Specialty coffee: Specialty coffee is coffee recognized for distinctive attributes that give it significantly higher market value, traditionally defined as coffee scoring 80 or more out of 100 under the Specialty Coffee Association cupping protocol, with green beans that pass strict defect limits.
What is specialty coffee?
Specialty coffee is the highest quality tier of coffee. Under the Specialty Coffee Association's classic cupping protocol, it scores 80 or more out of 100 and its green beans pass strict defect limits. The SCA now defines it more broadly, as coffee recognized for distinctive attributes that give it significantly higher market value.
Specialty coffee is the top quality tier of coffee, judged on the green beans before roasting and on how the coffee tastes once brewed. The term has an official meaning from the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), a number most people have heard of (80 points), and a looser everyday meaning on cafe menus. Here is how each one works and what it tells you when you buy a bag.
How does the Specialty Coffee Association define specialty coffee today?
The SCA currently defines specialty coffee as "a coffee or coffee experience that is recognized for its distinctive attributes," resulting in "a significantly higher value within the marketplace." It states that specialty status is not based on a score alone. Value also comes from sensory attributes, consistency, sustainability and the impact on the people who grow and drink the coffee.
That framing comes with a new evaluation system called the Coffee Value Assessment (CVA), which the SCA describes as replacing the traditional cupping system with a more inclusive and transparent approach. Instead of one overall number, the CVA combines four assessment types:
- Physical: color, defects, moisture content and bean size.
- Descriptive: aroma, flavor, texture and aftertaste, recorded in standardized language.
- Affective: the evaluator's overall impression of quality, which is still scored.
- Extrinsic: information beyond the cup, such as certifications, origin traceability and processing.
The figure you will still see on bags and in the trade is the classic one: under the SCA cupping protocol, a coffee scoring 80 points or more out of 100 is classified as specialty. Both frameworks are in use, so it is accurate to say specialty coffee has traditionally meant an 80+ cupping score, and that the SCA now describes it more broadly.
What does the 80-point cupping score actually measure?
In the SCA cupping protocol, trained cuppers taste at least five cups of the same sample, roasted to a set light roast level and rested at least 8 hours after roasting. They score ten attributes:
- Seven quality attributes: fragrance and aroma, flavor, aftertaste, acidity, body, balance and overall.
- Three per-cup checks worth 2 points per cup: sweetness, uniformity and clean cup.
Points are then subtracted for taints and faults. The final score falls into one of four bands:
| Final score | SCA description | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| 90 to 100 | Outstanding | Specialty |
| 85 to under 90 | Excellent | Specialty |
| 80 to 84.99 | Very Good | Specialty |
| Below 80 | Below specialty quality | Not specialty |
A useful way to read it: 80 is the floor, not a mark of greatness. Most of the meaningful differences you can taste sit between 80 and 90.
How is green coffee graded before anyone tastes it?
Before roasting, graders inspect a sample of unroasted (green) beans. Under the SCA protocol, defects are counted on a 350 gram (about 12.3 oz) sample. To qualify as Specialty Grade, that sample must have:
- Zero Category 1 defects. These are the primary defects with the biggest effect on flavor. Examples in standard defect tables include full black beans, full sour beans, dried cherries and foreign matter such as stones and sticks.
- No more than five Category 2 defects. These are secondary defects, counted as "full defects" after converting several minor flaws into one.
- Acceptable color and odor. Beans must be blue-green, bluish-green or green and free of foreign odors.
The older SCAA classification, as summarized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, used a 300 gram sample, allowed no quakers (one of the undesirable bean types graders screen for) and required moisture content between 9 and 13%. Either way, the point is the same: specialty coffee has to be physically clean before its flavor is even considered.
What separates specialty coffee from commodity coffee?
Commodity coffee is traded mainly on volume and basic grade, and it often ends up in dark, blended supermarket coffee where consistency matters more than character. Specialty coffee is bought, sorted and roasted to show what a specific coffee tastes like.
| Factor | Specialty coffee | Commodity coffee |
|---|---|---|
| Traceability | Named country, and often region, farm or cooperative, variety and process | Often blended from many sources; origin may be broad or not listed |
| Grading | Specialty Grade green beans (zero Category 1, five or fewer Category 2 defects per 350 g) and an 80+ cupping score or CVA evaluation | Graded to lower trade standards that permit more defects |
| Freshness | Roast date printed; often roasted to order or in small batches | Best-by date common; roast date often absent |
| Roast | Usually light to medium so origin flavors stay visible | Often darker, which evens out differences between beans |
| Price | Higher, reflecting what the SCA calls "a significantly higher value within the marketplace" | Lower, priced for volume |
What does a specialty score mean for you as a buyer?
