In essence, the concept is quite simple: Purchase good beans, roast them correctly, package them in proper packaging, brew them at consistent weights & temperatures...

The definition of "Great coffee" should begin at the origin of coffee, the planting of a particular varietal into a particular growing region of the world. Some varieties of Arabica are clearly capable of producing great coffee. There are others that probably never will. Strains with robusta in their heritage always seem to fall far short in flavor profile. But the definition cannot stop there. A poorly grown, harvested or processed arabica can still be awful in the cup. The concept of "great coffee" must include the care given to the plant through harvest and preparation for export. Likewise, there are regions that have proven their ability to grow great coffees due to altitude, latitude, soil and other attributes. Other regions have not demonstrated such ability.

The Green Coffee Classification Chart clearly defines "Specialty Hand-Picked"

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in the green bean phase: a coffee that has no defects and has a distinctive character in the cup. The grade just below the top, labeled as "Premium Hand-Picked,"

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helps to clarify the issue even further. The premium grade also has no primary defects, but does not necessarily evidence distinctive character. This clarification, more than any other, helps start the definition for "Great Coffee" on the right note. It is not only that the coffee doesn't taste bad; to be considered for purchase by Eastern Coffee it must be notably good.


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The next phase is roasting, and here is where there is a lot of opportunity in our industry to continually define "Great coffee". Every coffee in combination with every roaster has a potential to express itself in a way that will be most satisfying for every customer. Bringing out a coffee's distinctive character is the roastmaster's challenge and if they come close to succeeding then it is still sold as "gourmet" if it started out in the green form as "gourmet". A roaster cannot take a coffee beyond the potential it contained when it came off the tree and was processed; but they can certainly fail to bring it close.

In roasted coffee, most agree freshness is part of the definition for "Great Coffee". The consensus breaks down in attempting to develop guidelines for freshness. At Eastern Coffee, we are concerned that there are no established technical standards for evaluating this facet of coffee quality. Many Wholesale Roasters contend that today's packaging technology greatly expands the period of time into many months. Beyond the issue of "who is right" in this debate lies the more compelling question of "how do we decide." In order to find consensus on the first question, we have to reach agreement on the second. It is true that good coffee, well-roasted, and packaged in conditions that prevent oxidation, will brew up a flavorful cup of coffee. The scientific question is whether the packaging can retain the aromatic properties of the coffee that helped make it "special". Our experience as a Coffee Roaster suggests that "while the tongue may tell, only the nose knows for certain." Therefore, if the coffee is not highly aromatic then it no longer deserves to be called "Great Coffee."

Then there is the brewing phase.There are many ways in which you can extract the most flavorful soluble materials of roasted coffee into water, and they are best-organized into methods of how the water moves. Steeping methods like the French Press give a different flavor of beverage than drip methods or espresso, even when you use the same coffee. All are capable of brewing beverages that can qualify as "Great Coffee", but only if done correctly. The right recipe of coffee to water, the right grind suited to the method and the coffee's physical characteristics, the proper water temperature and contact time, a good preparation of the coffee "bed" or "cake" are all fundamentals that must be satisfied to produce a "Great cup of Coffee." . It takes several hours of trial and testing before any combination of brewer and grinder is fit to brew a perfect cup. Unfortunately, many coffee companies do not allocate enough investment in training and quality control to meet the standards for brewing "Great Coffee."

There are some great stories and marvelous promotions out there in our industry from people claiming that they have the "best" coffee, and that they work hard to produce "Gourmet Coffee." It does take a lot of work to produce "Gourmet Coffee", and it is not always tangibly clear (especially to the managing accountants and financial investors) that the customers can tell the difference. There is sometimes a tendency to rely more upon telling a good story and creating a good promotion than putting out all of the effort that is required to offer "Great Coffee" consistently. But, it is our opinion that those who will succeed in the long term, building a loyal clientele and generate a healthy and sustainable return on investment for their company, are going to be the ones who are devote much attention and resources to quality control and consistency.

"Great Coffee" is, in the end, defined in the cup. It takes many steps to deliver that cup into the customers' hands. Each of those steps can uphold the classification of "Great Coffee" if quality has been maintained throughout all the preceding steps. Given all of the effort that it takes to produce "Great Coffee", and given how pleasurable such a cup can be, we should all jealously guard our definition for it, protect its meaning and credibility, and only use the word "Great Coffee" when it truly is.

Quality is not a commodity that can be sacrificed for profit. it is our most valuable asset and our greatest resource...

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