Specialty Coffee Association of America
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The specialty coffee industry has actually organized itself, and there is a national organization that is known as the SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America). Even though the name specifies “of America,” the organization is actually worldwide. It now boasts more than 2,000 members. The organization has been in existence for more than a decade and continues to grow every year.
The membership roll of the Specialty Coffee Association of America is made up of coffee retailers, roasters, producers, exporters, and importers, as well as manufacturers of coffee equipment and related products.
The specialty coffee industry is one of the fastest-growing segments of the food industry worldwide. Specialty coffee is sometimes referred to as “gourmet coffee” or “premium coffee.” These are not products that are usually found on the shelves of your local grocery store or your local chain discount store. These specialty coffees are sold at specialty coffee stores in the real brick-and-mortar world, and they can also be found in abundance on the Internet.
Specialty coffee begins with special coffee beans. Specialty coffee is made from coffee beans that are grown only in climates that are ideal for producing exceptional coffee beans. The perfect soil and the optimal growing conditions combine to produce coffee beans that have very distinctive flavors.
Producing specialty coffee then requires special roasting techniques that use a multistep process. Beans are first roasted to a temperature of about 160 degrees to achieve the “first crack.” There is a pause, and then the beans are roasted again to achieve the “second crack.” The cooling of specialty coffee beans is done very quickly, using either very cold air or water so that taste is preserved.
Specialty (gourmet or premium) coffee is grown and processed so that it really is special.
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Tags: coffee bean, Coffee Beans, Specialty coffee, Specialty Coffee Association of AmericaPosted in
Hello! Thank you for mentioning the Specialty Coffee Association of America. I wanted to note that the scaa was formed in 1982, and we are celebrating our 27th year working to ensure the future of specialty coffee. You can read more about us at http://www.scaa.org.
Tara Shenson
Marketing Manager-Specialty Coffee Assocition of America