Let's start at the beginning.
What is specialty coffee?
Without getting too complicated, we can say that for a coffee to be considered specialty, it must meet certain quality standards, standards that we see reflected in the Score it receives (+80 points). If these standards are not met, we would call it a commodity.
So much for the technical definition, but...
Is that all?
The term specialty coffees was used for the first time in 1974 by Erna Knutsen, who said that specialty coffees come from special places, not giving a concrete location, but rather implying that there is something else behind all these technicalities.
This woman of Norwegian origin was considered the godmother of specialty coffee, and was a tireless advocate for the values of quality, identity and distinction in coffee.
Yes, a specialty coffee must meet very clear quality standards, but we can also know its identity, we know where it comes from, how and in some cases who grows it or how it is processed. Knowing all this information (as happens with wine) adds more value to the product and that is why it is distinguished from what is not a specialty coffee.
This is not the end of the chain, the coffee must be developed through roasting (the critical point of the whole chain) and then processed correctly so that we can finally enjoy it. If the chain breaks at some point, something that started out as special ceases to be so.
I remember the coffee that changed my professional path, and made me get hooked on this beverage. It was a natural Ethiopia from the Guji region, it was full of quakers (unripe beans, it is a defect in coffee) so it could not be considered specialty, but I can assure you that for me it was very special.
What is specialty coffee for you?