What is Specialty Coffee?
Only 10% of all coffee ever reaches "specialty" status, and here's why...
These days, it’s not uncommon to come across a myriad of catchy buzzwords and accreditations when you purchase a bag of beans from your favorite coffee provider…
From “gourmet,” “craft,” “organic,” and “specialty” labels attached to any given roast, the average coffee consumer often only wants to know the answer to a very simple and important question prior to purchase… Is this coffee good enough to drink black?
Although many small and big batch roasters use terms like “gourmet” or “craft” to help sell the taste of their coffee, there isn’t any real authentication or merit to these claims.
In fact, only 10% of all coffee produced in the world can classify their coffee as good enough to be “specialty” quality, and that’s because “specialty” status requires the approval of the highest authorities in the coffee world—the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) and Coffee Quality Institute (QCI).
In this week’s Alma-nac Blog, we’ll be breaking down what specialty coffee actually is, how coffee earns the “specialty” title through rigorous evaluation, how each step in a coffee cherry’s farm to cup journey affects the outcome of a coffee’s specialty status, and how you can easily find and verify specialty grade coffee from wherever you are!
So, brew up a fresh cup, sit back, subscribe to our email newsletter, and get ready to enjoy the most straight-forward breakdown of specialty coffee you’ll likely find on the internet.
💌 Subscribe 💌
Our email newsletter isn't your typical marketing ploy: sign up now and get notified when our latest blog posts publish, new coffee roasts debut, and other exciting coffee social & video content drops!
What is the textbook definition of "specialty" coffee?
According to the SCA's 2022 guidelines, “specialty” status can only occur when a coffee achieves a score of 80 or higher out of 100 on a standardized score sheet from an unbiased panel of expert coffee testers, commonly referred as Q Graders.
Before it can even make it to a Q Grader panel, however, coffee must be roasted no more than 24 hours prior to evaluation, can only spend 8-12 minutes in a roaster, and must achieve a certain roast profile and final coloration that the SCA outlines in detail here.
Then, to perform this standardized scoring process, Q graders evaluate coffee in a process called “cupping," which is intended to extract flavors from coffee in the most raw, replicable, and sensory-focused manner possible.
Q graders will evaluate a coffee through cuppings to look for specific tasting notes, fragrance/aroma, mouthfeel, uniformity, acidity, etc., and then score the coffee across a wide array of sensory and quality focused criteria before finishing their evaluation (see the specifics of their grading system here).
After all of these individual scores are totaled and averaged by a panel of Q Graders, coffee that scores higher than 80 is officially deemed “specialty” coffee by the SCA and QCI and anything scoring below is considered “commodity” coffee.
In short, “specialty” status is not exactly easy to obtain, which is why only 10% of all coffee produced falls into this criteria.
To achieve the official specialty grading, many processes need to go right from the moment a coffee seed is planted to the time it is roasted, and one single mishap in the coffee supply chain could mean the difference between a specialty or commodity status…
From farm to cup: What’s so special about specialty coffee?
On the farming level, specialty coffee *literally* stems from farmers who dedicate their entire livelihoods to understanding, adapting, and optimizing their farmlands for producing extraordinary coffee, often with a heavy focus on sustainable practices.
In our own Honduran family coffee farms, for instance, we recently covered the many permaculture practices our farming team commits to in a full-length blog, and these practices directly contribute to the quality and consistency of our final roasted coffee.
However, even with the best farming practices in place, attention to quality during the processing of raw coffee after harvest is a crucial step farmers dedicated to achieving specialty status must take before exporting their beans to a specialty focused roaster.
From sorting, washing, and eliminating defects at every possible step, coffee processing ensures the highest quality beans are selected to be roasted and, eventually, graded by a panel of Q graders, meaning the consistency of a final roast fully depends on the many hands involved in farming/processing beforehand.
After being grown under sustainably focused conditions and meticulously checked for quality during processing, unroasted (“green bean”) coffee makes its way to a specialty focused roaster who then works to bring the most ideal tasting notes during roasting and into the final cup.
If all goes well, and the final roasted coffee is deemed “specialty” status by highly trained Q Graders, that coffee then makes its way to your cup.
