long history of drinking coffee, they may drink a lot of commercial coffee (just as Taiwanese drink soya-bean milk) and never feel the need to look for more high-quality coffee; or countries that don't drink coffee at all. You can't even find a cafe with manor beans, and of course no one thinks of looking for it at all.

That's why SCAA uses this soft appeal to tell more people that the real value of fine coffee is not to stay away from the crowd, but to push back from consumers to the production side and jointly pursue higher quality coffee.

Introduction to the txt download of the definition and Evaluation of the pdf Electronic version of Fine Coffee