Specialty coffee is a term for the highest grade of coffee available, typically relating to the entire supply chain, using single-origin or single-estate coffee. [1] [2] The term was first used in 1974 by Erna Knutsen in an issue of Tea & Coffee Trade Journal. Knutsen used specialty coffee to describe beans of the best flavor which are produced in special micro-climates. [3]
Specialty coffee is related to the farmers and the brewer what is known as the third wave of coffee, [4] especially throughout North America. This refers to a modern demand for exceptional quality coffee, both farmed and brewed to a significantly higher than average standard.
The widely accepted definition of specialty coffee is coffee scoring 80 points or above on the 100-point scale used on the Specialty Coffee Association Cupping form. Coffee scoring from 90–100 is graded Outstanding, coffee that scores 85–89.99 is graded Excellent, while coffee scoring 80–84.99 is graded Very Good. [3]
The Specialty Coffee Association has a series of more detailed specifications (SCA is the union of the Specialty Coffee Association of American (SCAA) and Europe (SCAE) [5] ). The SCA sets standards for specialty coffee at every stage of the coffee production, including allowable defects in green beans, water standards, and brew strength. The SCA also sets clear standards on the coffee grading process. [6] A minimum requirement for a specialty coffee is the number of defects: to be considered specialty a coffee must have 0 to 5 defects every 350 g (12 ounces) of milled beans.
Although there are different definitions of specialty coffee according to different international organisations, there is a general acceptance of a set of three minimum requirements: coffee should have been hand-picked by selective picking of mature beans, scoring 80 or above, maximum 5 defects per 350 g (12 ounces).
Many organisations and activists are working to include strict environmental and social indicators in the definition and grading of specialty coffee. For example, biologist Giorgio Piracci, president of the Peruvian NGO 7Elements Peru [7] and producer of the first specialty coffee produced applying permaculture ethics and principles, argues that "there's a urgent need to redefine the concept of quality and to embed into it the environmental and socio-economic quality component both at production and distribution level"; according to his vision, "it makes no sense to talk about an "excellent" coffee if this is produced using harmful pesticides, fertilisers or environmentally impacting farming techniques; in the same way, "how can we talk about excellence if a cup of coffee is produced thanks to modern forms of slavery and human exploitation?" [8]
Similar positions are often promoted by Fernando Morales-de La Cruz, journalist and founder of Coffee for Change, an organisation fighting against the use of child labour in the coffee industry; the journalist is very active also in showing up how the labelling system of "Fair trade" is often used although poor, unfair economic conditions for farmers. In a recent interview, at a European Parliament hearing on child labor in cocoa & coffee, Ange Aboa a Reuters correspondent for West & Central Africa said "certifications Fairtrade, UTZ & RainforestAlliance are the biggest scam of the century!". [9] Morales-de La Cruz stated that "It's unacceptable and illegal that seventy years after signing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Europe's 'Fairtrade' coffee, tea & cocoa is grown with slave & child labor. The European Union is the largest importer of coffee in the world. In 2019 Europe paid poor coffee growers 75% less than in 1983". [10]
In general, coffee is grown in the "Bean Belt", between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, which produce the tropical climate required for trees to thrive. [2] Specialty coffee is typically grown in three continents: South and Central Americas, Asia, and Africa.
The world's most expensive specialty coffee is Panama Geisha coffee, which has been sold for over US$1,800/kg (US$800 per pound). [11]
In Australia and New Zealand, specialty coffee is considered mainstream. [12] [13] This is perhaps partly due to a long history of espresso consumption, fuelled by large Italian and Greek migrations in the mid-twentieth century. [14]
While specialty coffee in North America is rarely offered in major coffee chains, the Third Wave of Coffee [4] has resulted in a significant increase in specialty coffee consumption. Independent, "Australian-style", or artisan cafes have opened in multiple cities. [15] [16] [14] An SCAA report estimated the US had 29,300 specialty coffee shops in 2013, up from 2,850 in 1993. [17]
Europe is already a major coffee market accounting for 30% of global consumption, but is seeing a growth in demand for specialty coffee while overall demand remains stable. [18] In 2016, specialty coffee was Europe's fastest growing major restaurant category, with an increase of 9.1% from 2014–2015. Western Europe saw a particularly large growth of 10.5% in the specialty cafe market, while the overall coffee industry reduced by 1.5%, perhaps due to a longer history of coffee consumption. [18] [19] In 2021, Europe region emerged as the largest market for the global specialty coffee market with a 46.21% share of the market revenue [20]
Asia is projected to soon represent the world's largest consumer of specialty coffee, with over US$3.7 billion in new value growth projected from 2016–2020. [19] Despite Asia being traditionally dominated by tea consumption, it is now easy to find specialty coffee shops across many Korean, Chinese and Japanese cities. [21] The growing trend of coffee consumption in Asia, particularly in China, is driven by the perception of coffee as an experience rather than just a beverage. While the taste of coffee remains central, social media has shifted consumers' focus towards the symbolic meaning of drinking coffee as a representation of lifestyle. [22]
There have also been increases in the consumption of coffee from countries traditionally responsible for growing coffee. Brazil's overall coffee consumption in 2014 was 21 million bags, close to that of the US at 23.4 million bags. [17] Guatemala is also experiencing a surge in popularity of specialty coffee. [4] [23]
In Qatar and the rest of the Gulf region, the consumption of Specialty Coffee has increased progressively into a flourishing industry since mid-2010's. [24] Noting Specialty Coffee is very distinct to the traditional Kahwah Al Arabiya which already had a considerable presence in the gulfian market. [25]
Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It has the highest sales in the world market for hot drinks.
