Although the espresso martini is very much a product of the 1980s, the drink underwent a period of re-invention in the 1990s. Today, it’s experiencing something of a renaissance against the backdrop of ongoing nostalgia for Y2K aesthetic and fashion. 

So how was the espresso martini invented, and what makes it such a classic cocktail? And does it really have a place in specialty coffee?

To find out, I spoke to Dan Fellows, two-time World Coffee in Good Spirits Champion, and Chris Nolte, co-founder and Managing Partner at Per’La Specialty Roasters.

You may also like our article on adding coffee cocktails to your menu.

Where did it all begin?

At the Soho Brasserie in London in the early 1980s (the exact year is up for debate), the legendary British bartender Dick Bradsell invented the espresso martini. 

According to his daughter Bea, a supermodel approached the bar and requested he make her a drink that would “wake her up and [mess] her up”. Contrary to popular belief, the model in question was not Naomi Campbell or Kate Moss – and they still remain unknown.

In any case, the Soho Barasserie had just installed a new espresso machine. As per the customer’s request, Bradsell added a shot of espresso to coffee liqueur and vodka, shaken and then poured over ice in a tumbler. The tradition of serving the cocktail in a martini glass didn’t really start until the 1990s when flavoured martinis became more popular. 

For his original espresso martini, Bradsell added the following ingredients:

• A 25ml “ristretto” shot of illycaffè’s Classico blend
• 50ml of Wyberova rye-based vodka
• 15ml Kahlúa coffee liqueur
• 10ml of Tia Maria cold brew liqueur
• A dash of sugar syrup

To honour her late father’s recipe, Bea recommends to “shake it like you hate it”, which helps to create the distinctive foam head. Finally, Bradsell garnished the cocktail with three coffee beans.

The secret to the espresso martini’s success

In recent years, coffee cocktails across the board have become immensely popular. Similarly, the spike in craft and small batch coffee liqueurs has certainly helped push for higher-quality coffee-based alcoholic beverages.

When made to Bradsell’s (or a similar) recipe, it’s easy to see why the espresso martini has become so iconic. The result is a wonderfully balanced, silky smooth cocktail.

Chris Nolte is the co-founder of Per’La Specialty Roasters in Miami, Florida.

“It’s very easy to understand this cocktail, it’s approachable and comfortable,” he says. “You know what a martini is and you know what espresso is. I also think the combination of alcohol and coffee is a classic balance.”

Despite its popularity, however, the drink has earned a reputation among bartenders and baristas.

Dan Fellows is a coffee and cocktail content creator. He admits the espresso martini is “actually really hard to do exceptionally well”.

A large part of this is because many bars and restaurants – even including more high end venues – either don’t use specialty-grade coffee or haven’t received formal training to dial in coffee to high enough standards.

While Bradsell’s recipe called for a commodity-grade dark roast espresso blend, more and more baristas and bartenders have recognised that coffee quality plays an integral role in the cocktail. 

“When you talk to bartenders, it’s clear that a lot more labour goes into the espresso martini compared to other traditional cocktails,” Chris tells me.

How to elevate the drink

Given how popular coffee cocktails have become in recent years, it makes sense that coffee shops would want to serve them. Without the right resources and training, however, quality could easily slip.

First and foremost, Dan emphasises that using good quality coffee is integral to preparing an exemplary espresso martini.

His recipe calls for 40g of espresso extracted at a 1:2 or 1:2.2 ratio, and Dan recommends using a coffee with notes of chocolate and some citrus flavours.

The next step, Dan adds, is to find a spirit that complements this flavour profile. For his recipe, he uses 20ml of both white rum and vodka kept chilled to minimise dilution.

Rather than using coffee liqueurs like Kahlúa or Tia Maria, Dan recommends adding 20ml of a homemade (and also zero-waste) coffee saccharum. This is a syrup made by blending sugar with used coffee pucks.

The final ingredient in Dan’s recipe is 1g of saline solution – which helps to highlight the more complex flavours. Lastly, once all the ingredients are added to the shaker, he recommends shaking vigorously with plenty of high-quality ice, and then double straining into a chilled coupe cocktail glass.

But is it time to move past the espresso martini?

There’s no denying that the espresso martini is an absolute classic cocktail. But has it been done to death?

We have to appreciate how the drink – and pioneering bartender Dick Bradsell – has paved the way for further innovation with adding coffee to cocktails and mocktails.

There have been, however, a number of eyebrow-raising variations of the beverage in recent years – including grating parmesan over the top – which may indicate that its popularity is waning.

While there may be some method to the madness, Dan doesn’t exactly sing its praises. “I don’t hate it but I don’t love it either,” he says. 

Looking for inspiration elsewhere

The world of coffee cocktails extends much further beyond the espresso martini. We only have to look at competitions like World Coffee in Good Spirits and Coffee Masters to see the endless possibilities – including adding coffee to drinks such as the negroni and the spritz.

Additionally, the popularity of cold brew has also inspired a number of high-quality coffee cocktails. The complex sweetness of cold brew can often be more complementary to a number of spirits, and helps to minimise the more bitter flavours in espresso.

When it comes to cocktails, respecting the classics is certainly encouraged. At the same time, however, allowing room for creativity and reinvention is key. 

We should honour and celebrate the espresso martini for what it is. And while it can certainly be elevated by using high-quality ingredients, it’s also clear that other coffee cocktails are also taking up more of the spotlight – and will continue to do so.

Enjoyed this? Then read our article on six summer cocktails you can make at home.

