CRI听力:Craft Coffee Trend Gets More Boutique for 2016

Make that a skinny decaf at 4000 feet please.

The coffee obsession has reached a new peak, quite literally: coffee drinkers in the US can now order their brew depending on the altitude at which the beans were grown.

Smaller coffee chains in US have touted techniques like "nitro brew," which infuses nitrogen gas to create a creamier coffee, and "pour over" brewing, which essentially entails pouring hot water over grounds.

Over in Maryland, independent coffee maker is trying to reinvent the way coffee is consumed.

Chris Vigilante, the founder and CEO of Vigilante Coffee, was experimenting with roasting methods in a basement a few years ago but now he travels the world to hand-select beans.

Vigilante Coffee has several locations throughout the Washington, D.C., area and his coffee is distributed nationwide.

"So these newer age, connected to the community, authenticity, let's be honest and real with one another, that's what draws people in and I think that's what's attractive about these young coffee companies in these different communities, is being so authentic and real and connecting with their community not just being a part of it to make money."

The popularity of a new wave of smaller chains was enough that another major chain, Peet's, last year acquired Stumptown, based in Portland, Oregon, and Intelligentsia, based in Chicago.

Both helped generate interest in different brewing methods and coffee origins.

David Burwick is the CEO of Peet's Coffee

"Those consumers want to go to many different coffee shops, many different cafes and enjoy coffee in many different ways. As we look toward the future we want to be able to satisfy those needs better than anybody and the best way to do it actually is not to try to completely change Peet's into something that we're not. We can still satisfy those consumers by doing what Peet's does really well but then we can bring in more consumers by being affiliated and being partnered with Stumptown and Intelligentsia."

Duane Stanford is a beverage expert from Atlanta, he analyses trends in the drink industry.

Stanford has looked carefully at the emerging trend of craft coffee.

"Now the trend in food and beverage is to think more about where your food comes from, what's in it, ingredients, authenticity, I mean those are all things you've seen in the craft beer movement, in the gourmet food movement and so it's natural that you would see coffee progress in the same way. As people care more about the ingredients and care more about how coffee is produced, what sort of labour is used to produce it in different parts of the world, then naturally they're going to migrate, a certain number of people will migrate to the kind of places that will provide that for you."

However, we have to admit, whether it's brewed at 4,000 or 2,000 feet, coffee is still the daily kick many Americans look for to get them through their day.

For CRI, I'm Ryan Price.