Nevertheless, even if a bean is rated as “specialty” grade by the SCA, the next challenge in a long supply chain for coffee roasters wishing to sell their high-quality coffee to caffeine lovers like yourself happens at the café or online storefront, and that’s why it’s important to know…
More Coffee Blogs for You
The Great Coffee Waves: What are the First, Second, and Third Coffee Waves?
Feb 24, 2021
Trending Articles
What is Coffee Processing?
Feb 21, 2022
Arabica v. Robusta
Oct 02,2021
Which has more caffeine, Light or Dark roasts?
April 12, 2021
How to know what is and isn’t QCI-graded specialty coffee
If you’ve read this far, you might be asking yourself the same question listed in the heading above… how do I find and/or verify specialty grade coffee before purchase?
As we mentioned at the beginning of this blog post, there are a lot of industry buzzwords meant to sound similar if not better than “specialty” coffee to the untrained consumer, which is why it’s important to understand the difference between specialty coffee and anything else.
Although “gourmet” or “craft” coffees could still be tasty brews, the processes, checks, and standardized scoring behind SCA-rated specialty coffees are intended to guarantee you, the coffee consumer, of the bean’s quality status compared to nearly 90% of the normal “commodity” coffee market.
To help those interested in finding specialty graded coffee beans, we put together a few quick tips to determine the SCA or QCI specialty status of any coffee.
Ask the roaster or coffee provider before purchase
Don’t see any information about the specialty status of a coffee on the label or online description? That doesn’t always mean it isn’t a specialty grade coffee!
If you’re genuinely seeking to purchase specialty coffee, don’t be afraid to directly ask the coffee roaster in-person or via email if their coffee is SCA/QCI specialty rated.
If a roaster says they aren’t specialty grade, remember just how difficult it is to achieve specialty recognition OR that their coffee could still be an AMAZING for your own taste preferences; but, if they say the coffee is specialty status, be sure ask them an important question...
What did a Q Grader rate this coffee?
Like we mentioned, specialty grade coffee is any coffee scored 80 or higher by an unbiased panel of Q Graders, and any roaster who achieves this should have proof in the form of SCA or Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) certifications.
Of course, revealing this information to the public is entirely voluntary, but at the very least a roaster claiming specialty coffee status should be able to explain their Q Grader grading in a good amount of detail to anyone who asks.
The final verdict? Find yourself some specialty coffee and experience just how tasty it is for yourself!
We hope this blog answered many of the questions you might have about what specialty coffee is and where it comes from: if you liked this blog post and want to start getting content like it every other week, subscribe to our email list and get notified when the latest blog post publishes.
Our marketing team dedicates a LOT of time to researching coffee history, science, and trends to give you the most accurate and entertaining written breakdowns, so your subscription tells us we’re doing something right to share our passion for coffee!
Written by: Kelley Bostian
504 comments
https://scribehow.com/page/Ogladaj_Venom_3_Ostatni_taniec_Caly_film_2024_za_darmo_po_CDA__yZpUaYh4TT60nk0XpwWZTg
https://scribehow.com/page/VIDER_Venom_3_Ostatni_taniec_2024_Caly_Film_po_Polsku_za_Darmo__xNtiAiGMSieP8jJOuvd6FQ
