I welcome you to our new coffee-based blog that we are inaugurating today with a first post that talks about something really important: Specialty Coffees! What are? Where did they come from? What particularities do they have? Let's start by saying that obviously Specialty Coffees are special coffees, "but how" will you say? First of all, they belong exclusively to the Arabica variety and are defined as special because they are treated and selected especially by those who cultivate them to obtain a more than excellent product. They are subsequently evaluated by Q-Graders who are nothing more than specialists who examine the absence of primary defects and the reduced presence of secondary defects. These people are also able to understand the sensoriality of a particular coffee and give it a score based on criteria well defined by the CQI (Coffe Quality Institute) and the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association).
There is also another aspect to take into consideration: the Roasting Profile. The latter serves to enhance the aromas and the restrogusto of these coffees: a "light" roasting at low temperature and shorter cooking time will allow to obtain with the right extraction a drink characterized by an important acidity with fruity hints rather than cereals, chocolate, tobacco and toast. Obviously this score establishes the price on the market and here opens a very important parenthesis: the peculiarity of Specialty Coffees is that they allow the farmers who cultivate them to receive a fair remuneration for the work done; because you should know that coffee is a supply chain where in most cases this extraordinary raw material, the result of very hard work, is underpaid. The result is that many of these small farms fail to survive and go out of business.
We will extract this type of coffee using V60 and Aeropress, equipment that allows for controlled extraction of time, temperature and weight; the result is sensational!
Abroad we have already been talking about it for several years, but they have only recently arrived in Italy and the number of cafes that are specializing in this fascinating world is constantly increasing.
I have decided to undertake this wonderful journey with you starting from Rwanda, a fantastic land located in central-eastern Africa in the equatorial belt; with an incredibly temperate climate, lapped by different rivers and mainly mountainous conformation, with the presence of several currently active volcanoes. Rwanda Ishema Women Wet Mill is a project born in 2014 which aims to create and improve the working conditions of women in rural areas of Rwanda: this coffee is grown and processed exclusively by cooperatives and small businesses of only women. Today there are more than 40,000 and for that country it is an important cultural, social and economic step. Here are the features: Species: Arabica Preparation Method: Washed Sieve: 16-17 Botanical species: Red Bourbon Production area: Ngoma District Taste: sweet and fruity with red fruits, plums & pineapples Body: medium - light Acidity: intense and very complex Aftertaste: fruity and persistent
Being part of this revolution that abroad they call Third Wave Coffee has something pioneering and Bar Umberto I (as happened in the past but we'll talk about it another time ...) must be a starting point for the city of Novara. We approach this world with Respect and Passion; we put our heart into it as in everything we do but above all we put our face into it. This means that anyone who wants to try to enter this fantastic world will always find someone willing to tell and explain what we are bringing in the cup; because Coffee is culture, Coffee is hard work, Coffee is a dream given by the Earth and raised by Man, who grinds thousands of kilometers and then turns into a wonderful drink ... ... if this isn't magic! At the next Coffee Lovers appointment.
MD