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Historically, the wider coffee industry has focused on what we might refer to as the “big three” processing methods: natural, washed, and honey. In recent years, however, we have seen more and more producers deviate from these “traditional” methods, which often include different and diverse levels of fermentation. In turn, these more experimental techniques are now redefining the way we talk about coffee processing. 

To learn more, I spoke to two pioneering specialty coffee producers: Felipe Sardi, co-founder of La Palma y El Tucan, and Jorge Hernán Castro Molina, Production and Sales Director at Inmaculada Coffee Farms. 

You may also like our article exploring trends in experimental processing.

Traditional vs. experimental

When we talk about experimental coffee processing, we often refer to techniques which deviate from the widely accepted and more formalised protocols for washed, natural, and honey processes. But it’s a little more complicated than that.

Felipe believes looking at the unique history of individual coffee-producing countries is an important starting point.

Using Colombia, as an example, he says: “For over a hundred years, we’ve been washing arabica varieties for between 18 to 24 hours in tanks,” – a standard approach in the country’s coffee sector.

“In the case of Colombia, I think the baseline is clear,” he adds. “So anywhere that producers start deviating from that point could be though of as innovation or challenging the status quo.”

This rule could also apply to other producing countries, such as:

• Brazil and Ethiopia, where many producers opt for natural processing methods
• Costa Rica, where honey processing is vastly popular
• Kenya, where the washed process has been the standard for decades

The role of fermentation

To most consumers and industry professionals, experimental processing usually implies some kind of extended fermentation. It’s worth noting, however, that all coffee is fermented at some point during processing. Ultimately, what matters is the duration and type of fermentation, as well as the conditions under which it happens.

Felipe tells me that one of La Palma y El Tucan’s unique fermentation processes was the result of an accident when a few bags of cherries were left behind a door. The cherries began to ferment in a way that Felipe now describes as “anaerobic pre-fermentation”.

“From there we started to improvise in a more artisanal way,” he adds. He explains that the farm partnered with the National University of Colombia’s biochemistry lab and two private labs in Bogotá to conduct further research.

Jorge says that Inmaculada Coffee Farms is also committed to understanding the science behind fermentation – a process which began around 11 years ago. Inmaculada’s experiments have ranged from different lengths of fermentation to temperature-controlled fermentations, with the overall goal to understand how different variables affect flavour.

Moreover, all of the farm’s coffee is natural, which in the context of Colombia is a deviation from traditional processing methods.

“The factors you need to change are how rigorously you do things and to understand why you do things,” he says. “Five years ago, we were producing natural aerobic coffees, but what we are doing now is sharpening and polishing our processing methods.”

Re-defining experimental processing

In just a few short years, experimental processing in specialty coffee has evolved from accidental fermentation to highly-controlled conditions. Notably, this shift has also occurred alongside a movement in the wider food and drink industry where fermented flavours are becoming more popular across many different cuisines and cultures – which has undoubtedly influenced specialty coffee consumers’ preferences.

“I love it,” Felipe says. “If you follow what happened in the craft beer industry or the natural wine movement, I think these trends will remain. The spike in popularity is temporary, I’m sure about that, but I believe demand will continue to grow.”

The impact of more novel and advanced processing methods has been felt across the entire coffee supply chain over the past few years. So with more and more research undertaken to understand these techniques, do we have a clear definition of them – or are we even redefining them in a sense?

Generally speaking, the answer still remains unclear. But Jorge explains that no matter how an individual or farm defines their approach, it’s still important to try to showcase terroir and inherent characteristics.

He uses Gesha as a specific example: “We process this variety as ‘plain natural’ because anaerobic fermentation results in very fruity profiles. You don’t always want those types of flavours in a Gesha – customers usually expect very floral and elegant tasting notes, which is what we want to showcase. 

“Meanwhile, varieties and species like Sudan Rume, Laurina, or eugenioides often better suit anaerobic fermentation, compared to natural, washed, or honey processing, for instance,” he adds.

Have experimental processing methods even become more mainstream?

Although the prevalence of processing methods such as anaerobic fermentation, lactic fermentation, and carbonic maceration still remains relatively small in the context of the wider coffee industry, their presence is notably increasing. Could we therefore be reaching a point where these techniques could even become mainstream?

Given that the Specialty Coffee Association’s Green Coffee Course module now covers controlled fermentation, this is clearly a sign that times are changing – and fermented flavours are no longer seen to be strictly defects.

At the same time, however, “mainstream” could be too strong of a term. But it certainly appears that wider acceptance of and encouragement to implement novel and advanced processing methods has opened doors to further experimentation, such as thermal shock and infused coffees. 

The former involves controlling the temperature of different fermentations to influence the final cup profile. The latter, meanwhile, is when producers add ingredients such as fruit pulp, aged beans, and essential oils to coffee to infuse new flavours.

Infused coffees in particular have caused some division between producers and other industry professionals, especially in regards to whether they should be considered experimentally processed or something else entirely.

“We want to highlight variety genetics and terroir, so we don’t add any yeast, infusion ingredients, or artificial flavours,” Jorge says. 

This argument does, however, raise an interesting discussion about whether we don’t always have to define experimental processing methods by exerting rigorous control over different variables. Instead, producers may be able to make more holistic choices which best suit their needs.

So what does this mean for the industry?

There’s no denying that specialty coffee has embraced experimental processing techniques. But with standards and protocols evolving and changing, what are some of the key considerations we need to keep in mind?