https://scribehow.com/page/VIDER_Venom_3_Ostatni_taniec_2024_Caly_Film_Polsku_za_Darmo_po_CDA__2XVz8FjzSHeVj8CaBs0z_Q
https://scribehow.com/page/Ogladaj_Venom_3_Ostatni_taniec_Caly_film_po_Polsku_za_Darmo_po_CDA_1080p__xQBZ1OsgR7-RfB_M729HWg
https://scribehow.com/page/Ogladaj_Venom_3_Ostatni_taniec_Caly_film_po_Polsku_za_Darmo_4K_UHD__WoPqiyl6SDe8z_MRgq1uLQ
https://scribehow.com/page/Ogladaj_Venom_3_Ostatni_taniec_Caly_film_po_Polsku_za_Darmo__AfKFEwaWQj64epzrk7j4SQ
https://scribehow.com/page/Ogladaj_Venom_3_Ostatni_taniec_Caly_film_2024_za_darmo_po_CDA__Suol3WsuRXSX7P0Olr76Rw
https://scribehow.com/page/Ogladaj_Venom_3_Ostatni_taniec_2024_Caly_film_2024_za_darmo_po_CDA__V8eEBksiSkqfJpWU9XtM8A
https://scribehow.com/page/Venom_3_Ostatni_taniec_2024_caly_film_lektor_pl__cda__y8Jq57NxR1-xGFZu2aHWMA
https://scribehow.com/page/Venom_3_Ostatni_taniec_caly_film_lektor_pl__cda__yuf5u-M_Q8aqsxELg8mEyQ
https://scribehow.com/page/Ogladaj-4K_Venom_3_Ostatni_taniec_Film_lektor_pl_720p__aLrpRzSyRyOrL5H214lL5A
https://scribehow.com/page/Ogladaj-4K_Venom_3_Ostatni_taniec_2024_Film_lektor_pl_720p__MEcEw6BfRpCrIztjslOfGQ
https://scribehow.com/page/Film-Polsku_Venom_3_Ostatni_taniec_film_or_Ogladaj_Venom_3_Ostatni_taniec_po_CDA__RtprkHpbScWJG8b0aWEMgA
https://scribehow.com/page/Film-Polsku_Venom_3_Ostatni_taniec_2024_film_or_Ogladaj_Venom_3_Ostatni_taniec_po_CDA__QuY56zkbQFuIZQSFmQFUIw
https://scribehow.com/page/Venom_3_Ostatni_taniec_2024_FuLLMovie_Download_Free_720p_480p_and_1080p__wCf39ENWQAyqRX_O4c6ZVg
https://scribehow.com/page/Ogladaj_Terrifier_3_Caly_film_2024_za_darmo_po_CDA__58UtL3dITq2krDEGo8VSCQ
https://scribehow.com/page/VIDER_Terrifier_3_2024_Caly_Film_po_Polsku_za_Darmo__rjRsb6RmTA6T0EwUZ9Gw8Q
https://scribehow.com/page/VIDER_Terrifier_3_2024_Caly_Film_Polsku_za_Darmo_po_CDA__nL-GFPeMQHGxyxdtWbw2aA
https://scribehow.com/page/Ogladaj_Terrifier_3_Caly_film_po_Polsku_za_Darmo_po_CDA_1080p__TicA8ykBRa6fEtoegUzHRg
https://scribehow.com/page/Ogladaj_Terrifier_3_Caly_film_po_Polsku_za_Darmo_4K_UHD__vCXW8IonTlOF3qcamP16qw
https://scribehow.com/page/Ogladaj_Terrifier_3_Caly_film_po_Polsku_za_Darmo__vudqwNP_SzexPJNdUQ_RYg
https://scribehow.com/page/Ogladaj_Terrifier_3_Caly_film_2024_za_darmo_po_CDA__vD-Arpi9QWK6Pe4xZFeXnw
https://scribehow.com/page/Ogladaj_Terrifier_3_2024_Caly_film_2024_za_darmo_po_CDA__apKmV0VLTRmaFhqZxnn73w
https://scribehow.com/page/Terrifier_3_2024_caly_film_lektor_pl__cda__vOXVHrpwSlS-7jUk_y-CFA
https://scribehow.com/page/Terrifier_3_caly_film_lektor_pl__cda__6LRmA8o8SPiiaF26d66mfw
https://scribehow.com/page/Ogladaj-4K_Terrifier_3_Film_lektor_pl_720p__wEPzQBMbSAqEXDJXmSNPsQ
https://scribehow.com/page/Film-Polsku_Terrifier_3_film_or_Ogladaj_Terrifier_3_po_CDA__RhBuqquoRxibH53RkLYM7w
https://scribehow.com/page/Film-Polsku_Terrifier_3_2024_film_or_Ogladaj_Terrifier_3_po_CDA__Buruyv_dTP2QbJP7AV43Yw
https://scribehow.com/page/Ogladaj-4K_Terrifier_3_2024_Film_lektor_pl_720p__qQwx9AkpRzSSvIkBlGVPGg
https://scribehow.com/page/Terrifier_3_2024_FuLLMovie_Download_Free_720p_480p_and_1080p__WLXKZZS2Rme9ImltjgJB3g
https://scribehow.com/page/Ogladaj_Joker_Folie_a_Deux_Caly_film_2024_za_darmo_po_CDA__MdpPw33pSduRw4I8Mmy1Lg
https://scribehow.com/page/VIDER_Joker_Folie_a_Deux_2024_Caly_Film_po_Polsku_za_Darmo__RHZiazWQSeigKDzmsdqjQw
https://scribehow.com/page/VIDER_Joker_Folie_a_Deux_2024_Caly_Film_Polsku_za_Darmo_po_CDA__EIyUlJxKTBqvSlh66yzt-Q
https://scribehow.com/page/Ogladaj_Joker_Folie_a_Deux_Caly_film_po_Polsku_za_Darmo_po_CDA_1080p__EmTU_ufCRf22G7sHAjK3Sg
https://scribehow.com/page/Ogladaj_Joker_Folie_a_Deux_Caly_film_po_Polsku_za_Darmo_4K_UHD__7dNtzhCZRs-ZAHBl6_A99g
