What Is Specialty Coffee, Really? (And Why It Costs More)
What Is Specialty Coffee, Really? (And Why It Costs More)
There's a specific meaning behind the term ‘specialty coffee’. It's coffee that has scored 80 points or higher out of 100 on the official grading scale run by the Specialty Coffee Association, judged by trained tasters across everything from aroma to sweetness. That independent quality benchmark is a big part of why specialty coffee costs more than what you'd find on a typical supermarket shelf.
What Does ‘Specialty Coffee’ Actually Mean?
The term comes from the Specialty Coffee Association, which runs an official 100-point scale used across the industry. Coffee scoring 80 points or above qualifies as specialty. Anything below that, including most supermarket coffee, own-brand blends and instant coffee, sits in the commodity grade, roughly between 65 and 80 points. Fewer than 1% of coffees on the market score above 90, the tier that qualifies for the SCA's Presidential Award.
How Is Specialty Coffee Graded?
Grading happens through a process called cupping, carried out by trained tasters (often called Q graders). They score coffee across ten separate categories, each marked in small increments:
- Fragrance and aroma
- Flavour
- Aftertaste
- Acidity
- Body
- Balance
- Uniformity
- Clean cup, meaning no off flavours
- Sweetness
- Overall impression
Each category is scored individually before being combined into a final total, which is a far more rigorous process than a simple taste test.
Why Does Specialty Coffee Cost More to Grow?
Specialty coffee tends to grow at higher altitudes, in specific microclimates that slow down how quickly the cherries ripen. That slower growth lets more sugars and oils develop in the bean, which is where much of the flavour comes from. Harvesting it is also more labour intensive. Rather than stripping an entire plant at once, pickers select each cherry by hand at peak ripeness, often returning to the same plant several times across a season. Growing and picking coffee this way takes more time, more skill and more people and that's reflected in what farmers and pickers are paid. The growers are able to further add value with skilled processing methods whether it be washed, natural or even fermented methods, each providing unique taste characteristics that are in high demand.
Why Does Specialty Coffee Cost More to Roast and Buy?
Buying and roasting specialty coffee adds further cost on top of growing it. It typically passes through green coffee buyers who assess quality and select individual lots, rather than being bought in bulk from a general market. Roasters then work in small batches, tasting and adjusting as they go to bring out the best in each specific coffee, rather than roasting to one fixed, high-volume recipe. That specialised time and expertise costs more than large-scale commodity roasting and it shows up in the price of the finished bag.
What Makes Moon Roast's Coffee Award Winning?
Not only does Moon Roast use the best ingredients, in specialty grade Arabica beans, but also roasting in carried out in small batches to a specific profile. Daily roasting keeps the coffee as fresh as possible, rather than roasting to a warehouse schedule. The Roastery is award winning, and the quality of the product has been fully recognised, including x20 Great Taste Awards, Muddy Stilettos best local producer and a place in the Indy Coffee Guide. Moon Roast is also a certified B Corp, meaning the sustainable and ethical standards are verified, having been independently assessed rather than simply claimed.
Where Can You Try Moon Roast's Specialty Coffee?
Buying for yourself? Moon Roast's whole bean and ground coffee is available through the online shop, roasted fresh and posted out in bags sized for home brewing.
Buying for the office? Moon Roast's office coffee subscription supplies both whole bean and ground coffee, delivered fresh on a schedule that suits your office.