With regards to infused and flavoured coffees in particular, Jorge flags some ethical concerns about transparency with labelling.

“If you sell infused or flavoured coffee and neglect to clearly inform the customer, it harms specialty coffee,” he says. “[In my opinion], when farms add ingredients to create new flavours during experimental processing, they undo all of the effort put in during production because they are not accurately portraying the challenges behind growing coffee.”

Issues are not always just limited to ethics, however. If producers don’t tightly control variables, coffees can easily over-ferment. This leads to undesirable off-flavours like sour milk, rotten fruit, or low-quality wine.

As such, many farmers who carry out experimental processing do so in smaller batches, which allows them to change and control variables more effectively.

Weighing up the pros and cons

Not all producers have the capacity or resources to carry out experimental processing methods. But for those that do, the risk can still be high. Over or poor fermentation can lead to lower yields, not to mention the increased costs associated with these types of processing techniques.

“We should be very cautious about thinking these methods are easy for most producers,” Felipe believes. “In fact, it’s very dangerous to promote it without acknowledging the level of risk.”

One way that producers can absorb less risk is by partnering with roasters.

“I’ve worked with a few roasters in Panama who want to be more hands on with processing,” he adds. “They want to inoculate with yeasts, change temperatures, and use the tanks themselves – and pay an amount regardless of the result. 

“As a producer, I say of course, let’s do this together,” he concludes. “I think with these sorts of incentives, we can see more of these great tasting coffees with different sensory profiles.”

With experimentally processed coffees continuing to command high prices – and increasingly helping roasteries and baristas win the most prestigious industry competitions – their popularity is sure to grow. With this in mind, it’s important that the risk for producers is fairly minimised.

However we may define them, whether as an industry or as individuals, experimental processing methods are leaving their mark on specialty coffee. And the future seems promising.

Enjoyed this? Then read our article on how experimental processing can help producers overcome challenges.

Photo credits: La Palma Y El Tucan

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But among an increasingly diverse range of high-level coffee competitions, the World AeroPress Championship stands out as one of the most inclusive and accessible. From its humble beginnings in 2008 with just three competitors to some 120 regional and national events now taking place in over 60 countries, the WAC has changed exponentially over the past 15 years.

A big part of the evolution of coffee competitions is keeping them fresh and current. In October 2023, WAC organisers announced a new multi-round, points-based format for this year’s national Australian championship, which is sure to change the future of the event.

The 2023 World AeroPress Championship will take place on 1 December in Melbourne, Australia. In anticipation of this year’s world final – and how it might change in the coming years – I spoke to 2019 World AeroPress Champion, Wendelien van Bunnik-Verver, and Tim Williams, CEO of the WAC, to learn more.

You may also like our article on how coffee competitions are changing.

How did the World AeroPress Championship start?

The format of AeroPress Championships is relatively simple. Each round, three competitors have five minutes to prepare, extract, and serve three identical coffees using either an AeroPress Clear or original brewer. The panel of three judges then blindly cups all coffees, before pointing to their favourite on the count of three. 

It’s exactly this more informal, less rule-focused approach that has made the World AeroPress Championship so popular. Regional and national competitions attract thousands of participants and visitors every year, but how did it all begin?

Let’s go back to 2008. The AeroPress had been available for three years, and the 2004 World Barista Champion Tim Wendleboe had just started to distribute the brewer in Norway. 

As well as being the CEO of the WAC, Tim Williams is also the founder of Fieldwork Coffee – a micro roaster in Australia. He explains, rather wryly, that the AeroPress came with instructions but “if you followed them, the coffee kind of sucked”.

He adds that the initial idea for the competition was born from the fact that no one really knew how to use the brewer to make high-quality coffee. So industry legend Tim Wendelboe and Tim Varney (his coffee shop manager at the time) organised the first-ever national AeroPress Championship, with the premise that “whoever brews the best cup of coffee wins”.

This first competition was a small affair – with Tim Wendelboe, Tim Varney, and local coffee enthusiast Anders Valde taking part.

“There were three competitors and maybe ten people watching,” Tim Williams says.” It was just a bit of fun one afternoon.”

The WAC begins to grow

Following the first AeroPress Championship, a second competition was held in Norway in 2009. A year later, other Nordic countries had started to host their own versions of the event. 

“They would happen at trade shows, with maybe 40 or 50 people watching,” Tim tells me. “They were very casual events that would just sort of happen, there wasn’t a lot of structure to them. 

“It certainly wasn’t like countries were competing against each other,” he adds. “The focus was more on the individual.”

In the years since, the more informal format of the World AeroPress Championship has stayed true to its roots. But more importantly, it has helped to set several important precedents in specialty coffee competitions. For one, a coffee enthusiast (and not an industry professional) won the first-ever AeroPress Championship – even beating a World Barista Champion.

“Andres was a regular customer at Tim Wendelboe,” Tim Williams recalls. “He wasn’t a coffee pro.”

Additionally, the WAC was one of the first coffee competitions to see women crowned as the winners. Danish competitor Maria Hagemeister was announced as the 2010 World AeroPress Champion – the first-ever female winner only two years after the first event. 

We’ve also seen other women win the World AeroPress Championship – helping to improve inclusivity and representation in specialty coffee:

• Belgian competitor Charlene de Buysere, who won in 2012
• Paulina Miczka, representing the UK, who won in 2017
• US competitor Carolina Ibarra Garay in 2018
• Dutch barista Wendelien van Bunnik-Verver, who won in 2019
• Rawirat Techasitthanet (better known as Jibbi Little), who is the 2022 World AeroPress Champion

Then and now: How has the competition changed?

