常常可以在網路看到精品咖啡這個名詞, 到底什麼是精品咖啡? 是有品牌的咖啡, 像Illy, Starbucks嗎? 還是自家烘焙咖啡嗎? 其實只要上美國精品咖啡協會(SCAA)的網站就可以查得到, 精品咖啡的定義, 以下試著翻譯成中文, 看得懂的話還是儘量參考原文~
• Specialty coffee is defined as a coffee that has no defects and has a distinctive flavor in the cup. 精品咖啡是一種沒有缺陷而且具有獨特風味的咖啡.
• Specialty coffee, a term that refers to the highest-quality green beans roasted by true craftspeople, is surprisingly affordable. One cup costs about 24 cents (based on 50 cups/lb @ $12/lb) ---making it cheaper than bottled water. 高品質的生豆經由專精人士烘焙而成的精品咖啡其實是相當廉宜的. 平均一杯只要24美分(約8塊台幣), 比罐裝水還便宜.(譯按: 應該是指每杯的成本)
• Everyday, Americans drink more than 300 million cups of coffee; 75% of those cups are home-brewed. 略
• In 2005,15% of the adult American population enjoyed a daily cup of specialty coffee. 略
• Like wine and honey, specialty coffee has a unique flavor thanks to the micro-climates that produce it. 就像酒還有蜂蜜一般, 精品咖啡具有產地特質帶來的獨特風味.
• In 1683, one pound of coffee in New York was worth as much as four acres of land. 略
• To be considered truly fresh, coffee should be ground right before brewing and brewed within three to seven days of roasting. 真正新鮮的咖啡必須要沖煮前一刻才研磨, 而且豆子是烘焙後3到7天之內.
• Surprisingly, a 1 oz. espresso contains less caffeine (approx. 40 mg) than a regular 8 oz. serving of drip coffee (approx. 85 mg). In fact, in the espresso brewing method, water is in contact with the grounds for only 20 to 25 seconds and extracts less caffeine than methods that put water in contact with the grounds for several minutes. 神奇的是1oz的濃縮義式咖啡所含的咖啡因低於8oz濾泡式的美式淡咖啡.
• Strong-tasting coffee has no more caffeine than its weak-tasting counterpart. Caffeine contributes no taste; it's a product of the type of bean, water-to-coffee ratio, and brewing method. 咖啡因本身是沒有味道的, 喝起來較濃的的咖啡不代表有較高的咖啡因.
• Seventy percent (70%) of the world's coffee production is the Arabica species. 全球70%的咖啡產量為阿拉比卡咖啡.
• Thanks to some popular commercials, most of us believe that coffee originated in Colombia or Brazil. Not so; it originated in Ethiopia. 咖啡的起原來自衣索比亞, 而非哥倫比亞或巴西.
• The global coffee industry employs more than 20 million people. 略
• It takes approximately 42 coffee beans to make an average serving of espresso. 平均一杯espresso用掉約42顆咖啡豆.
