Is Specialty Coffee Good?

Everyone who enjoys good coffee is starting to come to terms with specialty coffee, but there are many mixed reviews on the subject. Some coffee people love specialty coffee, while others prefer to drink regular commercial coffee, even after trying specialty coffee. This leads many wot wonder if specialty coffee is even good and how it compares to regular coffee.

Specialty coffee is good. It encompasses a broad range of coffee beans from different places and with different characteristics. Specialty coffee can be fruity and subtle or bold and intense. It is usually a light roast to enhance the brew flavor. Every coffee lover can enjoy specialty coffee.

Specialty coffee is not the same as commercial coffee that most people are accustomed to. There are some major differences between these coffee types, and some of them may take some getting used to. Let’s explore specialty coffee to find out if it’s good, how it compares to regular coffee, and to help you decide if you should make the switch to specialty.

Everyone who enjoys coffee is particular about the way they drink this beverage, and everyone has their own coffee bean preferences as well. Most people have become accustomed to commercial coffee, which is generally darker-roasted coffee that has a very well-rounded, right, balanced flavor.

However, the expansion of specialty coffee in recent years has left many coffee lovers questioning their taste in coffee, as specialty coffee beans are so different compared to commercial beans that they expose an entirely new world of coffee drinking that most people were never aware of before.

People who enjoy coffee find themselves wondering if they will enjoy specialty coffee as much as regular coffee and whether or not this coffee tastes good by comparison.

The truth is that specialty coffee does taste good, but most specialty coffee cannot be directly compared to the experience of drinking regular commercial coffee.

The flavor profiles of special coffee are very different from regular coffee, and some coffee lovers may find themselves having to get used to specialty coffee rather than just enjoying it from the first sip.

This is the reason why specialty coffee gets a bad name among some coffee lovers, as this type of coffee is very different from what most people are used to.

Specialty coffee does take some time to become accustomed to, but once you develop the necessary experience and begin tasting and appreciating all of the subtleties of specialty coffee, commercial coffee will seem bland and boring by comparison.

Specialty coffee is delicious, but do not expect it to taste like the coffee that you have been drinking every day.

How Does Specialty Coffee Compare To Regular Coffee?

The term ‘specialty coffee’ encompasses a wide range of different coffee beans, but it does imply that these beans all have something in common and that they are not the same as regular coffee. This leads many people to wonder what makes specialty coffee different from regular coffee. How do they compare?

The type of coffee that most people are used to drinking is generally a darker roasted coffee that carries rich flavors of chocolate and caramel and is known for some mildly bitter flavors as well. This coffee tastes intense when brewed strong, and it can have a very heavy texture depending on how it is brewed.

Specialty coffee has several benefits over other coffees.

The coffee extracts easily.
It can be brewed at lower temperatures.
Specialty coffee is easy to brew with in general, making it a good choice for beginners.
It is multi-purpose and can be brewed with any brewing method.
This coffee is easy to grind.
It is very widely available, making it accessible to any aspiring coffee connoisseur.

This coffee usually shares a very similar flavor profile and tasting notes, regardless of the brand. There is little variation in intensity and flavor, and buying this coffee is always a very safe choice, as you will always know what to expect.

By contrast, specialty coffee is typically much more varied. This type of coffee values a diversity of coffee sources that produce a wide range of flavors, and a diversity of coffee preparation methods, roasting methods, roast levels, and intensities.

Specialty coffee has a wider range of flavors that can often be fruity with the taste of berries and citrus, and it has a rich caramel taste; it can be processed in ways that provide a smokey, oaky flavor but can also have the deep, heavy flavors that so many people enjoy.

Specialty coffee is typically from a single origin, and if the coffee beans are blended, every origin is noted and listed. The coffee always originates in a single farm rather than just a broad region of the world, and thus the flavor profiles can be more easily noted and identified.

Specialty coffee celebrates diversity of flavor and taste and is roasted to heighten these flavors rather than being roasted to be easily brewed.

This means that specialty coffee is often only lightly roasted, which allows the flavors to be more easily extracted and present in the brew, but the grinding and brewing process can be significantly more challenging and require good coffee brewing techniques and skills.

At the end of it, specialty coffee is very different from the regular coffee that most people know well, but it is something that is worth trying

What To Expect From Specialty Coffee

Trying specialty coffee in comparison to regular coffee can be intimidating. Every coffee lover knows exactly what to expect from regular coffee, and specialty coffee can seem like a plunge into the unknown. What should you expect from specialty coffee?

What you should expect from specialty coffee depends on the specific coffee beans. Some specialty beans are very fruity and lively-tasing, while others can be very mellow and subdued.

If you are the type of coffee drinker who prefers richer, deeper flavors, then buy a specialty coffee that is listed with those tasting notes. If you prefer bright, fruit flavors, then look for a specialty coffee with those characteristics.

You can expect a mix of various flavors and taste experiences from specialty coffee, the likes of which regular coffee does not typically contain.

Other than the flavors, anyone drinking specialty coffee can still expect to taste the flavor of coffee, and they can expect all of the good caffeine effects and the intensity of flavor that everyone loves in coffee, but the general drinking experience is very different and much more lively overall.

Conclusion

Specialty coffee is good. It provides a very different coffee experience in general, but there are some specialty coffee types and brands that are very similar to the regular coffee that you may be already accustomed to drinking. Every coffee lover should experiment with specialty coffee on some level and try to find a type of specialty coffee that they enjoy. There is always something tasty, new, and interesting to discover with this type of coffee, and taking this plunge into the world of specialty is exciting and liberating.

Is Specialty Coffee Good?