The World AeroPress Championship has clearly evolved over the past 15 years, with around 120 annual regional and national heats taking place on top of the world finals. One factor that Tim and other organisers strive to maintain, however, is the competition’s intimate and easy-going format.

Wendelien van Bunnik-Verver is the founder of the Happy Coffee Network, as well as the 2019 Dutch Barista Champion. She competed in the World AeroPress Championship the same year.

“I figured I would throw my AeroPress in my backpack, hop on my bike and head over there, have a beer, brew a cup of coffee, and have a good time,” she tells me. “Even if I had been kicked out in the first round, I still would have had the best time.”

As well as retaining its fun identity throughout the years, the WAC has also remained accessible to a wide range of competitors. For example, Tim explains that entry fees for the national championships are capped – and equate to around eight hours of a local barista’s wages.

Additionally, the WAC also covers national AeroPress Champion’s travel and accommodation fees to attend the world finals, and provides all competitors with the same coffee.

Tim says that because of its more accessible nature, “the competition continues to have a huge number of sign-ups around the world”.

Notable rule changes

For the most part, the format of the World AeroPress Championship has largely remained the same.

One of the most significant rules changes, however, happened in 2021. That year, organisers decreased the dose competitors could use – reduced down from a theoretically unlimited amount of coffee to 18g. 

“I think that was a big shock to a lot of people,” Wendelien says. 

Essentially, limiting the dose means there is less reason to use the popular bypass brewing method, which Wendelien took advantage of in her winning 2019 routine. She recalls that she was introduced to bypass brewing shortly before taking part in competition. This technique involves using a higher dose and less brewing water to extract concentrated coffee, which is then diluted with water to taste. It’s somewhat similar to Alan Adler’s original AeroPress recipe.

“I think bypass brewing paid off because if you use a really high dose, you can do different things to emphasise the acidity,” Wendelien explains – adding that it can even increase the chances of winning.

“Having judged six or seven championships since my win, I know how difficult it is to stand out,” she says. “You’re tasting the same coffee, and sometimes everyone even uses the same water, so the differences are often really small.”

Partly thanks to its use at the World AeroPress Championship, bypass brewing has gained a lot of traction in the wider coffee industry. Wendelien, however, believes reducing the dose was a necessary rule change.

“If you have a similar recipe that wins four times in a row, people will inevitably start to copy and paste,” she tells me. “With the new rule, it kind of re-sparked creativity again by setting some limits.”

What might be in store for the future?

Looking back on the impact of the World AeroPress Championship, Tim believes it has “definitely inspired a lot of other competitions”.

It’s also clear that aspects of the WAC have influenced wider specialty coffee culture. One example is the inverted brewing method, which became popular among coffee shops and home brewers after being used for the 2009 winning recipe.

“We didn’t really anticipate this degree of responsibility,” Tim says. “Winning actually means a lot. I think six or seven years ago, we didn’t acknowledge the gravitas of the competition. It was just a bit of fun, and if you did well at the competition then great. And if you didn’t, well, it was too bad.

“One day, somebody pulled me aside and said, ‘Well that’s true for you because you have a career in coffee, but for the entry-level barista, putting AeroPress Champion on their CV becomes a gateway for them’,” he adds.

New products, new formats?

With new AeroPress products recently released – including the XL brewer and Flow Control cap – it’s important to question how these could influence the future of the competition. For now, WAC competitors cannot use these new accessories and brewers, but that could always change in the future.

“Without giving too much away, this year’s national Australian Championship will explore some of these opportunities,” Tim hints. While we still know very little about the new multi-round points-based format, it could have a big impact on the World AeroPress Championship going forward.

Competitors can, however, use the new AeroPress Clear. This could help them more easily observe how ground coffee interacts with the brewing water, and potentially exert more control over brewing variables. As a result, they may be able to brew better coffee and increase their chances of winning – as long as their recipe is dialled in right.

It seems that the WAC will continue to remain one of the more fun, creative, and inclusive competitions in the specialty coffee sector. In turn, it’s cemented its spot as one of the most exciting events taking place every year.

But as for what else the future holds, we will have to wait and see what happens in Australia this December.

Enjoyed this? Then read our article on if there is space for new coffee competitions.

Photo credits: Mavick Media, Shane Gallagher

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Objectively, we define “specialty coffee” by a score of 80 points or above on the Specialty Coffee Association’s 100-point scale. Alongside quality, there are a number of more holistic defining characteristics of specialty coffee, such as sustainability, traceability, transparency.

But given that consumption is increasing across the globe, it’s also fair to assume that the definition of specialty coffee is evolving. Now influenced by many different social and cultural factors, industry professionals and consumers alike have started to develop their own personal relationship with specialty coffee.

To find out what specialty coffee means to different people around the world, I spoke to three industry professionals. Read on to learn more.

You may also like our article on whether Nordic specialty coffee roasters are still as innovative as they once were.

Where is specialty coffee most popular?

Despite its smaller market share, it’s undeniable that the global specialty coffee sector is growing. But by far the most obvious growth is in the US, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.

Let’s look at the US first. In 2022, research from the National Coffee Association found that domestic consumption of coffee had reached a 20-year high. At the same time, 43% of surveyed consumers reported drinking a specialty coffee beverage in the past day. This represents a 20% increase on January 2021.

