A short guide for curious drinkers in Tirana.
If you have ever walked into a specialty coffee shop and felt slightly overwhelmed, you are not alone. The language around coffee can feel exclusive, even a little serious. But the ideas behind it are straightforward, and once you understand them, every cup starts to make more sense.
Here is what specialty coffee actually means, and why we believe it is worth caring about.
It starts with a score
Specialty coffee is a defined grade. The Specialty Coffee Association uses a 100-point scale to evaluate green (unroasted) coffee. Beans that score 80 points or above qualify as specialty grade. Most coffee you find in supermarkets scores below 80. The beans we use at The Back Room, roasted by The Barn Berlin, score 86 points and above.
That score reflects the work of the farmer, the conditions on the farm, the altitude, the soil, the harvest timing, and the processing method. It is not just about flavour. It is a measure of care across the entire supply chain.
Single origin means one story
Conventional coffee is almost always a blend. Beans from dozens of farms, sometimes dozens of countries, are mixed together and roasted to a consistent, neutral profile. The goal is uniformity. The flavour is familiar but flat.
Specialty coffee is almost always single origin. That means every bean in your cup comes from one farm, one cooperative, or one specific region. When you drink our Catuai Natural from Minas Gerais, Brazil, you are tasting that farm’s soil, that season’s harvest, that farmer’s specific decisions.
That is why specialty coffee can taste like fruit, chocolate, flowers, or caramel without anything being added to it. The flavour is already there in the bean.
Why The Barn Berlin
We chose to work exclusively with The Barn Berlin because they are one of the most respected specialty roasters in Europe. They source directly from small-scale farmers, pay above-market prices, and roast each bean to bring out its natural character rather than mask it.
Every coffee on our menu is traceable to a single farm or cooperative. You can ask your barista about any bean on the menu and they will be able to tell you exactly where it came from and what makes it interesting.
What this means for your cup
When you order an espresso at The Back Room, you are tasting a Catuai Natural from Brazil. When you ask for a V60 pour over, you are drinking a filter roast from Ethiopia, Kenya, Burundi, or Colombia, depending on what is on the bar that day.
None of these coffees need sugar to taste good. They are sweet, complex, and clean on their own. That is what specialty coffee means in practice.
Come and try it
We are open every day from 10:00 to 18:00 at Rruga Sulejman Delvina, Sheshi Wilson, Tirana. If you are curious about what is in your cup, just ask. Our baristas love talking about coffee.
The Back Room is Tirana’s specialty coffee shop, serving single origin beans from The Barn Berlin. Espresso, V60, matcha, cold brew, and in-house desserts, daily.