Specialty Coffee Beans
Latest articles, industry insights and brewing guides
The Tarrazú Legend of Lamastus Family Estates
Discover how Lamastus Family Estates in Costa Rica’s Tarrazú region built a legacy by selling just 15% of its crop as single-origin specialty beans.
First and Second Wave Coffee: Before Specialty
Explore the origins of modern coffee culture through the first two global coffee waves, leading up to today’s specialty movement.
The Global Coffee Crisis: From Valuable Commodity to Market Failure
Coffee is the world’s second-most valuable legal commodity. Learn how price crashes, industrial farming, and oversupply hurt farmers and quality.
Where Does Coffee Rank Among the World’s Top Drinks?
Coffee is one of the world’s three major beverages, alongside tea and cocoa. Learn where it comes from and how it’s made.
Where Did Coffee Originate? The First Coffee Tree
The first coffee tree grew in the Horn of Africa. Local tribes mixed crushed coffee fruit with animal fat for energy-rich food given to warriors.
What’s Inside a Coffee Bean? Key Coffee Components Explained
Discover the 9 major chemical components in a coffee bean — from caffeine and tannic acid to fats, sugars, and minerals — and how they affect flavor and function.
What Is Black Ivory Coffee Made From?
Black Ivory Coffee is made from Thai Arabica beans digested and excreted by elephants. Only 50kg were produced in 2012, retailing at $1800/kg.
What Defines Specialty Coffee?
Specialty coffee means scored 85+ by cuppers, traceable to farm level, and brewed without milk or sugar. Here’s what makes it truly special.
How Specialty Coffee Classifies Defective Beans
Learn how specialty coffee graders count defects using 350g samples and the SCA’s defect conversion rules to determine bean quality.
What We Actually Test During Coffee Cupping
Learn what professional cupping evaluates in roasted coffee — from aroma and acidity to balance and sweetness, with exact steps and SCA criteria.
How to Become a Coffee Roaster: The Real Role of Roast Curves
Becoming a skilled coffee roaster means mastering beans, not just machines. Roast curves help, but they’re not everything.
How to Use the Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel
Learn how the SCA Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel helps you identify flavors, understand coffee quality, and improve your tasting skills with expert insight.
How to Learn Coffee Cupping and Find the Best Tasting Spot
Learn how to taste coffee like a pro by finding the right cupping location, using a flavor wheel, and training your palate step by step.
Single Origin vs Blend: What Makes Specialty Coffee Different
Explore the real differences between single origin and blended coffee, including flavor profiles, brewing roles, and when each shines.
Why Are Some Coffee Beans So Expensive?
Coffee bean prices depend on climate, yield, disease, and market factors. Learn what makes some beans cost more and how to spot quality.
Indonesian Coffee Varieties and the Wet Hull Process
Learn how Indonesia’s signature wet hull process shapes its bold, earthy coffee flavors, and why Mandheling isn’t a bean—but a flavor profile.
What Makes a Professional Coffee Roaster?
Learn what sets skilled coffee roasters apart, from understanding roast profiles to balancing brew methods and customer preferences.
Best Costa Rican Single Origin Coffee for Summer
Discover why Costa Rica Tarrazú’s light-medium roasted Caturra is ideal for summer — bright, clean, and sweet with a silky mouthfeel.
Ecuador’s Rare Galápagos Bourbon Coffee Beans
Galápagos-grown Bourbon coffee offers a smooth, complex profile similar to Blue Mountain, grown pesticide-free at high altitudes over 500 meters.
Huila Orange River Coffee: Colombia’s Hidden Gem
Discover the vibrant washed coffee from Colombia’s Huila region, grown near the Los Naranjos river with citrus, stone fruit, and caramel notes.