Moreover, some figures predict that the North American specialty coffee market will grow by 20% year-on-year until 2030. This would make it the fastest-growing market in the world.

According to Research and Markets, the Asia-Pacific specialty coffee sector will experience a 15.3% annual growth rate from now until 2030. The research agency also found that premiumisation is a significant driver of this growth.

Europe, meanwhile, is one of the world’s most important consuming markets. The continent currently has the largest share of the global specialty coffee market at around 46.2%. Its market growth is expected to increase by 9% over the next three years, too.

Breaking down regional specialty coffee consumption

Although it’s one of the most important markets, considering there are dozens of culturally-different countries in Europe, the popularity of specialty coffee in this region is incredibly difficult to generalise. 

Scandinavia is a global pioneer of specialty coffee culture, for example. Thanks to leading industry professionals in countries like Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland in the late 1990s and early 2000s, light roast single origin coffee has become popular in more and more countries around the world.

What’s more, year after year, Nordic countries often top lists for the highest coffee consumption per capita. With more than an estimated 80 roasteries in a country of around 5.4 million people, it’s evident that specialty coffee is a prevalent part of Norwegian culture.

Joanne Berry is the Head of Procurement for green specialty coffee trader Tropiq in Oslo, Norway.

“I think there are very few places in the world that drink coffee like Norwegians,” she says. “Of course, Norwegians drink coffee in different ways, but the majority of them prepare coffee at home.

“At any kind of family or social event, Norwegians always serve brewed coffee – and people drink it black,” she adds. “In Norway, it’s so normal to drink black coffee, which means you can taste more of the coffee’s inherent characteristics.”

What about in producing countries? 

For the most part, when compared to consuming countries, specialty coffee consumption is overall lower in producing countries. This is the result of the historical structure of the global coffee trade, as well as the fact that most marketing takes place in consuming countries.

However, in recent years, domestic coffee consumption has been growing in a number of key producing countries. Some examples include:

• Between 2016 and 2018, Brazil’s specialty coffee market share doubled from 6% to 12%. This is sure to have increased in the years since, especially following Boram Um’s 2023 World Barista Championship win
• In 2018, the estimated value of the Colombian specialty coffee market was around US $1.52 billion. This is also likely to have increased over the past five years – including after Diego Campos was crowned the first-ever Colombian World Barista Champion in 2021
• According to the International Coffee Organisation, domestic consumption in Uganda rose by 2.4% between 2018 and 2021
  • With slow but steady increasing representation of African baristas at coffee competitions, specialty coffee consumption is likely to rise in Uganda and other prominent producing countries 

Patrick O’Malley is the founder of the International Barista and Coffee Academy in the US. He explains throughout his travels to Latin America over the years, he has noticed that specialty coffee culture has become more prevalent in the region.

“Now, if you go to countries like Honduras, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, you will find more and more high-end specialty coffee shops,” he tells me.

Fabrizio Sención is the owner of PalReal in Guadalajara, Mexico. He also co-founded 5PM – Guadalajara’s first specialty coffee shop – in 2004, and is a 2015 World Barista Championship finalist. 

He explains how roasters at origin are changing their buying practices to accommodate for increasing demand for specialty coffee.

“Previously, all the highest-scoring coffees grown in Mexico were earmarked for export,” he says. “But now, more locally-grown coffees are purchased domestically.”

Industry standards vs cultural differences

The specialty coffee industry is often defined by benchmarks set by countries like Norway, Japan, Denmark, Australia, South Korea, and New Zealand. With specialty coffee becoming more popular the world over, however, it’s clear that definitions can change according to where you are.

For example, in North America and certain Asian countries, some consumers prefer medium (or even darker) roast profiles. 

“Some people want the traditional ‘strong’ coffee taste because it’s what they are used to,” Joanne says.

As one of the ten-largest importing countries in the world, roasters in Japan tend to roast slightly darker. Traditional Japanese coffee shops (or kissatens) also favour filter coffee over espresso.

“There are a lot of specialty coffee shops in the US,” Patrick tells me. “But many people still choose to add milk and sweeteners in their coffees.”

Ultimately, this means that while specialty coffee marketing and branding strategies largely appear to be the same around the world, cultural differences still influence consumer behaviour. 

At the same time, however, the SCA’s standards and protocols also impact how we define specialty coffee. Updated earlier this year to mitigate the “intersubjectivity” of cupping, these processes are used to grade and assess the quality of green coffee.

“Objective scoring is necessary and important to the specialty coffee sector,” Joanne explains. “It helps to communicate quality to both roasters and producers, as well as consumers.”

With that said, it can be difficult to contextualise industry standards within different specialty coffee cultures around the world. 

One of the most prominent examples is criticism of the SCA Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel. This resource is largely geared towards Western palates. In turn, local coffee professionals in countries like Taiwan and Indonesia have started to develop their own resources.

How can we account for cultural differences?

Objective definitions of specialty coffee will always remain important. However, for traders and roasters, Joanne explains that there are many factors which influence purchasing decisions.

“It has a lot to do with the relationship that already exists with the producer,” she says. “It’s also about coffee that is interesting, and establishing partnerships which provide value to us and our partners in producing countries.” 

Patrick, meanwhile, points out that some quantifiable characteristics of specialty coffee don’t often benefit industry professionals in producing countries as much.

“The term ‘speciality’ can be skewed in so many different ways,” he says. “If you look at green grading, it’s difficult to find coffees that have zero primary defects in a 350g sample.

