Specialty Coffee

"Specialty coffee can consistently exist through the dedication of the people who have made it their life's work to continually make quality their highest priority. This is not the work of only one person in the lifecycle of a coffee bean; specialty can only occur when all of those involved in the coffee value chain work in harmony and maintain a keen focus on standards and excellence from start to finish. This is no easy accomplishment, and yet because of these dedicated professionals, there are numerous specialty coffees available right now, across the globe, and likely right around the corner from you." - SCA

Specialty coffee refers to the whole process from farmer to cup using single origin coffee. And it refers to the way the coffee is roasted and how it is extracted. These types of coffee should not be confused with “gourmet” or “premium” coffee. Those words are marketing terms with no defined standards for the flavor and taste of the coffee itself.

According to SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) definitions, specialty coffee “refers to the highest quality green coffee beans, roasted to their greatest flavor potential by true craftspeople and then properly brewed to well-established SCAA developed standards.”

These standards include scorings higher than 80 points on the quality scale and excellent or outstanding quality in fragrance, aroma, flavor, aftertaste, acidity, body, uniformity, balance, clean cup, sweetness, and overall taste.

Specialty coffee are grown in special and ideal climates and are distinctive because of their full cup taste and little to no defects. The unique flavors and tastes are a result of the special characteristics and composition of the soils in which they are produced.

It does not end there however. Every person from seed to cup has influence over how the integrity of specialty coffee is maintained. Such as, the coffee farmer, the green buyer, the roaster, the barista and finally the consumer. As you can guess, coffee is a complex journey and can lead to a special experience. Especially when focus is maintained on these various parts. At Five by Seven we make it no small task to be part of this process and provide quality roasted coffee.