I recently had a fascinating coffee experience inspired by a video from Tetsu Kasuya (World Brewers Cup Champion). He featured UCC Gold Special Blend, a popular, readily available pre-ground coffee in Japan.
What’s remarkable is that these beans have been the top-selling coffee in Japan for 24 years straight. While Kasuya used pre-ground, I found whole beans at my local supermarket and decided to try them.
Whole bean version
I was hesitant at first. The beans are a blend of Brazilian and Vietnamese, and I’d never seen Vietnamese specialty coffee. I assumed their beans were mostly lower-grade, typically bitter and bland. I actually passed on them twice, opting for Colombian and Guatemalan UCC blends instead, hoping for a more familiar specialty coffee experience. However, those other beans were disappointing – mostly bitter and unremarkable.
Finally, I gave the UCC Gold Special a try. (A small but important detail: I initially bought the “Special Blend” – the brown label, a medium-dark roast. There’s also a “Rich Blend” – red label, a dark roast. More on that later.)
Pre-ground version
I had two theories about the UCC Gold Special’s popularity. Either it’s just average-tasting coffee that consumers can’t distinguish from other supermarket blends (unlikely), or there’s something surprisingly good about it. I was pleasantly surprised. The coffee brewed a clean cup with minimal bitterness, and it had a distinct dark cherry chocolate flavor. This flavor held up across several different brewing methods, so it wasn’t a fluke. It’s not quite specialty coffee level, but it’s noticeably better and more memorable than any other supermarket coffee I’ve tried, including the other UCC blends.
Intrigued, I decided to try the “Rich Blend” as well. (After rewatching Kasuya’s video, I realized he specifically mentioned the “Special Blend” as the 24-year best-seller, not the Rich Blend.) The reason became clear when I tasted it: the Rich Blend lacked that special dark cherry chocolate note and was simply burnt and bitter. To give a backhanded comment, it tasted like a surprisingly good decaf. I won’t be buying it again, but at least I have some beans to experiment with. I’ve found that brewing methods with lower extraction (lower water temperature, coarser grind, less agitation) seem to produce more palatable results with the Rich Blend.
For more information about UCC Gold Special Coffee Beans:
https://ucc-apac.com/hk/en/brands/ucc-gold-special/
