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Speciality Coffee refers to high-quality coffee graded 80 or higher on the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) scale.
Coffee scoring 90–100 is graded Outstanding, coffee that scores 85–89.99 is graded Excellent, while coffee scoring 80–84.99 is graded Very Good. Anything below 80 is not Speciality quality.
Tests that may be conducted on green coffee are on density, moisture content and water activity, bean size, grade (defect counts), and colour. Tests for roasted coffee are on residual oxygen and carbon dioxide within packages, moisture content and water activity, roast colour, grind particle size or broken bean counts, brewed coffee dissolved solids, pH, and Brix/refractive index.
Chemical testing for coffee includes ochratoxin A, caffeine, nutrient analysis, microbiological analysis, and pesticides. Other tests that may be performed on roasted coffee are caffeine, chlorogenic acids, lipids, carbohydrates, total polyphenols, total proteins, and mycotoxins.
Generally, a Speciality Coffee will be made from one variety of beans, most often Arabica, and sourced from one location, being classified as either Single Origin (from just one country) or Single Estate (from a single grower in that country).
Because of the effort put into testing the beans at every stage and because of the limitations on sourcing, Speciality Coffee is more expensive than most commercial coffee, but for the coffee enthusiast, it is worth it for the difference in quality and taste.
Speciality coffee is typically produced by small-scale farmers who prioritise quality over quantity. By using careful cultivation and harvesting methods, they select only the finest beans to create coffee with distinctive flavours and premium quality. Although speciality coffee can be grown in many regions around the world, the most well-known sources are Central and South America, East Africa, and Southeast Asia.
At every stage of production, the process is carefully refined to preserve and enhance flavour. After harvesting, the beans are dried using methods such as rotating drums or hot-air drying to remove moisture effectively. They are then roasted slowly at lower temperatures, allowing the coffee’s natural characteristics and complex flavour profiles to develop fully.
The care and attention to detail continue through every stage of production, and if you want to be sure you have a genuine speciality coffee, you can check on the label.
It should say that samples of the product have been sent to independent labs that test the beans for their quality and levels of caffeine and taste.
This means you can buy speciality coffee confidently because it’s certified to be of high quality.
Here are the details on the Swiss Water Method, and here is the Guardian article.