Kopi luwak, also known as civet coffee, is a coffee that consists of partially digested coffee cherries, which have been eaten and defecated by the Asian palm civet. The cherries are fermented as they pass through a civet's intestines, and after being defecated with other fecal matter, they are collected. Asian palm civets are increasingly caught in the wild and traded for this purpose.
Peet's Coffee is a San Francisco Bay Area-based specialty coffee roaster and retailer owned by JAB Holding Company via JDE Peet's. Founded in 1966 by Alfred Peet in Berkeley, California, Peet's introduced the United States to its darker roasted Arabica coffee in blends including French roast and grades appropriate for espresso drinks. Peet's offers freshly roasted beans, brewed coffee and espresso beverages, as well as bottled cold brew. In 2007, Peet's opened the first LEED Gold Certified roastery in the United States. Peet's coffee is sold in over 14,000 grocery stores across the United States.
La Marzocco, founded in 1927, Florence, by Giuseppe and Bruno Bambi, is an Italian company specializing in high-end espresso coffee machines. It is based in Scarperia, with branch offices worldwide.
The World Barista Championship (WBC) is an annual barista competition operated by World Coffee Events for the title of World Barista Champion. The competition is composed of the winners of the national barista championships, which are operated by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) chapters, or an approved, independent, non-profit national body. First held in 2000, the event is hosted in a different city every year. The most recent edition in 2024 was in Busan, South Korea.
The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), founded in 1982, was a non-profit trade organization for the specialty coffee industry. With members located in more than 40 countries, SCAA represented different segments of the specialty coffee industry, including producers, roasters, importers/exporters and retailers.
Macedonian cuisine is the traditional cuisine of North Macedonia. It is influenced by Ottoman and Balkan cuisines. The relatively warm climate of the country provides excellent growth conditions for a variety of vegetables, herbs and fruits. Macedonian cuisine is also noted for the diversity and quality of its dairy products, wines, and local alcoholic beverages, such as rakija. Tavče gravče and mastika are considered the national dish and drink of North Macedonia.
Maraba coffee is grown in the Maraba area of southern Rwanda. Maraba's coffee plants are the Bourbon variety of the Coffea arabica species and are grown on fertile volcanic soils on high-altitude hills. The fruit is handpicked, mostly during the rainy season between March and May, and brought to a washing station in Maraba, where the coffee beans are extracted and dried. At several stages, the beans are sorted according to quality. The farmers receive credits based on the amount and quality of the beans they provide.
The history of coffee dates back centuries in Ethiopia and Yemen. It was already known in Mecca in the 15th century. Also, in the 15th century, Sufi monasteries in Yemen employed coffee as an aid to concentration during prayers. Coffee later spread to the Levant in the early 16th century; it caused some controversy on whether it was halal in Ottoman and Mamluk society. Coffee arrived in Italy the second half of the 16th century through commercial Mediterranean trade routes, while Central and Eastern Europeans learned of coffee from the Ottomans. By the mid 17th century, it had reached India and the East Indies.
Coffee is a popular beverage and an important commodity. Tens of millions of small producers in developing countries make their living growing coffee. Over 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed in the world daily. Over 90 percent of coffee production takes place in developing countries — mainly South America — while consumption happens primarily in industrialized economies. There are 25 million small producers who rely on coffee for a living worldwide. In Brazil, where almost a third of the world's coffee is produced, over five million people are employed in the cultivation and harvesting of over three billion coffee plants; it is a more labor-intensive culture than alternative cultures of the same regions, such as sugar cane or cattle, as its cultivation is not automated, requiring frequent human attention.
