Many people enter the deliciously haughty realm of beverage snobbery as craft beer or wine snobs and only later become coffee snobs, translating their discerning phraseology – esters, tannins, noses, mouthfeels and finishes – to America’s ubiquitous day-starter.
I went the other way, starting with single-origin pour-overs and balanced espresso blends at Press Coffee’s Scottsdale Quarter location, which was just downstairs from our old office at the Quarter. Owner Steve Kraus and his crew of roasters and baristas taught me about coffee growing regions, introduced me to the flavor wheel, showed me how coffee is roasted, invited me to my first cupping (like a wine tasting, but for coffee), guided me through my first non-drip coffee brewing method purchase (my trusty little Clever, which I still have) and even taught me how to pull espresso shots and steam milk when my partner surprised me with my very own espresso machine. I applied everything I learned from tasting, analyzing and critiquing coffee to wine, which has become my second snobby obsession.
So when Press launched its new Allocation line, cleverly borrowing wine terminology to denote the high quality and limited supply of the most special of its specialty coffee, I was intrigued. “Specialty coffee” isn’t just a marketing term here – there are specific parameters that distinguish specialty coffee from commodity coffee. It must score more than 80 points on the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s 100-point scale (sound familiar, wine snobs?), come from a higher-elevation region, have minimum defects when roasted and produce consistent results when brewed. The soil, growing conditions and harvest of the green beans are all taken into account, as are the aroma, flavor, body, balance, acidity, sweetness, uniformity and aftertaste of a brewed cup.
After getting to know Kraus and his perfectionism over the past six or seven years, I was not surprised to learn that he insisted on an even higher rating for Press’ Allocation line: 90 points or higher. These super specialty coffees will be released quarterly, in limited quantities. Press’ online subscribers get first dibs, then each retail location will receive a limited number to serve in pour-overs for customers. Whatever’s left will be sold on the website.
“We are thrilled to launch this specialty coffee program,” lead roaster Will Andrews said in a press release. “Tasting and experiencing these unique coffees is very rare. We want to give this opportunity to our staff and customers as it is our passion to enjoy and immerse ourselves in the best coffee in the world.”
Press was kind enough to send me a media sample of its first Allocation coffee, which was grown on a micromill (small coffee farm) in central Costa Rica, about 1,300-1,6000 meters above sea level. The 6-ounce package was released on March 15 and retails for $26. According to company literature, “The coffee has balanced acidity with a silky texture and tasting notes of vanilla and fruit, specifically strawberry, blackberry, and cherry.”
Kraus’ perfectionism extends to the water used to brew his product. Thus, my care package included a two-pack of Third Wave Water, a mineral packet you add to distilled water to optimize it for coffee. My palate isn’t evolved enough to detect water minutiae, but I dutifully added a packet to a gallon of distilled water, heated it to the optimal brewing temperature (200 degrees Fahrenheit, or just below boiling) and brewed freshly ground beans in my French press. The result: the smoothest cup of coffee I have ever brewed at home, with a big punch of fruit (I could definitely taste the promised strawberry and tang of blackberry and cherry) and mellowing vanilla notes. I savored it slowly, as I would a fine wine, lightly swishing it around my palate and letting its flavors develop as they enveloped my snobby, happy little mouth.
