The creation of 'high-value' coffee is really just taking the natural variation among coffee from different regions and plant strains, differentiating them into

The creation of 'high-value' coffee is really just taking the natural variation among coffee from different regions and plant strains, differentiating them into different products, and slapping an additional 50% or so onto the price tag. Here, I think the coffee industry took a page from the wine industry and started talking about things like 'terroir', 'single origin', 'unique flavor notes' and so on. This isn't all snobbery, and it has some good side effects - the field-to-table graph is a bit clearer and shorter, and coffee producers seem to be getting better prices on their product relative to past eras. However, to get these 'unique flavors' the roasters have cut back on roasting times, resulting in lighter roasted beans with higher levels of acidity. Some appear to like the result; personally I like the darker roasts much more, and the time-since-roasted factor has more to do with the quality of the brewed cup than anything else.