“When looking at the SCA’s standards for roasting and brewing, there are no concrete guidelines,” he adds. Moreover, cultural preferences for different roast profiles also change personal definitions of specialty coffee.

“If you roast coffee to a darker roast profile, is that coffee speciality? Personally, I beg to differ,” Patrick says – assumedly because darker roast profiles don’t always allow the coffee’s inherent characteristics to shine through.

New ways to define specialty coffee

If we are to combine both objective and subjective standards, we could consider other ways to define specialty coffee.

Patrick suggests introducing a Michelin star guide system for roasteries and coffee shops, which could more consistently inform consumers of which businesses serve specialty coffee – and also maintain quality throughout the supply chain.

However, approaches like this could add to the already prevalent exclusivity of specialty coffee, and potentially push certain consumers further away.

“We have to allow space for other market preferences and different kinds of palates, so we can also define what specialty coffee means to different people,” Joanne says.

Quantifiable and verifiable industry-wide standards are vital to the growth of specialty coffee – as well as our expectations of the industry.

But considering that specialty coffee is becoming more popular around the world, we need to remain agile and flexible with our definitions – and understand how standards are changing.

Enjoyed this? Then read our article on breaking down the differences between coffee consumption in the US and Europe.

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This includes coffee shops and roasters. In recent years, we have certainly seen an uptick in the number of cafés and roasters implementing more socially and environmentally responsible business practices.

However, from the perspective of the consumer, it’s not always easy to spot a truly sustainable coffee shop or roaster. To learn more, I spoke to two industry professionals who have a specific focus on social and environmental sustainability. Read on for more of their insight.

You may also like our article on whether you can run a zero-waste coffee shop.

What does “sustainable” really mean?

The term “sustainability” has become something of a buzzword in recent years. The word is commonly used in marketing and branding, including in the specialty coffee sector. However, without having a focus on its clear definition, it can be all too easy to lose sight of its true meaning.

The often-cited Brundtland Report from the International Institute for Sustainable Development defines sustainability as meeting “the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

The definition is certainly broad, but it is often split into three key areas: environmental, social, and economic.

Within these three categories, there are an endless number of ways to improve sustainability. Looking specifically at the coffee industry, these include:

• Reducing energy consumption
• Improving coffee farmers’ income
• Minimising waste production
• Reducing carbon emissions
• Improving gender equity, particularly at farm level

Max Dubiel is a co-founder of Redemption Roasters in the UK. The company teaches UK prison inmates how to roast coffee, with the overarching aim of reducing reoffending rates and helping former inmates find stable work.

“[As a business], with every decision you make, you need to make sure that you change something for the better,” he says. “Sustainability is not just the responsibility of charities and non-profit organisations, but for businesses and individuals, too.”

Looking at sustainability across the sector

When we talk about sustainability in coffee, many people often point to production and export as the two main areas of focus. 

There are several reasons for this. One of the most prominent is that millions of smallholder coffee farmers live below the poverty line. Therefore, they are unable to sustainably support their families. Moreover, in certain producing countries, women and girls disproportionately carry out most of the physical labour associated with coffee farming, yet receive less financial responsibility.

In terms of environmental impact, meanwhile, there are some pressing issues which need to be addressed in the production and trade of coffee. It should be noted, however, that the vast majority of these issues are a result of large-scale agriculture. This means these issues are not drastically influenced by smallholders.

A 2021 study from University College London found that after the export of coffee, production was responsible for the second-highest total volume of carbon emissions across the supply chain. This is because shipping coffee relies on fossil fuel usage, as it is generally transported on large freight vessels.

As well as greenhouse gas emissions, other sustainability issues in coffee production include:

• Deforestation
• Incorrect application of fertilisers and pesticides
• Loss of biodiversity and habitats for local wildlife
• Pollution from wastewater

However, beyond coffee production and shipping, roasters and coffee shops also have a responsibility to minimise their environmental impact and be more socially conscious.

Although it’s impossible to know for sure, some researchers claim that global coffee shops’ energy consumption accounts for 45% of the industry’s carbon emissions. 

Whether these findings accurately represent the wider coffee sector is difficult to tell. However, it certainly shines more of a spotlight on the role of coffee shops and roasters to implement more sustainable business practices.

Why is sustainability so important to consumers?

In recent years, it seems as though consumers have become more socially and environmentally conscious than ever before.

According to Deloitte’s 2022 How consumers are embracing sustainability survey, one in three UK adults claim to have stopped buying products because of ethical or sustainability-related concerns about specific brands. Similarly, 40% of those surveyed also said they choose to buy from brands that have environmentally friendly practices and values. 

So why has sustainability become such an important purchasing factor for consumers?

A 2022 study from First Insight and the University of Pennsylvania found that a desire to become more environmentally-conscious is the main reason why consumers purchase sustainable products and brands. Moreover, willingness to spend more on sustainable products was noted across all generations – not just millennials and Gen Z (who are typically considered to be more eco-conscious than their older counterparts).

There are many reasons for this change in consumer behaviour. However, growing concerns about the impact of climate change is arguably the biggest one – including on the coffee industry.

In January 2023, a study published in PLOS Climate found that over the past four decades, climatic conditions which can reduce coffee yields have become more frequent. These include higher temperatures, as well as more erratic rainfall and humidity levels. Researchers predict this could result in “ongoing systemic shocks” to global coffee production.

