Wirsh Coffee Journal · Practical Guide
“Specialty coffee” should tell you more than a fancy bag and a high price. It is about distinctive attributes—what is in the cup and what you can learn about where the coffee came from.
What the term means today
The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) defines specialty coffee through the distinctive attributes that give coffee extra value. Flavor and aroma matter, but so can producer information, processing and traceability. That is broader than saying “specialty = 80 points” or “specialty = 100% arabica.”
Older industry conversations often used a cupping threshold of 80 points as a shorthand. The SCA's newer Coffee Value Assessment (CVA) framework uses separate physical, descriptive, affective and extrinsic assessments to express more about each coffee.
What to look for on a bag
- Producer or region: useful detail beyond just a country name.
- Processing: washed, natural, honey and other methods can affect what you taste.
- Roast date: more informative than an unexplained “best by” claim.
- Specific tasting notes: a starting point for your own experience, not a guarantee.
- Transparent sourcing: clear information beats vague “premium quality” language.
Is specialty coffee always lighter roast?
No. Specialty coffee can be roasted for different preferences and brew methods. A light roast may emphasize acidity and origin character, while a developed roast can lean toward deeper sweetness and chocolate notes. Neither style is automatically better for every drinker.
Try a two-bean tasting at home
- Buy two freshly roasted coffees with different origin or processing details.
- Grind and brew each with the same recipe, then record aroma, acidity, sweetness, mouthfeel and aftertaste.
- Repeat after adjusting one brewing variable. Try to describe what changed rather than deciding only which bag was “best.”
The process becomes clearer with our home cupping guide and single-origin vs. blend explainer.
Further reading: SCA: What Is Specialty Coffee? and SCA Coffee Value Assessment.
