Artisans are skilled people. But artisan coffee isn’t a person, obviously.
Artisan in the coffee world implies gourmet. So what is artisan roasted coffee?
Let’s say in your search for a new type of coffee, something different from the usual coffee, you came across an artisan roasted coffee.
Your eyes scroll all over the packaging until they see the price tag – the artisan roasted coffee is significantly more expensive!
On seeing the price tag, you ask yourself, why is this so expensive?
What exactly is in an artisan roasted coffee? Is it worth my hard-earned money or is it just a fancy label?
What Is Artisan Roasted Coffee?
Remember we said Artisans are skilled people? Well, the skill of the one who roasts artisan roasted coffee shows in the quality.
Artisan Roasted Coffee stems from the selectivity and thoroughness of the grower and roaster.
To create artisan roasted coffee, the growers or suppliers carefully select the type of beans they use. After this, they control the growing conditions of the beans for optimal results.
Then they harvest the beans by hand-picking at the origin before milling and drying them carefully.
The quality of artisan roasted coffee does not depend on the grower alone. The roaster also plays a role in the outcome of the coffee.
The roasters exercise all their senses during the roasting process.
While roasting, the roaster watches the coffee beans change color from green to golden brown then to the dark espresso color.
They listen for the crackling sounds the beans make as they roast. Each type of beans is expected to have different numbers of cracks. So, the roaster pays close attention.
The roasters also pay attention to the aroma of the roasting beans.
When the beans are cool enough to touch, they feel the surface. By doing this, they check to see if the flavors have been enhanced.
Then when the final product is ready, they taste it.
All these steps go into ensuring that artisan coffee comes out with superior quality.
Unlike usual types of coffee, artisan coffees are made in small quantities. This allows them to assess the raw beans they work with meticulously to ensure consistency.
It is typically roasted in small batches, and each one is assessed and processed in detail.
Artisan coffee is smoother, flavorful, and tailor-made for a specific brew method.
Why Are Artisan Roasted Coffees More Expensive?
Artisan Roasted Coffees are specialty coffees.
They require more attention to detail, more hands-on efforts, and thoroughness at every level of the supply chain.
The steepness of the price of artisan roasted coffee is affected by various factors.
Some of these are cost of labor, time, cost of production, and production quantity.
Commercial coffee growers typically grow two species of coffee: Arabica and Robusta.
Of these 2 species, the Arabica species is favored in making artisan roasted coffee because of its higher quality.
Arabica is not as easy to grow. It requires elevated lands with rich soil, moisture, and enough shade.
For success, Arabicas also need extra attention and more hands-on effort for cultivation.
As one would expect, the extra requisites for cultivation drive up the cost of labor. This drives up the cost of the Arabica beans the roaster buys.
Coffee beans used in making artisan roasted coffee are hand-picked. Of course, this means more time and more labor.
More labor, in turn, means the grower has to pay more. Of course, this will affect the price of the coffee beans too.
Also, when roasting the beans, the roaster has to put in extra effort and time into ensuring the roast is consistent with expectations.
The added input here also drives the cost of labor up.
Artisan coffee makers also spend a longer time producing smaller quantities of the final product.
Selling the few products at around the same price as usual coffee would quickly run them out of business.
Top Artisan Roasted Coffee Brands
If you are considering getting some artisan roasted coffee for yourself, the following are some brands to consider:
- Intelligentsia
- Counter Culture Coffee
- Stumptown Coffee Roasters
- La Colombe Coffee Roasters
- Death Wish Organic Coffee
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- Peerless Coffee & Tea
- Red Bay Coffee
- Lavazza Espresso Italiano
Conclusion
Artisan Roasted Coffees come from coffee beans that go through a thorough selection and production process.
Artisan coffees are smoother, tastier, more flavorful, consistent, and generally of higher quality than the usual types.
Although artisan coffee costs significantly more than other coffees, the quality of these coffees make them worth the extra money.