The need for more transparency about sustainability

When it comes to individual responsibility, specialty coffee consumers can certainly implement some more sustainable lifestyle practices. For example, coffee drinkers can:

• Take reusable cups to coffee shops more frequently
• Reduce their use of single-use cups and other takeaway items
• Buy roasted coffee in recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable packaging
• Purchase sustainably-sourced coffee

However, at the same time, we must acknowledge that coffee shops and roasters also have a responsibility to enact more sustainable business practices themselves. 

Furthermore, coffee companies should be more vocal about how they are making a positive difference. But, it’s important to emphasise that with this comes the risk of greenwashing. This is when companies or organisations make unsubstantiated claims about their social, economic, and environmental sustainability practices. 

While it certainly happens in the coffee industry, greenwashing is incredibly damaging to a brand and should be avoided at all costs. Instead, coffee shops and roasters should honestly inform consumers about their sustainable business practices, and set realistic targets to improve in areas where they can.

Diana Zuluaga is the Marketing Manager at Heylo Coffee, a modular and energy-efficient espresso machine manufacturer.

“[When it comes to sustainability], it’s impossible nowadays for both coffee businesses and consumers to be completely guilt free,” she says. “This is why it’s so important for them to work together to have less of an impact on the environment.”

So, how can consumers find sustainable coffee shops and roasters?

There’s no simple answer to this question. However, a good place to start is simply asking coffee shops and roasters about their business practices. Consumers can look online first – either on websites or social media platforms. If they then have further questions, they can also speak to baristas, roasters, and business owners about what their company is doing to reduce its carbon footprint or support different social causes.

Max suggests using the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals as a basis to understand more about a coffee shop or roaster’s business practices. Some of the UN SDGs include ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns, as well as taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impact.

Sustainability reports

On a similar note, both Max and Diana highlight the importance of reading impact reports. These are records of a company or organisation’s activities (usually over the course of a year) which document their impact on wider communities and the environment.

The number of B Corp-certified companies is also growing. These are brands verified to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, as well as transparency and accountability.

“Even if companies are not generating high enough levels of impact, they are at least trying to be as transparent as possible, and share all information with the end consumer,” Diana says.

However, Max points out that consumers often need to look at impact reports in detail to fully understand the scope of a business’ sustainable practices.

“It’s really important that you trust the businesses you engage with or buy from,” he says. “We have to become much better at filtering information when it comes to sustainability.”

Ultimately, the responsibility of finding sustainable coffee shops and roasters shouldn’t all lie with the consumer – these businesses also need to be accountable.

Diana explains that Heylo launched its Less Guilty Coffee Map as a resource for consumers to use when looking for sustainable café and roasters.

“We wanted to turn to the coffee community and build something together,” she says. “We want to be impactful in a positive way, but it can be a complicated process.”

Using available resources

As well as relying on information from coffee shops and roasters, consumers can use resources to understand more about what actions companies are taking to improve sustainability.

For example, customers can use the Less Guilty Coffee Map to find coffee shops, roasters, and other social initiatives in the US, UK, Europe, and Australia who are implementing more sustainable practices. These range from having B Corp certifications to paying baristas a living wage to using Heylo’s energy-efficient modular espresso machines.

“We are honoured to be featured as one of the first companies on the map,” Max tells me. “It’s a useful tool for people who are looking for more sustainable and ethical coffee businesses.”

Diana explains that users can also request for coffee shops and roasters to be added to the map.

“Let’s say you visit a coffee shop and see that they are doing something which positively affects the environment or local community,” she says. “You can then propose that we add them to the map, but all new submissions are first verified by Heylo.”

For consumers around the world, looking for more sustainable coffee shops and roasters can be a challenge. However, it’s clear how important trusting the businesses you buy from is.

With this in mind, consumers should use whatever resources are available to them to learn this information, as well as feeling comfortable asking questions about what companies are doing.

Enjoyed this? Then read our article on why recycling single-use coffee cups is so difficult.

Photo credits: PH, Art Direction, Heylo Coffee

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Milk steaming, however, is a notoriously difficult process to learn and master – and it can often take baristas months to know how to do it effectively. 

Moreover, in recent years, we have seen more and more coffee shops and roasters invest in automated milk foaming solutions for a number of reasons.

To learn more about the benefits of foaming milk, I spoke with Umberto Majer, President and CEO at VEA Ventures, and Jaime Gamoneda, Chief Commercial Officer at Heylo Coffee. Read on for more of their insight.

You may also like our article on whether we should weigh milk in coffee shops.

The challenges associated with steaming milk

On the surface, milk steaming appears to be a relatively simple process.

“To steam milk traditionally, you need to use a steam wand,” Umberto says. “This uses steam to heat the milk [to the required temperature], and also creates a frothy and foamy texture.”

However, it’s crucial to understand the science behind steaming milk, as a number of important molecular changes take place:

• When milk is heated, its proteins elongate and unravel
• When we incorporate air into milk as it heats, the proteins form bubbles around the air
• One end of a milk protein is hydrophilic (attracted to water), while the other end is hydrophobic (repels water)
• This means that within each bubble, the hydrophilic end attracts the liquid, while the hydrophobic end attracts the air – keeping the bubble intact and creating stable microfoam

Poor steaming techniques

Although this may seem straightforward enough, without following a number of best practices for steaming milk, a barista can end up with poor results in the cup. For example, if the wand tip is overly exposed or too far above the surface of the milk, it will force large bursts of air into the milk. This will create too much foam, resulting in an uneven texture. 

