Specialty Coffee
What is the Specialty Coffee?
"Specialty coffee is a coffee or coffee experience recognized for its distinctive attributes, and because of these attributes, has significant extra value in the marketplace."-- the definition of specialty coffee published by the SCA(Specialty Coffee Association) in 2021.
By recognizing that sensory attributes are among many attributes that make a coffee special, and explicitly linking specialty coffee to market value, this definition laid the groundwork for the Coffee Value Assessment.
The Coffee Value Assessment
Introduced in 2023, the Coffee Value Assessment offers a complete,“highresolution”picture of a specific coffee across four assessment types: physical,descriptive, affective, and extrinsic.It synthesizes best practices from sensory science and specialty coffee's role in distributing value more across the supply chain, and it is designed for the global,diverse specialty coffee industry of the present (and future). As they are formalized, these assessments willreplace the 2004 cupping system.In addition to playing a pivotal role in thegreen coffee trade, the principles of CVA have been adapted to make World Coffee Championships more rigorous and fair, beginning with the Roasting and Brewer's Cup competitions.Introduced the Coffee Value Assessment
Tasting Definitions and References
Cupping sections are, for the most part, aspects of the coffee-tasting experience,
which is split in parts, for the purpose of analysis, either along time or based on the different sensory modalities involved.
Fragrance. The orthonasal olfactory perception of the coffee grounds prior to
brewing, i.e., the smell of the coffee grounds.
Aroma. The orthonasal olfactory perception of the coffee brew, assessed at two
moments: right after brewing and while the crust is broken (i.e., the smell of the
brew).
Flavor. The perception coming from both the taste of the brew and the brew’s
retronasal olfactory component, while the brew is in the mouth. It is perceived as a single “flavor” impression, as the brain combines the different sensory inputs.
Aftertaste. The perception coming from both the taste and the retronasal olfactory component caused by the remnants of the brew inside the mouth and throat, after the brew has been ejected or swallowed. It is perceived as a single impression, as the brain combines the different sensory inputs. See 5.2 and 5.3. Assessed in step 3: liquoring.
Acidity. The perception of sour taste provoked by the brew, which may vary in
intensity and character.
Sweetness. The perception of gustatory or retronasal sweetness provoked by the brew.23 Assessed in step 3: liquoring.
Mouthfeel. The tactile perception of the brew while it is in the mouth, excluding
the temperature perception. It encompasses the brew’s weight and viscosity, its
texture, and other tactile properties such as astringency (mouth-drying property).
Overall. Referring to the affective assessment, this is the general impression of
quality of a coffee, including aspects not covered in the other sections, such as
balance and personal preference. Assessed at the end of a cupping, to account for the whole tasting experience.
Uniformity. Referring to the affective assessment, where it is rated as number of
non-uniform cups, this is an indicator of the coffee lot’s homogeneity.
Above Definitions from--《A System to Assess Coffee Value》6.1. Cupping Sections
Score more than 80 for specialty coffee
Specialty coffee is mainly defined from the quality of coffee, baked beans, and cup testing, which can be SOE, single beans, mixed beans, etc. According to the international specialty coffee association SCA definition, comprehensive cup test (blind test) score more than 80 for specialty coffee, 80 points below the commercial coffee. Cup testing is a way to test and evaluate the quality of coffee beans to find a better way to present the best flavor of coffee beans.
