What does the term specialty coffee mean and where does it come from? We want to share our knowledge and passion with you, showing where the beans we roast come from and the journey they take to end up in your cup.
GOOD COFFEE IS A HUMAN RIGHT®
The term SPECIALTY COFFEE was first used in 1974 in the Tea & Coffee Journal by Erna Knutsen. In her article, Erna described the unique flavors of coffee associated with microclimates. The term SPECIALTY COFFEE refers to the entire process from cultivation, harvesting, and processing of the beans, all the way to brewing in the cup. The term SPECIALTY COFFEE should not be confused with terms like GOURMET or PREMIUM, which are marketing labels without clear standards regarding bean quality. The standards for SPECIALTY COFFEE have been defined by the American Specialty Coffee Association.
Specialty Coffee Association of America was the first organization to bring together coffee enthusiasts. It was founded in 1982 in New York by forty coffee enthusiasts. Initially, its mission was solely to set standards for high-quality coffee trading and promote it. Over time, the organization focused more on education and setting standards for roasting, testing, and brewing coffee. The organization also published a newsletter called Good Taste, which was exclusively available to association members, providing current news from the coffee world.
In 1996, SCAA founded the Specialty Coffee Institute (now Coffee Quality Institute), an organization focused solely on coffee quality research. Its members have access to all kinds of publications and research results conducted by the Institute.
In 1998, the European branch of the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe was established, also founded by coffee enthusiasts. Notably, one of the 50 founders was a Polish man – Tomasz Obracaj.
To further engage baristas in promoting Specialty Coffee, championships were organized. The first WBC – World Barista Championship – took place in Monte Carlo, and since then, a new World Barista Champion has been crowned each year during the WORLD OF COFFEE event, which is hosted in a different city/country annually. The first championships in Poland took place in 2002, and the first Polish Champion was Sylwester Królik.
We are one of the few roasteries in Poland that offer only Arabica, with a strong focus on the Specialty segment. Our espresso selections include Fazenda Moinho from Brazil and Todo Santarita (Guatemala). For alternative brewing methods, we offer coffees like Cerro Azul from Honduras and other light-roast coffees.
As the JAVA Team, we are always open to sharing our passion. If you have any questions about coffee in general, feel free to reach out! You can contact us via Instagram or Facebook.
