Gourmet Bean Coffee
The market for Gourmet Bean Coffee seems to have no upper limit. It is as if the nation has an insatiable desire for great coffee. I am not certain if this market demand is driven by new coffee drinkers or by those moving up to gourmet bean coffee from cheaper quality coffee. But one thing is for certain, there are more options than ever available to the lover of great coffee.
It is not clear what allows a company to label its beans as gourmet, but it is clear that the commonly accepted definition is that the beans were grown and handled in an ideal manner in order to produce better coffee. For example, the beans would have to be grown in a climate and environment that is ideal for coffee. The soil as well as the weather during the growth would have to be just the right combination for the best possible coffee. The beans would also have to be sorted so that the gourmet beans had no flaws or burrs that made them less than ideal. The process by which they are harvested and transported would also have to be in accordance with practices and procedures that are considered ideal for coffee.
Many of these standards seem similar to the standards set forth by the Specialty Coffee Association. Because these standards look similar and because there are numerous sources that claim specialty and gourmet coffees are similar, I would have to say that gourmet bean coffee is coffee that is similarly handled, processed, and prepared to the standards of the Specialty Coffee Association.
It seems that every coffee company has at least one gourmet bean coffee if not several. Even Folger's has several different blends that include the word "gourmet". None of these companies define gourmet but simply state that the gourmet bean is the choicest bean grown under exacting conditions and is roasted in ways that are ideal for coffee.
Many long time coffee drinkers do not understand what the fuss is about between gourmet, specialty, or simply regular coffee. But for those that has developed their sensitivity to the finer aspects of great coffee, buying gourmet bean coffee is something that they find worth the extra cost.
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