https://scribehow.com/page/Ogladaj_Joker_Folie_a_Deux_Caly_film_po_Polsku_za_Darmo__XSx37JUJSEC6ettMZ3nj9w
https://scribehow.com/page/Ogladaj_Joker_Folie_a_Deux_Caly_film_2024_za_darmo_po_CDA__3RvhMf0sSMid4Xrhn0lxvg
https://scribehow.com/page/Ogladaj_Joker_Folie_a_Deux_2024_Caly_film_2024_za_darmo_po_CDA__rwYKV_efT7C93JqeYufjYw
https://scribehow.com/page/Joker_Folie_a_Deux_2024_caly_film_lektor_pl__cda__1WyZyxLSQla632oFS2Z0Tg
https://scribehow.com/page/Joker_Folie_a_Deux_caly_film_lektor_pl__cda__AFwT2fUVR56sDXRBAUdd6w
https://scribehow.com/page/Ogladaj-4K_Joker_Folie_a_Deux_Film_lektor_pl_720p__LB6HmskBQGmzpVw8Eu0K3A
https://scribehow.com/page/Ogladaj-4K_Joker_Folie_a_Deux_2024_Film_lektor_pl_720p__r4jd8Yo3S2ih1uw4PgIzWg
https://scribehow.com/page/Film-Polsku_Joker_Folie_a_Deux_film_or_Ogladaj_Joker_Folie_a_Deux_po_CDA__Gayzm3G4RHGjuMstJruv7g
https://scribehow.com/page/Film-Polsku_Joker_Folie_a_Deux_2024_film_or_Ogladaj_Joker_Folie_a_Deux_po_CDA__H5KShPy2TxCcGVN_RdvMuA
https://scribehow.com/page/Joker_Folie_a_Deux_2024_FuLLMovie_Download_Free_720p_480p_and_1080p__bNKFzJK0RLOotzeiWZGx5g
https://internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/sites/internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/files/transformers-one-at-home-us-13.pdf
https://internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/sites/internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/files/joker-2-online-free-us-12.pdf
https://internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/sites/internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/files/megalopolis-online-free-at-home-us-11.pdf
https://internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/sites/internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/files/voir-transformer-one-streamingvf-fr10.pdf
https://internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/sites/internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/files/voir-megalopolis-streamingvf-fr12.pdf
https://internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/sites/internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/files/monster-summer-streamingvf-fr13.pdf
https://internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/sites/internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/files/voir-joker-folie-a-deux-streamingvf-fr14.pdf
https://internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/sites/internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/files/speak-no-evil-at-home-us-11.pdf
https://internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/sites/internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/files/deadpool-wolverine-us-at-home-14.pdf
https://internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/sites/internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/files/voir-speak-no-evil-streamingvf-fr12.pdf
https://internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/sites/internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/files/voir-beetlejuice-2-streamingvf-fr11.pdf
https://internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/sites/internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/files/voir-le-robot-sauvage-streamingvf13.pdf
https://internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/sites/internationalservices.oregonstate.edu/files/voir-deadpool-3-streamingvf-fr15.pdf
https://controlc.com/fecd9a4f
https://jsbin.com/fimenowuyo/edit?html,output
https://wokwi.com/projects/411104859989587969
https://jsitor.com/Bpl2wt6WDr
https://glot.io/snippets/h0mysuhn0z
https://jsfiddle.net/3uy0wLj1/
https://paste.feed-the-beast.com/view/6bdbf34d