Conversely, if the steam wind tip isn’t exposed enough and is too far below the surface, the milk will heat up, but there won’t be enough air introduced to the liquid. This will produce too little foam (also known as “wet” milk).

According to the Specialty Coffee Association, the recommended temperature to heat milk is 55°C to 65°C (139°F to 149°F). If a barista heats milk to a temperature above 70°C, they run the risk of denaturing the proteins, and thereby producing no microfoam.

“The difficulty with steaming milk traditionally is balancing time and the amount of steam and heat you introduce to the liquid, as well as getting the texture right,” Umberto tells me. “If you get it wrong, you could end up with watery, burned, or cold milk, or even too many or too little bubbles.”

The addition of water

Umberto explains that when using traditional steaming methods, between 10% to 15% of water produced from the steam is added to the milk.

“Even with high-quality espresso machines, the minimum amount of water added is still around 8%,” Jaime explains. 

Effectively, this means that the milk becomes watered down, and loses some of its creaminess and richness. Not only does this negatively impact the consumer experience, it also means you aren’t able to get the best results from your espresso-based drinks.

Does milk foaming work better for specialty coffee?

Considering the challenges associated with traditional milk steaming, we have to ask: is it better to heat milk without using steam?

Even if a barista prepares high-quality and evenly-extracted espresso, it will inevitably taste bad when paired with poorly-steamed milk – undoing the hard work from across the supply chain. And with customers paying increasingly higher prices in coffee shops, it has never been more important for the quality and consistency of milk beverages to remain high. 

Moreover, as well as maintaining quality and consistency, specialty coffee shops also need to focus on efficiency. The need to balance all three components equally has led some coffee businesses to invest in automated milk foaming solutions.

“Heylo’s Milk Module, for example, uses valves to add air to the milk,” Umberto explains. “Other systems, meanwhile, use steam in an automated closed circuit to froth and heat milk.”

Jaime tells me that Heylo’s foaming technology results in frothed milk which is made up of around 90% foam. This creates a thick, dense texture as no water has been added to the milk from steaming.

“We use an air pump to inject air into the milk before it is heated,” he says. “In turn, we can make sure that all of the liquid is heated evenly at the same time.”

Controlling temperature

Umberto tells me that automated milk foaming solutions also allow for better control over the transfer of heat. 

Baristas often need to multitask. As well as pulling shots and steaming milk, they can be plating food, interacting with customers, and communicating with their colleagues. In these moments, it can be easy to overheat milk, thereby burning its sugars and denaturing its proteins. Similarly, heating milk up too quickly can also have negative effects.

“Steamless heating can be more gentle,” Umberto explains. “It can also provide baristas with more control over how the milk is heated.”

Is foaming better than steaming?

Although traditional espresso machines are an integral part of many coffee shops around the world, there are several advantages to automating milk steaming or foaming.

One of the most prominent is milk waste. Research from the University of Edinburgh estimates that one in six pints of milk produced in the UK is either discarded or lost – with coffee shops certainly responsible for some of this waste.

“When steaming milk, baristas tend to throw away a small amount at the bottom of the pitcher because it’s either too ‘wet’ to pour latte art, or they used too much milk,” Umberto says. “However, high-quality automatic milk foaming systems waste less than 1% of milk used.”

Reducing energy consumption

For an espresso machine to produce steam on demand, its boiler needs to be well maintained and constantly working. Not only can this result in increased energy costs for a coffee business, but it can also have a significant impact on the environment.

However, milk foaming solutions which use induction thermal block technology like Helyo consume less energy compared to traditional machines. Ultimately, this means a coffee shop roaster can reduce both their costs and carbon footprint.

Space and efficiency

Many milk foaming solutions are modular systems, which means they are smaller than traditional espresso machines. Not only does this help to save counter space, but they can also help to improve workflow and efficiency.

For instance, some automated milk foaming systems are able to foam several different types of milk, including plant-based options.

“Heylo’s Milk Module can deliver two kinds of milk as standard, with the option to add another type,” Jaime says.

Umberto explains that different types of milk require different steaming techniques, therefore it can be difficult for baristas to achieve consistent results.

“Plant milks steam differently from one another,” he says. “With some, you have to steam for longer or add more air, while others require lower temperatures, for example.

“Non-dairy milks are also more watery than cow’s milk, so the risk of dilution is even greater,” he adds. “Using an automatic milk foaming system can produce better results.”

Increasing adoption of automation

Undoubtedly, one of the biggest coffee industry trends we’re seeing in 2023 is a growing reliance on automation.

“Steaming isn’t always a value-added activity,” Umberto says. “We’re on the verge of a revolution where automation will take over milk foaming.

“Ultimately, this will result in higher-quality drinks, and will allow baristas to focus more on pouring latte art,” he adds.

Jaime, meanwhile, believes that steaming still has its place in specialty coffee.

“Steaming milk and pouring latte art is part of being a barista,” he says. However, he adds that as a result of staff shortages and rising costs, he thinks the role of automation in coffee shops will continue to grow.

The process of steaming milk has long been a part of specialty coffee, and is beloved by many baristas around the world. However, given the growing focus on beverage quality, looking for new ways to prepare drinks is important.

More and more milk foaming solutions that use induction heating and other “steamless” methods are starting to appear on the market. And irrespective of your opinion on them, we’re sure to see more and more coffee shops begin using them in the future.

Enjoyed this? Then read our article on how to roast coffee for milk.

Photo credits: PH, Art Direction, Heylo Coffee

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