What makes speciality coffee so much better than supermarket coffee? Let’s find out!

You probably guessed it, but we’re big fans of speciality coffee, and you’ll only find speciality Arabica at Two Chimps. But have you ever thought about what sets it apart from the coffee you find in supermarkets?

From harvesting to roasting—and, of course, taste—let’s explore why you should make the switch from your local supermarket coffee to Two Chimp’s brews.

 

Best selling coffee gift set

What does the name ‘Speciality Coffee’ mean?

Before we begin, let’s take a moment to clarify the terminology. The term “Speciality Coffee” carries significant weight, indicating that it is of superior quality. But it’s not as simple as just popping it on there like the ‘extra special’ range; it has actually undergone rigorous testing by a Speciality Coffee Association (SCA) Quality Grader (Q grader).

They cup the coffee and mark it based on multiple things, such as aroma, body, aftertaste and balance (to name a few!), before giving it a score out of 100. Any coffee below 80 is known as ‘commodity’ coffee, and this is the stuff you’ll find at supermarkets. But anything above 80 gets that all-important speciality label, and these are the ones we source and roast at Two Chimps!

Growing and Ethical Sourcing

The growing and sourcing process is one of the most significant yet often overlooked factors that differentiate speciality coffee from commodity coffee. Although all coffee originates from inside a coffee cherry, these factors vary significantly between the two types of coffee.

Let’s start with the speciality stuff. They will almost always be Arabica and grown across the coffee belt to ensure the best flavours possible. Once ready, the fruit is hand-picked by trained pickers, who will only select the ripest fruit. This means the beans are ready to be processed and have naturally developed all those wonderful flavours in the fruit.

These beans are also grown by smallholders and co-operatives, who manage small-scale plots, giving them the ability to provide every coffee plant their full attention. Most of these producers also avoid using pesticides and practice using organic fertilisers.

Since the coffee grown is cut above the rest, it will likely gain that all-important speciality grading, meaning it is worth more. Since they can follow the same expert farm techniques season after season, these farmers form relationships with green coffee importers. Working directly with this point of contact cuts out the middleman, meaning more profit goes back to the farmers.

As a carbon-neutral company, it is super important to us at Two Chimps that our beans have been grown using sustainable practices and are ethically sourced; we even make sure our decafs have been decaffeinated using natural methods rather than yucky chemicals. So apart from the superior flavours, it’s no wonder we get the speciality stuff!

Now, let’s check out the supermarket stuff! Commodity coffee is strip-picked by machinery, which cannot tell the difference between ripe and unripe fruit, causing some sour-tasting beans to slip through. These beans will also likely be Robusta, a lower-quality coffee which typically has bitter, harsher flavours.

This type of coffee is also grown on large-scale coffee farms on a commercial level. To create coffee plots large enough to match the demand, damaging practices like deforestation are carried out, which massively impacts the environment and wildlife in that area.

Farmers are paid less as they typically work for a large corporation rather than owning their plots. This can create an unstable livelihood since they may only be employed during the peak of the harvesting season.

The flavour

After reading about the growing side of things, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that speciality has a superior flavour. Not only have these beans been masterfully grown and tested by Q Graders, but they have also been treated with more care during the roasting process.

But does the way a bean is roasted affect the flavour? Let’s take a look.

When our speciality green beans arrive at Two Chimps HQ, our artisan roaster will check the tasting notes and evaluate how to roast the beans to get the best flavours possible. We will then do a test run and cup it with our head chimps to ensure the flavours are exactly as we want.

 

Roast your own coffee in our workshop!

If it’s not quite there yet, we will try again until we have created the perfect brew! This roast profile is then noted to be repeated for each batch. To ensure the best flavours every time, we also only roast in small batches multiple times a week. This means you will get the freshest brew possible. It even lasts a whopping 12 weeks when opened (even for ground). High five!

Switching to the commodity stuff, you’ll usually see it roasted to a dark level. This is to hide all the bitter flavours from the Robusta, so all you taste is a burnt flavour, which sadly is what some people think coffee is supposed to taste like. This is also roasted on a large scale in huge batches, which is why you may see a best-before date rather than a roasted-on date, as these beans will have been roasted months before ending up in your cup.

 

Give cupping a go yourself!

Is speciality coffee worth it?

It’s no secret that speciality coffee is dearer than commodity, supermarket stuff. But after reading through this, it’s no surprise! The whole process for speciality coffee involves much more effort, resources and skill. But luckily for you, you can taste every bit of this with every sip you take.

Fancy giving speciality coffee a go? Check out our best-selling brew below!

 

Medium/Dark Roasted Coffee

Charlotte Dibble

Meet the chimp behind this article!
Charlotte joined Two Chimps after completing her BA Hons in Graphic Communication and Illustration at Loughborough University. She also earned two diplomas: Art and Design Foundation and Professional Studies.

What Charlotte does outside of the treehouse:
In her spare time, Charlotte is a keen baker and loves to bring delicious treats for the team to enjoy during their Monday tea break. Charlotte likes to practice her drawing and painting skills to relax, usually with one of her cats sitting on her lap to keep her company!

Charlotte says…
“I’m thrilled to join the Two Chimps Troop after five years of studying. I get to write blogs, design, manage social media, and connect with our amazing customers every day. It’s always exciting, and I learn something new every day!”

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