What is the definition of boutique coffee? Why are boutique coffee beans so expensive?

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In the past two days, a wave of discussion in the coffee group has aroused heated discussion among many friends. The topic begins with a barista asking: what is the definition of fine coffee? Does the price of products made of boutique coffee beans have to be high? Can't boutique coffee beans be roasted deeply?

The answers to these three "soul torture" questions have their own opinions. In recent years, coffee consumption has changed from freshness to the normal life of many people, and boutique coffee is also favored by more and more Chinese people. for the word "boutique", people are usually associated with refinement / light extravagance / less quantity.

Some coffee industry / enthusiasts define whether a coffee bean is fine or not, based on whether the coffee bean is a single producing area, SCA scoring system, rich and delicate flavor performance, home-made fresh roasting / low-batch roasting; some people will determine the variety and quality of raw beans, the degree of coffee roasting, and the final flavor performance of coffee; others say that price determines everything, expensive is not necessarily good, but cheap is not necessarily a high-quality product.

In many discussions, there are requirements for quality, score, roasting, brewing and price of boutique coffee, except for a clear stream (unfortunately, there was too much discussion at that time, and that reply was quickly brushed away).

The answer is like this: boutique coffee is reflected in the good quality of coffee beans, but also in the professionalism of roasters and baristas, as well as the whole set of customer service.

The original definition of "boutique coffee" is to cultivate coffee beans with unique flavor under special climatic and geographical conditions, which can show unique regional (producing area) flavor.

When this concept was put forward, the purpose was to make coffee producers understand that coffee beans have good quality, clear flavor performance and good price through the concept of boutique coffee. it also encourages producers to pay attention to the cultivation, processing and storage of coffee, so as to improve the quality of coffee on the market.

The original intention of boutique is not "fine but expensive", but a process of constantly improving coffee (not just the quality of coffee beans).

After the concept of boutique coffee was put forward in 1978, the quality of coffee did not rise to the top, but it was indeed in the process of getting better. Whether it is the era of espresso and deep roasting, or today's era of light roasting and coffee variety / processing, it is a sign of the continuous improvement of coffee.

Deep roasting is not necessarily fine coffee? Obviously not! Some people may think that deep baking itself is to cover up the bad taste of coffee itself through more caramelization. But a good deep-roasted coffee bean is more "fine" than a light-roasted coffee bean.

Nowadays, people pursue the shallow roasting of boutique coffee beans in the hope that the coffee beans can show the sour and rich aroma of flowers and fruits, and many people will think that they can show pleasant sour / flavor coffee beans under shallow roasting. the quality of coffee beans that can show a good flavor under shallow roasting must be good, so it is necessary to equate fine coffee with shallow roasting.

But deep baking tests the experience of bakers more than shallow roasting, and knows enough about coffee beans and the changes in the baking process to make coffee beans show elegant sweetness and bitterness under deep roasting, which is not easy. Deep roasting is not to hide the bad taste of the coffee, but to enable the coffee to reach another level of sweetness and aroma under the proper caramelization.

To do a good job of deep baking, not only depends on the skill of the baker, but also closely related to the quality of raw coffee beans. Poor quality coffee beans will not be deep-roasted to cover their own defects, but will appear unpleasant feelings of scorching, bitterness and dryness.

To do a good job of a deep-roasted coffee bean is inseparable from the roaster's in-depth understanding of the coffee bean, the professional and in-depth understanding of the baking process, and the coffee bean with good quality.

Shallow roasting does not mean that coffee beans are of high quality, and deep baking is not to cover up the defective taste of coffee. Each coffee bean has its own unique place, showing the characteristics of the coffee bean itself is a very test of the professional skills of the roaster. Instead of forcing baking in an unsuitable way for the sake of sour quality.

With good coffee beans, no reasonable brewing, no good customer service, can not be called boutique coffee. In previous observations, when people drink a cup of coffee that is not very good, they tend to "blame" the poor quality of the beans rather than brewing them.

Brewing this step looks very simple, so it is easy to overlook the principle, but this step is also the most likely to affect the final performance of a cup of coffee.

Consumers are willing to drink a cup of boutique coffee in an independent cafe in an era when coffee chains are everywhere, hoping to feel the unique charm of coffee beans and provide professional service.

This professionalism is reflected in that the baristas can have an independent and in-depth understanding of each type of coffee beans, and then use appropriate brewing methods to make the coffee beans show a unique side; reflected in the baristas can use simple expressions to let guests know more professional coffee knowledge; reflected in the baristas' calmness to everything.

Boutique coffee is reflected in the quality and service, which will affect the pricing of the product, but it does not mean it has to be expensive. The operating costs and positioning of each coffee shop are different. There are many coffee beans of good quality, and there are also many high-quality coffee that can reach more than SCA80 points, and the price of most coffee beans is not high.

The low price does not mean that the quality and service of coffee beans are not good, and the high price does not represent the quality and service of coffee beans. As long as consumers can drink what they want and the cost is worth it, then this is a cup of fine coffee.

Back to the beginning, boutique coffee is not used to open the distance between people and things, but to enable more people to taste good quality coffee. Want to coffee quality is getting better and better, want more and more people to appreciate high-quality coffee, can not do without more and more people to pursue coffee, consumers and the supply chain is a cycle.

Photo Source: Internet