What Makes Coffee “Specialty”?

Written By Milkias Demissie

Walk into any café or browse an online coffee shop, and you’ll see the word specialty used often. But what does it really mean? And why does it matter when you’re choosing your next bag of beans?

At Bouvardia Coffee, everything we do begins with one guiding principle: coffee should be more than just a drink — an experience worth savoring.

The Definition of Specialty Coffee

The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) defines specialty coffee as coffee that scores 80 points or higher (on a 100-point scale) during a rigorous grading process. This grading evaluates factors like aroma, flavor, aftertaste, body, acidity, and balance.

Commodity coffee — the kind you often find pre-ground on grocery store shelves — typically falls below this threshold. On the other hand, specialty coffee is about excellence at every stage: from seed to cup.

What Sets Specialty Coffee Apart

  1. Origin Matters
    Specialty coffee is traceable. You know where it came from — sometimes down to the farm or even the specific lot. At Bouvardia Coffee, we proudly source beans from Ethiopia, Colombia, and Veracruz, Mexico, working directly with farmers who prioritize quality and sustainability.

  2. Quality Over Quantity
    Commodity coffee is often mass-produced, focusing on yield. Specialty farmers, however, invest in cultivating specific varieties, picking cherries by hand at peak ripeness, and carefully processing them to preserve flavor.

  3. Roasting with Intention
    Roasting isn’t about creating “one-size-fits-all” flavors. Instead, we roast to highlight the bean’s unique characteristics — the floral brightness of an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, the chocolatey smoothness of a Colombian, or the nutty sweetness of a Veracruz decaf.

  4. Sustainability & People
    Specialty coffee respects the environment and the people who grow it. Fair pay, sustainable farming, and long-term relationships are at the heart of the specialty movement.

Why It Matters to You

When you drink specialty coffee, you’re not just enjoying a cup — you’re tasting the story of its origin, the care of the farmer, and the craft of the roaster. It’s a connection that turns your morning ritual into something extraordinary.

At Bouvardia Coffee, that’s the standard we live by: coffee with character, traceability, and purpose.

Milkias Demissie