Classifying Specialty Coffee
Not all specialty coffee is made equal. The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) has created a system of standards to help classify grades for different types of coffees. The following is how they classify specialty grade coffee:
Specialty grade
Coffee branded as “specialty” by the SCAA is allowed 0 Category 1 defects (called “primary defects”) and 0-5 Category 2 defects (called “full defects”) per 300-350 grams of water. It must possess at least one unique attribute in either the body, taste, aroma, and/or acidity. No unripened coffee beans (called “quakers”) can be present in the batch and the moisture content must be between 9-13%.
Other Facts about Specialty Coffee
- As of 2015, specialty coffee comprises 55% of the $48 billion dollar American coffee trade.
- The SCAA reports that 37% of the coffee in Americans’ coffee cups is specialty grade coffee.
- A cup of coffee is tested by an employee of the SCAA called a “cupper”. These cuppers are trained to identify specific flaws in the coffee; one cup is tested at least 15 times by different cuppers.
- Brazil is not only the top global producer of coffee, it is also the world’s largest producer of specialty coffee.
- Kopi luwak is the most expensive specialty coffee in the world.
Source: "https://club.atlascoffeeclub.com/specialty-grade-coffee/"
