The term "specialty coffee" is almost ubiquitous in Taiwan, yet its true meaning is not necessarily clear to everyone. The definition given by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) does not focus solely on green bean quality or brewing techniques, but rather looks at the entire industry chain—from farmers, green coffee buyers, roasters, and baristas all the way to consumers, with every link playing an indispensable role. This article will comprehensively sort through SCAA's official interpretation of specialty coffee, introducing you to every person on this quality chain who contributes quietly behind the scenes, and prompting you to rethink the true value behind a good cup of coffee.

The term "specialty coffee" sounds cool, and in Taiwan it has almost become a phrase on everyone's lips, with shops bearing the specialty coffee sign everywhere on every street and in every alley (of course Front Street Coffee counts as one too). But honestly, what the word "specialty" actually represents is something most people are not clear about, so most consumers still find it hard to judge whether a shop truly embodies the spirit of specialty coffee. Let's take a closer look at how specialty coffee is actually defined.

SCAA's Definition of Specialty Coffee

The following is the explanation on the SCAA official website of what specialty coffee is (what is specialty-grade coffee?):

Specialty coffee endures because of the dedication of a group of people committed to continuously improving the quality of life and work. This is not the achievement of any single person in the life cycle of a coffee bean; specialty only happens when all participants in the coffee value chain work together and consistently maintain a passion for standards and excellence. This is by no means easy, yet precisely because of these dedicated professionals, many specialty coffees can now be found all over the world—perhaps right beside you.

The sustainable development of specialty coffee must rely on the collective commitment of a group of people willing to maintain high quality, rather than depending on any single person in the coffee bean production process;

From start to finish, every link in the production chain must work together, follow standards, and constantly improve in order to achieve specialty coffee.

This is not an achievement that can be reached easily. Precisely because of a group of devoted operators, many specialty coffees have already flourished around the world, even right beside you and me.

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In the past, the focus of specialty coffee sometimes fell on the green bean production process, sometimes on roasting, and sometimes on the brewing stage.

Now SCAA seems to want to tell consumers that the cup of "specialty coffee" truly delivered to you is actually the result of joint efforts at every stage. This is a fairly apt definition, because if any single link goes wrong, the specialty coffee before you may truly become a cup of terrible coffee.

SCAA also describes the important roles in the production process one by one. Let's continue reading:

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Getting to Know the People Devoted to Specialty Coffee

Definition of Specialty Coffee

Farmer

Great coffee begins with producers, whose families may have spent generations perfecting the methods for growing the finest coffee. Before the first harvest, they must cultivate and care for the plants for years under selected altitude and climate conditions. Specialty coffee producers are committed to improving and refining their craft in order to grow the highest-quality coffee on earth. For them, quality is the primary consideration, not yield. Only coffee that is flawless and picked at peak ripeness can move on to the next stage that shapes it. For farmers, being able to connect with quality-conscious buyers can ensure higher profit returns, thereby supporting individuals, families, and communities around the world.

Farmer

Excellent coffee originates from producers who have devoted generations to growing high-quality coffee. Before the first harvest, the plants must be carefully tended for several years in rigorously selected altitude and climate zones. Specialty coffee producers dedicate their lives to refining the world's highest-quality coffee.

For them, quality is the most important consideration, not production quantity. Only when coffee is flawless and at its ripest state can it enter the next stage of production.

For farmers, trading as much as possible with quality-conscious and conscientious buyers is the way to obtain higher profits to support their lives, their families, and their communities.

Green Coffee Buyer

Next, these green coffees are transferred to green coffee buyers, who may become certified coffee tasters through SCAA certification or licensed Q graders through the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI). Their palates are as outstanding as those of sommeliers, and they can keenly identify coffee quality through cupping or systematically tasting brewed coffee. Through cupping, coffee tasters can evaluate a coffee's score and determine whether it reaches specialty-grade quality, thereby deciding which coffees to include in their product lines, and often developing tasting notes and coffee descriptions for the final packaging. Green coffee buyers play an important role in communicating coffee information to roasters and cafe staff.

Green Coffee Buyer

Next, green coffee buyers take over these green beans. Some green coffee buyers are certified by SCAA as cuppers or by the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) as coffee quality graders.

Their professional cuppers can keenly distinguish coffee quality through cupping and systematic brewing of coffee.

Through cupping, cuppers will score the coffee and determine which ones meet specialty coffee quality requirements in order to decide which items to purchase. They will also share their flavor descriptions on product packaging.

Green coffee buyers provide a great deal of information to coffee roasters and coffee industry professionals.

Roaster

Next, high-quality coffee is transferred to coffee roasters certified by the Roasters Guild, because they have completed hours of coursework and hands-on training to skillfully roast specialty beans. Coffee roasting is an art that requires a high degree of knowledge and experience to produce professional-grade roasting curves. During roasting, coffee must be closely monitored, and the scientific principles of heat conduction, thermodynamics, and coffee chemistry must be applied to ensure that the final roasted beans achieve the highest standards of quality and flavor.