https://etextpad.com/u7yerwfp6k
https://yamcode.com/asjhzxjknhzxw
https://paste.ee/p/RmiMq
https://ctxt.io/2/AAB4eLInFg
https://paste.centos.org/view/3c41f854
https://pastelink.net/14aqxoi1
https://paiza.io/projects/5gV7dCKJOPDJ4ER7mtF6tg?language=php
https://paste.ofcode.org/ZDegFXHV6eX87imB2q8AKr
https://authors-old.curseforge.com/paste/7cdf78ec
https://www.wowace.com/paste/2f619cf1
https://educat.xtec.cat/members/status/show?id=28940124%3AStatus%3A40073
https://network.propertyweek.com/members/status/show?id=28940084%3AStatus%3A114362
https://zagspace.gonzaga.edu/members/status/show?id=28936624%3AStatus%3A107041
https://community.thoracic.org/members/status/show?id=28940104%3AStatus%3A248150
https://communicators.ncsu.edu/members/status/show?id=28933104%3AStatus%3A239474
https://sloan.ucr.edu/members/status/show?id=28936984%3AStatus%3A107428
https://californiafilm.net/profiles/news/arbesio-sausilo-jengkok-asduihzxcljkzxn
https://www.lifesshortlivefree.com/community/vetted-member-instructions/ajsdgzxkchclkjcxjv-sjhdfcjkxzcllzxk/
https://github.com/Angela-s-Hands-On-Dan/
https://github.com/Angela-s-Hands-On-Dan
https://github.com/Angela-s-Hands-On-Dan/
https://github.com/Angela-s-Hands-On-Dan
https://github.com/Angela-s-Hands-On-Dan/
https://github.com/Angela-s-Hands-On-Dan
https://github.com/Angela-s-Hands-On-Dan/
https://github.com/Angela-s-Hands-On-Dan
https://github.com/Angela-s-Hands-On-Dan/
https://github.com/Angela-s-Hands-On-Dan
https://github.com/Angela-s-Hands-On-Dan/
https://github.com/Angela-s-Hands-On-Dan
https://github.com/Angela-s-Hands-On-Dan/
https://github.com/Angela-s-Hands-On-Dan
https://github.com/Angela-s-Hands-On-Dan/
https://github.com/Angela-s-Hands-On-Dan
https://github.com/Angela-s-Hands-On-Dan/
https://github.com/Angela-s-Hands-On-Dan
Angela White, The Dan Dangler
Angela White, The Dan Dangler
Angela White, The Dan Dangler
Angela White, The Dan Dangler
Angela White, The Dan Dangler
Angela White, The Dan Dangler
Angela White, The Dan Dangler
Angela White, The Dan Dangler
Angela White, The Dan Dangler
Angela White, The Dan Dangler
https://www.honor.com/globalgm/club/topicdetail/topicid-3624345392021505/
https://www.honor.com/globalgm/club/topicdetail/topicid-3624356863508480/
https://www.honor.com/globalgm/club/topicdetail/topicid-3624361892478977/
https://www.honor.com/globalgm/club/topicdetail/topicid-3624363716902913/
https://www.honor.com/globalgm/club/topicdetail/topicid-3624364543279105/
https://pastelink.net/bl09n61t
https://communicators.ncsu.edu/
https://network.propertyweek.com/
https://community.thoracic.org/
https://wokwi.com//376455861429986305
https://www.bankier.pl/forum/wiadomosc-zapisana?post_id=68497839&obs=&emal=&st=1&thread_id=
after being in relationship with him for seven years, he broke up with me, I did everything possible to bring him back but all was in vain. I wanted him back so much because of the love I have for him and I begged him with everything, I made promises but he refused. I contacted a spell caster called DR ISIKOLO that could help me cast a spell to bring him back but I am the type that never believed in spell, I had no choice than to try it, I mailed the spell caster, and he told me there was no problem that everything will be okay before two days, that my ex will return to me before three days, he cast the spell and surprisingly in the second day, it was around 4pm. My ex called me and we resolved the differences and we are happy together now. Anybody could need the help of the spell caster and you can review his website (https://isikolo-temple.com) or call/text him via WhatsApp on: +2348133261196