Today, many people are familiar with the term ‘specialty coffee’. Every coffee shop hangs their specialty label like a welcome sign. Every post talks about the exclusivity of specialty, making people believe that specialty is superior. But, here’s the take: specialty coffee is not exclusive.
Because of the rapid growth of the coffee industry, coffee is not a luxury anymore. Coffee has become a lifestyle. In the big city, coffee shops are everywhere. If a decade ago the market was full of big competitors like Starbucks, now the coffee industry is crowded by small independent roasters. Some of them would claim that they use specialty coffee. But what is specialty coffee actually?
What is Specialty Coffee?
According to the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), specialty coffee is a coffee that scores a minimum 80 out of 10 in cupping by Q grader experts. Moreover, SCA also says that a specialty coffee must have distinctive attributes, both intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic attributes include the taste, aroma, physical appearance, body, etc. While the extrinsic attributes include origin, brand, and farm name. These extrinsic attributes play a key role for the traceability of the coffee. Specialty coffee aims for a greater equality towards everyone in the coffee chains, including the farmer, processor, roaster, barista, and the consumers.
How Its Begin
In the 2000s, specialty coffee gained fame all around the world with the entrance of panama geisha coffee. The narrative of the meticulous process of Geisha raised its exclusivity. By then, people were aware of specialty coffee and its high price. It’s normal that people think specialty coffee is exclusive because it’s expensive and vice versa. But, the rise of specialty coffee doesn’t only affect the consumers, it also affects the coffee makers.
The Effects of Specialty Exclusiveness
In order for consumers to buy specialty coffee, they need to understand the value of the coffee itself. People who only drink coffee for a wake-me-up call, probably won’t spend a lot of money on coffee. But people who know the process, the meaning, and the flavors of specialty coffee would always spend more on their coffee experience. To raise this awareness, brands and coffee shops play a role in educating their customers. Meanwhile, the most important part lies in the hand that processes the coffee from its tree, to the roastery machine.
The farmers and the processors have been always selling their coffee with low prices. But when they discover the specialty coffee, they begin to take more care in their coffee. They started fermenting and selling their coffee as green beans. Some would sort their coffee to meet the specialty standard: no major defect, uniform shape and composition. Therefore, the coffee industry shifted with most people aware about specialty coffee. Coffee shops began introducing their coffee as specialty, customers were scrolling their Instagram to find specialty coffee, and roasters were putting a specialty sticker on their bag. Some of them do it for the ‘name’, but the other half that drink specialty coffee for its specialness notice the fact that: specialty coffee is no longer exclusive.
Is It Good or Bad?
For some people, this shift may be ‘upsetting’, like when people discover your underrated music artist, so it becomes more common and it’s no longer your little hidden gem. But that also means that many people start appreciating something that deserves that spotlight. The same thing happens with specialty coffee. Now, specialty coffee is more inclusive and that is a good sign for the coffee industry. With more people drinking specialty coffee, the roasters, barista, processors, and farmers could have the opportunity for a more equal share. The accessibility to a good coffee also increases. So you can say that specialty coffee has impacted people to choose quality goods. At its best, the growing presence of specialty coffee can bridge cultures, empower farmers, and cultivate communities built on both quality and respect.
Final Thought
Specialty coffee has outgrown its image as an exclusive luxury. What was once a rarefied experience is now an inclusive movement that celebrates quality, connection, and sustainability. By making specialty coffee more accessible, the industry has opened the door to deeper appreciation, fairer trade, and stronger communities. In the end, that’s the true specialty: coffee that doesn’t just taste better, but also makes the world better.
