What Makes Specialty Coffee Special?

There are two definitions of specialty coffee. One is not right or wrong, if anything I’d say they are both right. The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) has a chart that scores coffee based on scale out of 100. It has a lot of different characteristics on it that a taster is looking for. This includes things you might have heard before like: sweetness, complexity, acidity, balance; as well as specific tasting notes like: chocolate, apple, lemon zest, honey, berry, etc. These types of notes would score a coffee high points. If a coffee scores higher than 80 it is a very good coffee. If it is 85+, it is specialty coffee. However, this is not the only way to define specialty coffee. In my opinion, specialty coffee is more than just a number—it’s a holistic approach to growing, harvesting, processing, buying, roasting, (buying again in some cases), and brewing. Specialty coffee is a mindset. A commitment to wanting to make the best cup of coffee possible AND make sure that the hands who cared for it along the way are taken care of. Actually, it is this definition that I think is more important, because even though a 90-point coffee tastes really good, if you focus on the growing, harvesting, and processing you will see those numbers go up as a natural result. Therefore, there’s no need to focus on specialty coffee from a number standpoint, but instead it’s better to focus on it from a quality standpoint.

As a Spanish speaker and a coffee lover, I enjoy shining a light on what coffee means in Latin America. Coffee is a key export and a major source of income for countries like Honduras and Guatemala. In some, it’s among the top 5 exports. Over 14 million people in Latin America rely on coffee for their livelihoods—this includes farmers, pickers, processors, transporters, and sellers. But, coffee culture in Latin America has always had its problems. Coffee production in many areas still faces challenges with child labor, low wages, and unsafe working conditions—especially during harvest season. This type of challenge is a direct result of the low price of coffee. Specialty coffee looks to change that, because no one deserves to have to live that way. No child should spend their childhood picking coffee cherries just because their family can’t afford them not to.

Here are a few more facts about coffee in Latin American Countries:

Many smallholder farmers earn less than a living wage.

• Income depends heavily on volatile global coffee prices.

• Most lack access to credit, advanced tools, or market leverage.

Living Conditions:

• In rural coffee regions, infrastructure (roads, schools, healthcare) is often underdeveloped.

• Seasonal workers, especially pickers, may face poor housing, low wages, and few protections.

Cultural Identity:

• Coffee is often tied to cultural pride and family heritage—many farms have been passed down for generations.

• In places like Colombia and Guatemala, coffee has a deep connection to regional identity and storytelling.

My goal at Devoted Coffee Co. is to bring more awareness to this issue and show people why Specialty coffee makes a difference. Not only in how the coffee tastes, but more importantly, in the lives of those who make coffee and depend on it for their living. By charging slightly more for our beans and keeping traceability as the focus, we can know that more money is going back to the farms where our coffee was grown. If we want to continue to have this amazing drink then we have to be willing to support those who make it. Because the fact of the matter is, that many young people are leaving coffee farming because it isn’t a sustainable living. The average age of a coffee producer in Latin America is around 55 years old!

So, what is Specialty coffee? Well, it’s a whole lot more than really good tasting coffee. It’s an agreement between those that want to buy, make, and consume the coffee and those that make the coffee saying, “We believe what you are doing is worth doing and we are going to pay you enough to make a good living.” It’s a commitment to quality. It’s a commitment to people, and it helps everyone be happy and enjoy this beautiful, delicious drink.

Did you know this?

• No, it's news to me!
• Yes, but it was a good refresher.