A hundred kinds of coffee, 30 yuan a cup and 300 yuan a cup of coffee where is the difference?

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In their spare time, going to a coffee shop to relax and have a cup of coffee is a way for more and more people to enjoy life. Even if they don't have time to go out, they can place a takeout order in their mobile phone and a cup of freshly brewed coffee. It can be delivered to you in half an hour or so. However, the price of a cup of coffee ranges from 10 yuan in convenience stores, 30 yuan in chain coffee shops to 300 yuan in boutique coffee shops. Why on earth is this ten times the price difference?

Apart from the added value of products and marketing methods, the price of a cup of coffee depends largely on the beans used by the store. the better you use it, the higher the cost and price, and vice versa. The price of coffee beans depends on the "variety", "quality", "flavor" and "yield" of coffee beans, and the relationship between these four is inseparable.

Variety

There are hundreds of different varieties of coffee, each with different flavor characteristics. Here we introduce two native species of coffee, Arabica (Arabica) and Robusta (Robusta). Most of the other varieties are derived, mutated and mated from these two native species.

Arabica Arabica coffee beans are grown at high altitude, low caffeine, easily withered by external effects, rich in flavor and high price.

Robusta Robusta coffee beans are grown at low altitude, high in caffeine, not easily withered by external effects, rich in flavor and low in price.

The individual coffees we often see in boutique coffee shops, such as Yega Sheffield, Kenya AA and Manning, are all Arabica Arabica coffee beans.

Because of the strong flavor of Robusta Robusta coffee beans, many people will mix them with Arabica Arabica coffee beans to increase the richness of the coffee and become what we often hear as "Italian blending Espresso Blend". But also because of the characteristics of Robusta, we generally have the impression that espresso is sleepless, cheap, strong and bitter.

However, with the arrival of the third wave of coffee, today's coffee shops have begun to focus on the "flavor" of coffee rather than "fullness" and mix it with Arabica beans from different countries or producing areas. this makes Italian coffee more layered and comfortable, with less bitter or burdensome feelings.

Quality

In the previous article, we have introduced a lot about the production and planting process of coffee beans. Coffee is a treasure that many people work hard to get (like many crops), and good quality coffee is not easy to get.

How can you stir up beautiful spray without a reef, and so can coffee. Coffee trees planted at higher elevations are not easy to survive because of the harsh climate, and the better the quality of the fruit that can overcome the climate test (of course, not too high, the coffee trees will freeze to death). In addition, most of the coffee trees are planted on the hillside, which makes it more difficult to harvest and transport.

The harvested coffee fruit is quickly sent to the processing plant for processing. Processed coffee beans are picked by coffee farmers or coffee manufacturers in order to remove defective beans (such as moth-eaten, moldy, etc.), which takes a lot of manpower and time to pick beans by hand. Some farms or manufacturers even choose two or three times to improve the quality of their coffee (relatively directly reflected in the price).

When a coffee manufacturer or coffee shop gets the processed raw coffee beans, they start baking. The baked beans, the manufacturer or the store will pick the beans again (the fewer defective beans, the better the overall flavor of the coffee).

Flavor

Coffee is like red wine. Coffee tastes different in different countries, producing areas and even manors because of climate, environment and soil. Even if it is the same variety, the flavor will be very different in different regions.

The flavor of coffee beans in some producing areas makes everyone crazy, making many coffee fans scramble to buy coffee, so that the supply of coffee exceeds demand and the price remains high.

For example, the Japanese love the flavor of Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee so much that a decade ago, 90% of the annual production of Jamaican Blue Mountain was sold directly to Japan, while the other 10% was sold around the world. If you also like Blue Mountain Coffee, it takes a lot of effort and luck to buy the real thing! Of course, now that there are many raw bean merchants in China who have obtained the official distribution qualification of Jamaica, it is not too difficult to drink the authentic Blue Mountain No.1 of Jamaica.

In addition, if a coffee bean with a unique, complex or amazing flavor can score high in a cup test or do well in some large competitions, its price will naturally increase several times.

Output

As the saying goes, "scarcity is precious", and coffee is no exception. The annual output of coffee fruits with good flavor and high quality has been much less. In addition, 10% to 20% of the bad coffee beans may be removed from picking to the end of processing. The more exquisite the process, the more defective beans will be removed.

Take, for example, one of the most expensive coffee in the world: Esmeralda Geisha 601, an emerald estate in Panama.

The coffee bean was selected as the champion of the sun group by the American Fine Coffee Association (SCAA), the Best Coffee of Panama (Best of Panama) and the Rainforest Alliance (Rainforest Alliance) in 2017. it is only 100lb (about 45kg) in the world. The auction price of the top red bid batch is US $601per pound, and the price per cup is even US $55 per cup.

Daniel Peterson, the owner of the Emerald Manor in Panama, accidentally discovered that the coffee beans produced by the rose summer coffee tree had a different flavor (a unique and complex flavor, which can be pleasantly surprised at every bite), and won the first prize in the Panamanian competition bean cup tasting meeting in 2004.

Even though many coffee gardens in Panama grow rose summer, not all of them can reach the championship level. On the other hand, the Emerald Manor has its own set of strict standards in planting, harvesting and air-drying. picking 1000 pounds of coffee beans may end up with only the best 100,150lbs. It is conceivable that after such screening, the quality must be too good to say!

In addition, there is a rare output of coffee beans at an astonishing price, that is, civet coffee (also known as Kopi Luwak)! The output of this coffee depends entirely on how much fruit the civet eats. However, due to excessive hype, most of the Kopi Luwak in recent years is produced by farmers who keep civets in captivity, without screening on the quality of coffee fruits, and even suspected of abusing animals, so coffee lovers are generally urged not to pursue them blindly. And other shit series of coffee (bird shit, like shit and so on. (the price is also not cheap! But the taste...

Conclusion

Are those expensive coffees worth it? Coffee is no longer just a refreshing drink in today's society, more and more people are enjoying it. And a cup of coffee with good quality and good flavor can bring this enjoyment to another realm, and this unique and beautiful experience brought by coffee is really priceless.

So the next time you drink coffee in a coffee shop (or at home), close your eyes, smell the coffee first, and then take a sip of grateful taste and enjoy it.

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