A score tells you that trained tasters, following a set protocol, found the coffee clean and distinctive. It is a strong quality filter. An 86 from a reputable evaluation is a reasonable signal that the coffee has clear flavors and no obvious faults.
It also has real limits:
- It measures the green coffee, not your bag. Cupping uses a standardized light sample roast. The coffee you buy may be roasted differently and has aged since.
- It is a snapshot. A score applies to one lot from one harvest. Next year's crop from the same farm can score differently.
- It does not describe taste preference. A bright, fruity washed coffee and a heavy, chocolate-forward one can earn the same number. The SCA itself added the descriptive and affective assessments to the CVA partly because one number cannot capture that.
- Scores are rarely published to shoppers. Many bags of genuine specialty coffee never print a number, so its absence is not a red flag.
Why does "specialty coffee" mean something different on a cafe menu?
In US consumer surveys, "specialty" is a drink category, not a grade. The National Coffee Data Trends specialty report, released by the SCA in 2026, found that 47% of American adults had specialty coffee in the past day. That definition counts any espresso-based drink such as a latte or cappuccino, non-espresso drinks like cold brew, and traditional coffee that consumers perceive to be brewed from premium beans. So a latte made with commodity espresso counts in that survey, even though the beans would not pass specialty grading.
How can you recognize specialty coffee on a bag?
You usually cannot check the grading yourself, but the label gives strong clues. Look for:
- A specific origin. At least a country, ideally a region, farm, cooperative or washing station.
- Variety and process. Names like Bourbon, Typica or Gesha, and a process such as washed, natural or honey.
- A roast date. Not just a best-by date. Specialty sellers want you to know how fresh the coffee is.
- Tasting notes. Specific descriptors (stone fruit, citrus, cocoa) rather than "bold" or "rich" alone.
- A lighter roast description. Light or medium roasts let the origin come through.
- Elevation or harvest information. Optional, but a sign the seller tracks where the coffee came from.
Most single-origin coffees are specialty grade, though the two terms are not identical: single origin describes where a coffee comes from, while specialty describes its quality. Our Coffee Guides cover origin, process and roast in more depth, and you can browse every coffee we offer, each roasted to order, in the single-origin collection.
Frequently asked questions
What score makes a coffee specialty?
Under the Specialty Coffee Association cupping protocol, a coffee that scores 80 points or more out of 100 is classified as specialty. Scores of 80 to 84.99 are Very Good, 85 to under 90 Excellent, and 90 to 100 Outstanding. Below 80 is not specialty.
Is specialty coffee better than regular coffee?
Specialty coffee is graded to stricter standards: cleaner green beans with almost no defects, and a cupping score of 80 or more. That usually means clearer, more distinctive flavor. Whether you prefer it depends on taste, but on measurable quality it sits above commodity coffee.
Why is specialty coffee more expensive?
It costs more to grow, sort and grade coffee to specialty standards, and lots are often small and traceable to a farm or region. The Specialty Coffee Association describes specialty coffee as having a significantly higher value within the marketplace because of its distinctive attributes.
What is the SCA Coffee Value Assessment?
The Coffee Value Assessment is the SCA's newer evaluation system. Instead of a single score, it combines four assessments: physical (defects, moisture, size), descriptive (aroma, flavor, texture), affective (overall quality impression) and extrinsic (traceability, certifications, processing).
Is all single-origin coffee specialty coffee?
No. Single origin describes where a coffee comes from, while specialty describes its graded quality. Many single-origin coffees are specialty grade, but a single-origin lot with too many defects or a cupping score below 80 would not qualify as specialty.
How many defects can specialty coffee have?
Under the SCA green grading protocol, a 350 gram sample of Specialty Grade coffee must have zero Category 1 (primary) defects and no more than five Category 2 (secondary) defects. The beans must also have acceptable color and no foreign odors.