SCAA Specialty Coffee Definition: What is Specialty Coffee and What are Specialty Coffee Beans

Understanding Specialty Coffee

The impressive term "Specialty Coffee" is becoming increasingly well known. Cafes bearing the name can be found almost everywhere, and FrontStreet Coffee is one of them. Yet the meaning of "specialty" itself is not entirely clear, so most people still cannot tell whether a given cafe truly embodies the spirit of specialty coffee. Let's look at what the term actually means.

SCAA's Definition of Specialty Coffee

Below is the response from the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) regarding what constitutes specialty coffee:

The sustainable development of specialty coffee must rely on the contributions of a group of people dedicated to maintaining high quality, not just depending on one person in the coffee bean production process;

From beginning to end, all links in the production chain must work together, follow standards, and continuously improve to create specialty coffee.

This is not a simple achievement, as a group of dedicated operators are now bringing specialty coffee to fruition around the world, perhaps even right beside you.

In the past, the focus of specialty coffee sometimes centered on the production of green coffee, sometimes on roasting, and sometimes on the final cup.

Now the SCAA seems to be telling consumers that the "specialty coffee" that truly reaches you is the collective effort of every stage in the process. That is a fair definition, because if any stage goes wrong, the "specialty coffee" in front of you can become genuinely terrible, undrinkable coffee.

The SCAA also describes the important roles in the production process. Let's continue reading.

Meeting the People Dedicated to Specialty Coffee

Farmers

Quality coffee begins with producers who have dedicated generations to cultivating high-quality coffee. Before the first harvest, they must carefully nurture the plants for several years in well-chosen altitude and climate zones. Producers of specialty coffee dedicate their lives to improving what can be the world's best-quality coffee.

For them, quality is the most important consideration, not production volume. Only coffee that is flawless and at its most mature stage can proceed to the next stage of production.

For farmers, dealing with quality-conscious and ethical buyers allows them to earn higher profits to support themselves, their families, and their communities.

Green Coffee Buyers

Next, green coffee buyers take over these green beans. Some green coffee buyers are certified by SCAA cuppers or by Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) coffee quality graders.

Their professional cupping staff can keenly discern coffee quality through cupping and systematic brewing methods.

Through cupping, cuppers score the coffee and determine which lots meet the quality requirements for specialty coffee, deciding which items to purchase. They will also share their flavor descriptions on the product packaging.

Green coffee buyers provide extensive information to coffee roasters and coffee professionals.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If the SCAA definition has one practical takeaway for drinkers, it is that quality is decided long before the cup, and roast level is where many of those decisions become visible. Medium roasts are the sweet spot for anyone who wants balance: darker roasting pushes coffee toward bitterness and a heavier body, while lighter roasting pushes it toward acidity and a lighter mouthfeel. A medium roast sits between the two, which is why FrontStreet leans on it whenever balance matters more than a single loud note.

FrontStreet's Queen Estate coffee from Brazil is a good example. It is a yellow Bourbon from the world's largest coffee-producing country, grown at altitude and roasted medium so its clean, gentle sweetness comes forward. In the cup you find creamy peanut, chocolate, toast, and sugarcane, and it works equally well as pour-over, in a moka pot, or through an espresso machine. FrontStreet's Strawberry Candy Geisha blend takes a fruitier route, pairing a Costa Rican honey-processed coffee with a Panamanian washed Geisha; the medium roast lets it show both honeyed citrus and a rounded sweetness, suited to cold brew, pour-over, or espresso. For something closer to the classic European style, the FrontStreet 2013 Sun-Dried Typica carries true Yunnan small-bean character, with soft notes of nuts, brown sugar, black tea, and dried apricot, and it is very reasonably priced for a daily cup.

For a medium roast like these, FrontStreet suggests keeping the brew gentle so sweetness is not overshadowed. Use water around 89-90°C with a medium grind and a 1:15 ratio, bloom briefly, and keep the pour steady rather than aggressive. The Queen Estate in particular rewards a slightly coarser grind and a moka pot if you want a heavier, more syrupy result.