Quality is defined as “the standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind or the degree of excellence of something.”
In that sense, the concept of quality coffee is relative and totally subjective. It takes into consideration the presence and absence of several desirable characteristics and some not so desirable characteristics. Characteristics include – acidity, aroma, flavour, caffeine content. These characteristics are determined from a variety of points along the coffee production chain inclusive of type of bean, type of soil & environment, date of harvest and type of roast.. There are a number of studies which focus on the coffee markets and what is considered as ‘quality’, these studies speak to factors such as purchasing consumer behavior and quantified consumption, as well as sustainable development and ethical consumption in line with the principles of fair trade
Given its subjective nature, a standardized grading
system is necessary to manage and score coffee in order to maintain quality
standards across the many different coffees available from the many different
places. This grading is known as the Q-grading system.
This allows the industry to operate in coordination
with a common message to educate consumers about the quality of coffee and to
give them confidence in the quality of the coffee they are buying. Having a
range of quality levels emphasizes the value perceived at different price
points and offers an aspirational element for many consumers. Intermediate
quality coffees in particular help create a more focused coffee culture, but at
the same time take into account the financial realities of consumers.
The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) created the dominant system of evaluating coffee, known as Q-grading. The Q-grading systems and its accompanying certifications are managed by the Coffee Quality Institution (CQI). It was created to standardize coffee grading over the world, which meant it had to overcome some of the subjectivity of taste. The Q-grading standards are also designed to distinguish specialty coffee (Q-score 80) from lower quality coffee.
Quality and the Coffee Shop
It
is said that quality is the most important factor in the success of a coffee
shop. This being so we must therefore understand
what quality means to the customer.
Studies indicate three important characteristics that are of high
importance to the coffee customer:
For consumers, the concept of product quality is relative
and depends on their needs and interests. Therefore, when talking about the
quality of coffee from the consumer perspective and promoting domestic
consumption, the term refers to a range of quality levels that includes a
variety of price points and consumer preferences. The quality of coffee, in
other words, is not limited to specialty coffees with high scores under the
Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) system.
In fact, when we look at the importance of quality as
a factor of differentiation of coffee, we are not limiting ourselves to
high-quality coffee or roasted coffee but a spectrum of qualities – for
example, from "very bad" to "very good" – that includes
several intertwined factors. Consumers of all strata want to know that they
will receive good value for what they pay for, and there is a wide range of
coffee qualities that can attract different consumers with different economic
realities and price points.
It is intriguing to note the difference in how quality is defined by the
consumer vs that of the coffee shop owner and the barista. Customer answers about quality focused primarily on
the end-product, that is, the cup of coffee they receive from the barista.
For the customer they expect
coffee to be brewed properly and are able to identify when it is not. Many consumer enjoy trying coffee with unique
flavors and like trying something new and as such often prefer a wider variety
of bean and coffee roaster options. In
contrast, coffee shop professionals speak to sourcing, serving, and everything
in between as it regards quality.
Regardless of your background
however, be it, roaster, barista or consumer many agree that roasting, brewing,
and freshness are key to quality.
While coffee is a commodity in terms of
international prices, there are significant differences in the qualities of one
roasted coffee versus another, as well as in the quality of one soluble coffee
versus another.
How Coffee is Graded
The Q system uses a standard and universal language to
evaluate coffee at both the export and consumer levels, first certifying coffees
as specialty or not, and then awarding a score on a 100-point scale. (Coffees
with a score of less than 80 are classified as commodity, i.e., they are not specialty
coffees.) Q certified coffees attract premium rates for farmers and exporters
and allow green-coffee purchasers to pick by score and other criteria to
provide roasters with the richness of alternatives we experience as coffee
consumers in cafés and on store shelves—across origins, processing techniques,
and coffee types.
And this only applies to Arabica coffees! There
is a whole distinct system in place for the Robusta coffee species, which are
tougher plants than Arabica but far less desirable in terms of flavor. Overall,
either Q-grading systems rely on about 5000 trained Q-graders worldwide to give
gradings on coffee through rigorous methodologies known as coffee cupping –
essentially, blind taste and aroma tests
Barista
Many coffee professional believe Barista training significantly
impacts the consumers view and in fact the actual reality of ‘quality coffee’. With
tens of thousands of dollars worth of specialized equipment in coffee shops,
and trips to all corners of the world to source the best beans, how could
quality boil down to how well a shop trains its baristas?
Quality beans or roasting means little if the
maker of the coffee lacks the skill to deliver all the flavours and notes
efficiently. Barista training completes the pipeline of quality from producer
to consumer. More quality baristas will go a long way to strengthening a
popular coffee culture in coffee-producing countries.
This
may be so because the barista impacts every factor that the consumer / customer
at the coffee shop deem most important for quality inclusive of:
The barista can literally make or break the customer experience with the coffee served. Here are a few tips for your barista training:
Staff
training overall is very important to create quality coffee. Your staff, your barista and everyone in the
business should be constantly challenged to hone their palettes, techniques,
and customer service skills.
Quality standards provide consumers with peace of mind
of a higher quality product. It is important for all to seek constant
improvement in quality in their product and service offerings with economic
feasibility and sustainability at the fore of minds.
Contact the relevant authorities in your country to
see where you can adopt some quality certifications.
Nothing can replace a commitment
to excellence at every step of the quality chain, from sourcing, roasting,
brewing, to serving.
