Specialty coffee is considered the “Queen of coffee” while Commercial coffee is supplied with a large quantity and many varieties in the trading market. Therefore, there are many differences between Specialty coffee vs Commercial coffee.
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What is Specialty Coffee?
Specialty coffee refers to high-quality coffee that is grown, processed, and brewed with care and precision to bring out the beans’ unique flavor profiles. It’s a term used to describe coffee that scores 80 or above on a 100-point scale by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). This score reflects strict criteria concerning the beans’ quality, including their origin, production, processing, roasting, and preparation.
Here’s what distinguishes specialty coffee:
- Origin and Traceability: Specialty coffee often comes from a single origin, such as a specific farm or region, and is traceable to its source. Producers work in regions with ideal climate conditions, which greatly affect the beans’ flavor profiles.
- Quality Control: The beans are usually Arabica, as they tend to have more complex flavors than Robusta beans. Specialty coffee beans are meticulously harvested, with defects minimized to produce a high-quality end product.
- Processing Methods: After harvesting, specialty coffee beans undergo careful processing (wet, dry, or honey-processed) to enhance and maintain their natural flavors. Processing has a substantial impact on flavor, with methods carefully chosen for specific bean types.
What is Specialty Coffee?
- Grading: Trained tasters (Q Graders) score the coffee based on aroma, flavor, acidity, body, and aftertaste, as well as the absence of defects.
- Roasting and Brewing: Specialty roasters develop unique profiles that enhance each coffee’s distinct flavors. Brewing methods are often customized to accentuate the beans’ characteristics. Baristas play an essential role in the final stage, crafting each cup with attention to detail.
What is Commercial Coffee?
Commercial coffee refers to the more mass-produced, lower-grade coffee typically found in grocery stores, fast-food outlets, and chain cafes. Unlike specialty coffee, commercial coffee is often blended, standardized, and designed for consistency, affordability, and high-volume production rather than unique flavor or quality. Here’s how it stands out:
- Lower-Grade Beans: Commercial coffee primarily uses Robusta beans, known for their higher caffeine content but more bitter flavor compared to Arabica beans. Robusta beans are less susceptible to disease and easier to grow in large quantities, making them cheaper but usually less flavorful.
- Blends and Consistency: Commercial coffee is typically a blend of beans from multiple sources, which creates a uniform flavor and texture that’s consistent across batches. This blending masks individual bean characteristics and is focused on delivering a predictable taste profile rather than unique flavors.
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High-Yield Processing: Commercial coffee production is optimized for volume and cost-effectiveness rather than careful processing techniques. Harvesting is often done by machine, and beans with more defects may still be included, leading to less distinct or refined flavors.
What is Commercial Coffee?
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Dark Roasting: Commercial coffee is often roasted at higher temperatures for longer periods, producing a dark roast. This approach masks flavor inconsistencies and emphasizes bitterness and smokiness. The result is often a bolder, more uniform taste profile.
- Less Freshness: Commercial coffee is typically pre-ground and packaged to have a longer shelf life, making it convenient but less fresh than whole-bean specialty coffee. It’s often found in large, airtight containers that may sit on shelves for extended periods.
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Price and Accessibility: Commercial coffee is widely available, affordable, and intended for everyday use. It is designed to appeal to a broad audience, so it’s often sold in larger quantities at lower prices.
Comparison of Specialty coffee vs Commercial coffee
This table below is the common comparison of Specialty coffee vs Commercial coffee
| Specialty coffee | Commercial coffee | |
| Picking method | Picked by hand | Picked by hand or stripped picked |
| Grade | G1 | G2-5 |
| Processing methods | Washed or Honey | Washed, Dry, Honey |
| Coffee beans standards | Have zero Primary defects and less than five Secondary defects | Not evaluated |
Differences between Specialty coffee and Commercial coffee
There are many ways to distinguish Specialty coffee vs Commercial coffee according to the types of coffee, taste, and prices.
Types of coffee
Most Specialty coffee is high-grade Arabica while Commercial coffee includes other types of coffee like low-grade Arabica, Robusta, etc. Arabica coffee trees are planted and cared for in favorable natural conditions, which is only in countries in the coffee belt. Arabica coffee trees are also vulnerable and give lower yields but high-quality fruits. On the other hand, Robusta coffee trees are easy to grow, difficult to get infected like coffee rust, and give high yields.
Types of Specialty coffee vs Commercial coffee
Taste of coffee
The idea why the specialty coffee market only consists of top quality Arabica coffee beans is that they are more acidic but less bitter and have full taste and aroma. On the contrary, Robusta has a more bitter taste and is often used as supplements for Arabica coffee to enhance caffeine and a strong body.
Taste of Specialty coffee vs Commercial coffee
Price of coffee
Specialty coffee prices are always higher than Commercial coffee because Specialty coffee undergoes many strict developments from growing, picking, processing, roasting, to brewing. All stages need to be done by hand, that request farmers have time, capacity, and experience as well as professional knowledge about coffee. Sometimes, the Specialty coffee prices are twice as much as Commercial coffee.
Price of Specialty coffee vs Commercial coffee
Also, High-quality Commercial coffee must be evaluated according to SCA standards by coffee experts. If getting 80 points out of 100, that Commercial coffee will be marked as Specialty coffee. With complicated selective processes, Specialty coffee is the highest quality coffee bean with a higher price while Commercial coffee is freely traded in the market.
Price of Specialty coffee vs Commercial coffee
Related: Top 3 reputable Vietnamese specialty coffee suppliers
Where to buy Specialty coffee vs Commercial coffee
Coffee drinkers can buy Commercial coffee anywhere, from supermarkets, grocery stores or roasteries, to the Internet with small quantities or in bulk. But Specialty coffee is often sold in coffee merchants or specialty coffee shops, and you cannot find it at grocery stores.
Where to buy Specialty coffee vs Commercial coffee
K-Agriculture is also one of the best suppliers in both Specialty coffee vs Commercial coffee. You can visit the website of K-Agriculture or contact me at Whatsapp: +84 855555837 (Ms.Sarah)
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