The rise in popularity of coffee shops across the world has, perhaps inevitably, seen a rise in roasters wanting to get a slice of the pie.
Although coffee roasters don’t just sell to coffee shops, they also pack their finished products into smaller bags so they can sell directly to the end consumer for brewing at home.
Tristan, General Manager of successful Coffee Roasters, Adams and Russell says “Buying your beans from speciality coffee roasters will mean you are more likely to get the freshness, flavour and quality that many consumers want and crave.”
Single Origin Coffee
Single Origin coffee beans are those that come from a single region in a single country. However, they may be grown on different farms.
Sourcing in this way means there’s much better traceability because it is not a blend, which could be made up of many different varieties from different countries.
Sourcing the beans from one single region means customers can get a deeper understanding of its profile and how that profile is affected by things changing in its origin, such as climate, weather and the methods of crop harvesting.
Single origins have grown in popularity over the last few years and they are being purchased increasingly from speciality coffee roasters. Some say, that’s because of it’s transparency.
This popularity seems to have also had an effect on the farmers in that they are even more determined to produce higher quality crops.
Single Plantation or Single Estate Coffee
Single plantation are roasted beans that have been purchased from one plantation, Estate or Farm in a particular country.
Some products will mention the Estate’s name or the name of the farm where the crops were farmed. This helps to maximise traceability for consumers too.
This change has led to the popularity of farms across the world attempting to find a USP. And as such, we have seen a rise in unique methods of ownership such as Women’s Co-operatives, which in turn are promoted to the end consumer.
These types of beans will go in and out of season due to the weather conditions and climate of the region.
Espresso Blends
Espresso blends are usually perfect for espresso machines, hence the name. They are basically a mix of beans and can come from several different countries, regions or farms/estates.
Having an espresso blend allows coffee roasters to come up with what they might call their ‘signature’ blend. It’s a unique flavour created by the roastery to give themselves a USP (Unique Selling Point).
Getting the right flavour and tastes means trying lots of different roasting levels as well as lots of different beans at certain percentages.
Many companies will hold cupping sessions to compare one cup against the other so they can come up with the perfect tastes. One which their consumer will love and want to keep coming back for.
Premium or Exclusive beans
These are the cream of the crop. They are usually the most expensive and are mostly, of course, sourced from a single plantation. One of the most expensive products is Jamaican Blue Mountain can cost over £200 per kilo for the consumers to buy. Despite this price tag, it’s still quite a popular choice and one of the world’s most sought after bean.
One of the reasons it’s so expensive is that Jamaican Blue has been given protected status and therefore it can only be classed as such if it’s been grown in the exact geographic location.
Green Beans (Unroasted)
Along with brewing at home, roasting at home has become more and more popular too, as consumers are showing a desire to achieve their own tastes at home.
In order to do so, they must purchase unroasted green beans.
This is something some independent roasters have jumped on and started selling their green beans for slightly cheaper than the roasted ones. Usually in 1 kilo batches.
Accessories
Many speciality coffee roasters also do a lot of product testing.
This means they usually know which accessories are best for each of their coffees.
As such they are now offering anything from the latest brewing equipment such as Aeropress as well as traditional products such as the Stove Top Espresso Makers and Cafetieres; of which, there are new styles and designs being released all the time.
Some will even give a free bag of coffee when you purchase one of their accessories. So be sure to keep a look out for any offers.
In Summary
So, as you can see there are many different types of coffees you can buy online from some of the best independent roasters.
They also have a varied price range meaning you can choose your budget and easily find a product to match it.