Roaster

High-quality coffee is then handed over to roasters. Some roasters are certified by the Roasters Guild (RG), having completed many hours of roasting courses and hands-on training in order to skillfully roast specialty green coffee beans.

Coffee roasting is an art that requires extensive knowledge and experience to achieve specialty-grade coffee roasting.

During roasting, coffee must be closely monitored in accordance with the principles of conduction, thermodynamics, and chemistry to ensure that the final roasted coffee beans possess the highest quality and flavor.

Once specialty coffee beans reach the retail environment, they have already passed three levels of inspection to ensure an extremely high level of quality control, but the process is not yet complete. The BARISTA, who may be certified by the Barista Guild of America after completing extensive coursework and hands-on training, is the final coffee professional ensuring that the life cycle of the specialty bean is complete. Professional-level baristas are not only technically skilled in operating brewing equipment; they often have an in-depth understanding of where the coffee beans come from and the flavor characteristics of the beans during brewing. If specialty beans are not brewed correctly, their true flavor may be lost; the barista ensures that every bean fulfills its promise of being fully brewed.

Barista

Once specialty coffee beans reach the retail channel, it means they have already passed the first three stages of high-standard quality control, but all processes are not yet complete.

Some baristas are certified by the Barista Guild of America, having completed many hours of bar coursework and hands-on training, in order to professionally complete the final stage of the specialty coffee bean production process.

Professional baristas are not only skilled at operating coffee brewing equipment; they usually also have an in-depth understanding of the coffee bean's production history and are able to uncover the flavors hidden within the coffee beans.

If specialty coffee is not extracted as correctly as possible, it may lose its true flavor. Baristas ensure that every coffee bean can be fully extracted.

SCAA Definition of Specialty Coffee

Comsumer

Don't want to see yourself on this list? In fact, consumers complete the life cycle of specialty coffee beans by actively seeking out and choosing specialty coffee options. When you take the time to seek out a local coffee bar or restaurant committed to improving quality, or take a moment to learn from your barista about the people whose hands and passion produce the cup you are enjoying, so that you can learn more about the choices available, you not only demonstrate a commitment to a higher standard of taste and flavor quality, but also show a commitment to a higher standard of living for everyone who contributes to it.

Consumer

Didn't expect to be part of the specialty coffee industry yourself? In fact, it is consumers actively seeking out and choosing specialty coffee that complete the final stage of specialty coffee production.

When you take the time to seek out a local quality cafe or roastery, and further learn from your barista that enjoying a cup of specialty coffee depends on the dedication and passion of many people, it enables you to make smarter choices. What you pursue is not only the highest standard of coffee quality and flavor, but also the pursuit of excellence by every role in the specialty coffee production process.

Specialty coffee is also called gourmet coffee or precious coffee, and specialty coffee can only be grown in ideal cultivation environments.

Because it is grown in unique terroir conditions, specialty coffee possesses a distinctive flavor.

Erna Knutsen

Special terroir conditions produce coffee beans with distinctive flavors.

It can be seen that the above two definitions focus on the growing environment and flavor of coffee beans, and do not extend to other aspects.

In contrast, SCAA's latest definition of specialty coffee extends to the entire coffee production process, from coffee bean cultivation, processing, green coffee buyers, roasters, and baristas, even including consumers.

This definition, with its extremely long chain and quality requirements so high they seem almost exaggerated, I quite agree with, because it more faithfully reflects the current state of specialty coffee.

Of course, Taiwan is a relatively developed region for specialty coffee. At present, the number of roasters large and small in Taiwan (including cafes, roasting plants, roasting studios, individuals, etc.) has already exceeded 3,000. Given Taiwan's population and area, this is absurdly high, and it naturally makes Taiwan the region with the highest home-roasting rate in the world.

Definition of Specialty Coffee

Therefore we may not be able to understand what is so difficult about this definition, since as long as one is willing, finding an estate-level cafe is not very hard.

Perhaps with just a half-hour drive, you can find cafes in every county and city that have been cultivating specialty coffee, roasting COE super-premium beans in their own little corner of the world, telling you about the greatness of the cup of coffee before you.

Taiwan is simply the best spokesperson for specialty coffee!!!!! It completely fits the definition.

But this is not the norm around the world. Whether in countries with a long history of coffee drinking, where people may drink large amounts of commercial coffee (just as Taiwanese drink soy milk) and never feel the need to seek out more specialty coffee; or in countries where people hardly drink coffee at all, where you cannot even find a cafe with estate beans, and of course it is even more likely that no one has ever thought of looking for one.

That is why SCAA uses this kind of soft appeal to tell more people the true value of specialty coffee: it is by no means meant to be removed from people, but should be traced from consumers back to the production end, jointly pursuing higher-quality specialty coffee.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.