Coffee culture is the set of traditions and social behaviors that surround the consumption of coffee, particularly as a social lubricant. The term also refers to the cultural diffusion and adoption of coffee as a widely consumed stimulant. In the late 20th century, espresso became an increasingly dominant drink contributing to coffee culture, particularly in the Western world and other urbanized centers around the globe.
Coffee production in Colombia has a reputation for producing mild, well-balanced coffee beans. Colombia's average annual coffee production of 11.5 million bags is the third total highest in the world, after Brazil and Vietnam, though highest in terms of the arabica bean. The beans are exported to United States, Germany, France, Japan, and Italy. Most coffee is grown in the Colombian coffee growing axis region, while other regions focus on quality instead of volumes, such as Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. In 2007, the European Union granted Colombian coffee a protected designation of origin status. In 2011, UNESCO declared the "Coffee Cultural Landscape" of Colombia, a World Heritage site.
Coffee production has played a key role in Costa Rica's history and continues to be important to the country's economy. In 2006, coffee was Costa Rica's number three export, after being the number one cash crop export for several decades. In 1997, the agriculture sector employed 28 percent of the labor force and comprised 20 percent of Costa Rica's total GNP. Production increased from 158,000 tons in 1988 to 168,000 tons in 1992. The largest growing areas are in the provinces of San José, Alajuela, Heredia, Puntarenas, and Cartago. The coffee is exported to other countries in the world and is also exported to cities in Costa Rica.
Xen Coffee is an independent siphon coffee bar in Hong Kong. Xen Coffee's first coffee shop was in Quarry Bay. Xen Coffee serves highly selective coffee varieties from Africa, Indonesia, Central and South Americas.
Third-wave coffee is a movement in coffee marketing emphasizing high quality. Beans are typically sourced from individual farms and are roasted more lightly to bring out their distinctive flavors. Though the term was coined in 1999, the approach originated in the 1970s, with roasters such as the Coffee Connection.
Kopi, also known as Nanyang coffee, is a traditional coffee beverage found in several Maritime Southeast Asian nations. Often brewed to be highly caffeinated in strength, it is commonly served with sugar and/or milk-based condiments. This drink originated from the British Malaya era, with Hainanese cultural roots. The name of the drink is derived from the Malay term for coffee. The term Nanyang, which means "South Sea" in Mandarin, refers to Maritime Southeast Asia. Kopi culture vocabulary is grounded in the Hokkien language as a result of historical immigration to Maritime Southeast Asia from the Minnan region in the south-eastern part of Fujian Province in southeastern mainland China. The beverage is usually served in coffee shops, hawker centres and kopitiams across the region.
The World Brewers Cup is an annual international coffee brewing competition organized by World Coffee Events, an organization founded by the Specialty Coffee Association. The stated goal of the competition is to showcase the craft and skill of filter coffee brewing by hand, promoting manual coffee brewing and quality of service. Contestants qualify for the international competition by winning their respective national championships. As of 2019, there were approximately 40 participating national organizations. The annual location of the event is determined by the World Coffee Events organizing committee, and is typically held in conjunction with the World Barista Championship, the World Coffee Roasting Championship, and the World Latte Art Championship. The first World Brewers Cup was held in 2011 in Maastricht, Netherlands. The 2022 WBrC was held in Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Thailand is one of the top 25 coffee producers in the world as of 2014, but its status as a coffee origin has not been widely known. Thailand traditionally produced mainly Robusta for industrial use, but the country has quickly become an exciting emerging origin for specialty Arabica and fine Robusta coffees. The origin is unique in that it exports very little coffee and most of the consumption remains in the country. There is a booming specialty coffee ecosystem where farmers, roasters, cafes and consumers symbiotically co-exist. It is often seen as an example of a working coffee ecosystem for an origin where coffee produced is sustainable from both economic and environmental perspectives.
Countries have cultivated coffee beans into various vehicles to satisfy needs unique to each country. Whether it be for energy, socialization, or tradition, the cultivation of coffee has served as a motivating force of the world. The modernization of coffee and its unique forms across cultures are markers of tradition and modern changes across continents. Coffee culture appears in the way in which people consume coffee, the way they make it, and where coffee is served and shared. Each of these factors combined reflects the lives of the people in these countries and the importance of coffee across the world.
Modern cultivation of coffee in China began in 1988. In 2016 and 2017, China was among the top 20 worldwide producers of coffee. Ninety-eight per cent of the coffee grown in China comes from Yunnan province.
