Specialty coffee

Specialty coffee is a category of coffee that stands out for its superior quality. It is known as “the third wave of coffee”, and this movement has set out the standards a coffee must meet to be considered excellent.

• For a coffee to be specialty grade, it must meet certain requirements, for example:
• It must be grown on land where the soil and biodiversity are optimal, as this produces high-quality beans, often with greater flavour complexity.
• It must be handled with extreme care at every stage (picking, processing, drying, etc.). For example, cherries must be picked by hand rather than by machines that damage both the coffee cherry and the plant itself.
• Traceability is essential, meaning you know everything about how it was grown: the region it comes from, the altitude, the farm, the producer, the type of processing and drying used, and so on.
• It must have a score SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) of 80 points or higher, which guarantees its excellence.

Different types of coffee differ in aspects such as origin, processing, roast, flavour and aroma. Each coffee variety has unique characteristics, ranging from fruity and floral notes to nuttier or chocolatey flavours. The origin of the coffee and the processing techniques also have a significant influence on the final flavour profile, giving a wide range of taste experiences. The roast level also brings out the different notes a coffee can offer: a light roast highlights acidity and floral notes, while a dark roast develops more chocolate and nutty notes.

Coffee beans stay fresh for longer than ground coffee or capsules, which can lose quality when stored for long periods. This is because ground coffee oxidises: within the first 24 hours after grinding it already loses around 50% of its sensory properties. Freshness is essential for high-quality coffee, as it lets the aromas and flavours come through better and avoids the unpleasant flavours of stale coffee.

Whole bean coffee is also uniquely versatile. You can adjust the grind to your brewing method and make a cup that suits your taste, from a fine grind for espresso to a coarse grind for a French press. This gives you full control over extraction and lets you tailor your coffee experience.

El café en grano está en su mejor momento entre 1 y 6 semanas después del tueste. Guárdalo en su bolsa con válvula bien cerrada, o en un bote hermético y opaco, lejos de la luz, el calor y la humedad. No lo metas en la nevera: absorbe olores y humedad. Una vez molido, úsalo en pocos días. Ver accesorios para café.

The number of cups you can get from a kilo of coffee beans depends on how you brew it and how much coffee you use per cup. On average, a kilo of coffee beans makes around 120 to 140 cups of coffee, using about 7 to 8 grams of ground coffee per espresso. If you use a filter method, with a standard recipe of 20 g of ground coffee for drip filter and 300 ml of water, you can get up to 50 cups.

En nuestra tienda y cafetería de Poblenou (C/ Llull 199), donde también puedes probar los cafés antes de llevártelos. Si prefieres no moverte, te lo enviamos a casa en 2 a 4 días laborables en península, o puedes comprar online y recogerlo en la tienda.

De fincas con las que trabajamos de forma directa en países como Colombia, Brasil, El Salvador, Etiopía, Kenia o México. Conocemos a los productores, sabemos cómo procesan cada lote y lo tostamos nosotros en Barcelona. En la ficha de cada café verás la finca, la altitud, la variedad y el proceso. Conoce nuestras fincas.

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