What is boutique coffee (Specialty Coffee)

Coffee in boutique producing areas (boutique coffee, Specialty Coffee) is strictly defined as a proper term. Like fine wine and tea, the "regional flavor (Terroir)" formed by the geographical environment, climatic characteristics and planting traditions of different producing areas is also the soul of high-quality coffee producing areas.

As a proper term, boutique coffee (Specialty Coffee) was first put forward by Ms. Erna Knustsen, who is known as the godmother of boutique coffee, in the Tea and Coffee monthly (Tea& Coffee Trade Journal) in 1974, which showed that "only in the most favorable microclimate and soil and water can we cultivate boutique coffee with unique flavor". The aim is to distinguish it from the commercial coffee in New York futures market.

In 1972, Ms. Knudsen and Donner. Donald N. Schoenholt and six others co-founded the American Fine Coffee Association (SCAA,Specialty Coffee Association of America), and the word "specialty coffee" became a global term. Knudsen has always been opposed to the coffee industry blindly pursuing the invariance and monotonicity of flavor with low-cost formula beans, ignoring the unique "Terroir" of coffee from different producing areas, that is, different soil, variety, climate, and soil and water, resulting in different coffee flavor, which is the soul of fine coffee. Without the unique regional flavor, it is not fine coffee, but ordinary commercial beans or canned coffee (large canned coffee beans or powder).

Ms. Knudsen first put forward the concept of boutique coffee, emphasizing the relationship between upstream planting environment and coffee quality. Today, the American Fine Coffee Association has redefined the concept of boutique coffee:

Carefully select the most suitable variety and plant it in the altitude, climate, soil and water environment that is most conducive to the development of coffee flavor. Careful washing and sun processing, select the most advanced raw beans without defects, and deliver them to customers with zero defects in the transportation process. After the superb craftsmanship of the roaster, it leads to the richest regional flavor, and then brews delicious coffee in a recognized way of extraction.

According to this definition, the connotation of fine coffee not only includes the most core factor of planting environment, but also includes three key processes: raw bean treatment process, baking process and extraction (brewing) process. In short, boutique coffee should be a high-quality coffee with "good raw beans, good roasting and good extraction".

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