In many boutique coffee shops, special blends are becoming more and more common. The high unit price, high appearance, and multiple taste settings have attracted a large number of consumers. However, when many people drink it but can barely feel the "coffee flavor" in their mouths, and even describe it as a cup of "little sweet water", a big question will flash in their minds: Am I not good at drinking it? Why is special coffee so expensive?
Special coffee, what is the "special"?
Specialty coffee is also called creative coffee drinks, which can generally be divided into two types. One is a simple combination of coffee and other condiments, such as the osmanthus latte, mocha coffee, fruit cold brew, etc. shared on the front street. Their prices are usually not too high, and the taste and shape are relatively simple;
Compared with the above basic version, the special coffee that everyone refers to today is more of a creative drink derived from the World Barista Competition (WBC). On the WBC stage, each player needs to bring his own coffee beans to make an espresso, a milk coffee, and a coffee-based "Signature Drink", which translates into Chinese as "coffee with distinctive characteristics."
In terms of preparation, special coffee is just like a cocktail. The barista will use espresso as the base and add a series of elements such as juice, alcohol, milk foam, spices, sugar, etc. to create a theme drink that "people will remember in one bite." The richly layered special blends not only left a deep impression on the on-site judges, but also conveyed the concept of a clever fusion of coffee and various delicious ingredients. Friends who are interested in the world-class coffee competition can check out this article on Front Street "What are the world-class coffee competitions? What are they comparing to each other?」
For example, Mikael Jasin, the champion of the 2024 WBC World Barista Competition, used four kinds of materials in the special preparation process, namely chili bourbon (Aji) coffee liquid to provide a fruity flavor base, transparent clarified milk, flavored sugar water to bring sweetness, and Indonesian cocoa for sweetness. After a round of complex operations, he finally made a drink with multiple flavors such as cantaloupe, watermelon, sandalwood, chocolate cake, etc., and won the championship.
Why is specialty coffee always so expensive?
Specialty coffee did not move from the World Barista Championship to stores overnight. In the beginning, the contestants only presented the combinations displayed on the stage in limited editions to familiar friends or customers for exclusive sharing. At this time, the special coffee had not really been spread, so few coffee shops provided it. Later, as more and more contestants put the rich-flavored special concoction on the menu and added attractive names to it, this small drink gradually became the "signature" of major specialty coffee shops.
From a production point of view, the formulas used in some creative and three-dimensional special blends are indeed more sophisticated than ordinary fancy coffee. Whether it is the quality of the coffee beans themselves, the ingredients used, or the creative styling, they are all based on the concept of specialty coffee, with aroma, layers, and aftertaste. In addition to the tedious preparation links and steps, such a cup of special coffee is often not cheap.
In addition, some coffee shops will imitate WBC and put them on the shelves in the form of complete sets. Such a combo package covers espresso/American style, milk coffee, and special blends, so the price will naturally go up.
Are the coffee specialties worth it?
Front Street believes this is a very subjective question. First of all, everyone’s preferences are different. If you insist on buying a cup of fruit-sour special blend for a friend who likes dark roasted beans, no matter how high or low the price is, they will think it is not worth it;
Secondly, it is important whether the special coffee blend has a "coffee flavor". Different from pure coffee that requires careful tasting such as hand brewing and ice dripping, the world of coffee specialties is very broad. For the protagonist part, you will choose espresso, cold brew, or hand brewing; for the supporting role, you can add juice, syrup, flower petals, wine, spices... If there are too many elements, it will easily cover up the existence of the coffee itself, and it will taste like a cup of "little sweet water". No matter how good the ingredients are, there is a high probability that we who like coffee will not drink it a second time;
Also, whether the coffee is coordinated with other materials. The flavor of coffee is affected by many factors, such as origin, variety, processing method, roasting degree, brewing method, and extraction parameters. Different solutions will directly affect the final taste. Front Street believes that a good cup of specially blended coffee should not conflict with certain ingredients, but should also collide with fresh taste and aroma, forming a complementary and additive effect, and the price should be within a moderate range.
Nowadays, as the coffee market becomes more and more entangled, there are endless special blends on the Internet, and they are often reproduced by Front Street. As long as the ingredients and coffee beans are selected correctly, and the dosage is controlled, you can actually make the same coffee special blend in the store at home.
When making a special blend at home, what coffee beans should you choose?
When designing a special blend, the first step is to choose the right coffee beans, and then consider which brewing method to use. Below, we will sort out the bean selection and extraction methods based on the drinks that have been reproduced in the past.
If you are making a special blend with a fresher taste, using ingredients with a strong flavor such as lychee, jasmine, lemon, etc., it is generally recommended to pair it with medium-light roasted or medium-roasted coffee beans. For espresso, you can try Front Street Oiran SOE and Front Street Grana Geisha SOE; for cold brew, you can buy Front Street Strawberry Candy and Front Street Cherry Tomato, which will not "steal the taste" and also add sour and sweet characteristics to the coffee.
If you are pairing it with foods that are rich in flavor and have an exaggerated taste, such as wine and spices, it is recommended to use medium-roasted coffee beans with high sweetness. Front Street Blackberry and Front Street Cicada are the first choices. Both have a highly recognizable rich fruity aroma, low bitterness and high sweetness, so the flavor is not easily masked.
If you want to make a thick coffee special blend or a winter hot drink, the ingredients include osmanthus, cinnamon, pistachios, chocolate powder, butter, etc. Because the milky and nutty aroma is to be highlighted, it is most suitable to use roasted coffee beans with espresso as the base. Front Street Black Cocoa Basic Blend, Front Street Classic Blend, Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling and Front Street Queen’s Estate are the first choices.
You can now buy the above coffee beans online at the Taobao store “FrontStreet Coffee” (前街咖啡). FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou, China, and its Guangzhou retail shop sells coffee beans only. The shop carries dozens of coffee beans from different origins around the world, including carefully selected single-origin beans for V60 pour-over and espresso. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers.
The FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan coffee beans sold in the store come from the Typica variety grown at FrontStreet Coffee’s own plantation in Yunnan. The name comes from the year the brand and the plantation were founded. You can buy these beans from China’s Yunnan origin at the Guangzhou shop and at FrontStreet’s Taobao store.
FrontStreet coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days and deliver consistently excellent quality and great value. Orders placed before 17:00 are shipped the same day, and most areas within Guangdong Province receive them the next day.
FrontStreet Coffee Taobao store: https://qianjiecoffee.taobao.com
Or search for “前街咖啡” (FrontStreet Coffee) on Taobao
Important Notice: FrontStreet Coffee has moved to a new address: 315, Donghua East Road, Guangzhou (coffee beans only)
Tel: 020 38364473
