What Is Specialty Coffee?
Worldwide, there are different quality levels or grades of coffee. Specialty coffee is the highest grade assigned to coffee beans. Specialty coffee is associated with a movement known as “third wave of coffee”, in which the consumers demand for higher-than-average quality coffee beans.
Following the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) standards and overall, internationally accepted requirements, specialty coffee is defined as any coffee that, when graded, complies with these standards:
On a 350g (12oz) sample of green coffee beans (unroasted) inspection: there is zero (0) primary defects, and less than five (5) secondary defects on a 350g sample.
During the cupping (coffee tasting done after roasting, grinding and brewing the sample): It scores 80 points or above on a 100-points scale.
The coffee cupping score developed by the SCA goes from 0 to 100 points, and only coffees scoring 80 points or above get the “specialty coffee” grade.
Cupping quality score between 80 and 100 points = specialty coffee
Outstanding coffee = scores from 90 to 100 points.
Excellent coffee = scores from 85 to 89.99 points.
Very good coffee = scores from 80 to 84.99 points.
Cupping quality score lower than 80 points = commercial-grade coffee (not specialty coffee).
Following the SCA Coffee taster’s Flavor Wheel (shown in the picture below), at the moment of giving quality scores to a coffee sample, these ten attributes are considered: Aroma, flavor, flavor aftertaste, acidity, body, balance, uniformity, clean cup, sweetness, and overall.
SCA quality standards for specialty grade coffee beans
SCA Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel guide for coffee cupping (tasting of brewed coffee samples)
How is the Coffee scoring done?
Coffee is scored via two steps:
Visual inspection of green beans.
Cupping of a roasted and brewed sample.
The visual inspection is done to identify the physical defects withing the 350g sample of green coffee beans. The defective beans are counted following the SCA guidelines. To be graded as specialty coffee, its sample must contain zero primary defects and less than five secondary defects.
Primary defects include full black, full sour, pod/cherry, large stones, medium stones, large sticks, medium sticks.
Secondary defects include parchment husk, unhulled beans, broken or chipped, insect damaged, partial sour, shell, small stones, small sticks, water damaged beans.
The cupping consists of roasting and brewing samples, following the cupping procedure defined by the SCA standards. The coffee sample is usually roasted within 24 hours before performing the coffee cupping. The coffee beans are ground right before the cupping.
We process and roast our Kona coffee beans in small batches. Each one of our batches of green coffee beans is inspected (before roasting) and cupped (brewed samples) following the SCA standards, to ensure the consistency in the quality and flavor notes of every bag of coffee delivered to you.
Here in Hawaii, every year two prestigious cupping competitions are held: The Kona Coffee Cultural Festival Cupping Competition (only for coffee farms located within the Kona District of Hawaii island) and the Hawaii Coffee Association Cupping Competition (statewide competition, including all islands and districts). For these cupping competitions, coffee farmers are invited to submit their coffee entries, which are evaluated for a panel of judges certified as QA graders, who cup all entries and select the top-ranking coffees with scores of 80 points or above.
Since 2018, our first time participating in a cupping competition, our coffee entries have been consistently scoring above 80 points and the top-ranking coffees of these cupping competitions, which qualifies our coffee as “specialty-grade”. When you purchase our coffee, you are not only getting authentic, Estate grown 100% Kona coffee, you are also getting specialty-grade Kona coffee.
Is all Kona Coffee specialty-grade coffee?
The answer is no. Coffees can be 100% Kona and not reach the standard to be ranked as specialty grade. A big majority of Kona coffee producers comply only with the HDOA (Hawaii Department of Agriculture) Standards for Kona coffee. Only a reduced group of farmers follow the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) standards, however, every year the number is increasing, which is great for the Kona coffee market, and overall, for all coffees produced in the state of Hawaii.
There are several quality levels of Kona coffee. A lot of consumers believe that all coffee coming from Kona has the same level of quality and same origin (100% Kona grown). Unfortunately, that is not true. Here is a brief description:
Highest quality: 100% Kona beans + Estate grown + HDOA standards + SCA specialty coffee standards (see definitions above). We are part of this group, and we keep working hard to continue to be.
Second highest: 100% Kona beans + Estate grown + HDOA standards.
Third level: 100% Kona beans from different farms. The coffee beans come from different farms (growers). The quality of the final product will be determined by quality controls/grading standards implemented by each farm and the coffee processors purchasing the coffee. Some of them follow the HDOA and SCA standards; others don’t.
Fourth level: 10% Kona blend or 0% Kona: Yes, you are reading well, 0% Kona.
How is this allowed?
The current Hawaii law allows the selling of blends containing 10% Kona + 90% something else (another Hawaii region, another country), which is ok if the bags clearly describe that the coffee being sold is a 10% Kona blend. The challenge is that there are a lot of mislabeled bags available for sale in the market. Some have the 10% blend in small letters or have the word “Kona” combined with words like style, single origin, others. Most people believe they are getting 100% Kona when they are actually getting 10% Kona or even non-Kona beans. This has greatly damaged the reputation and standing of authentic, 100% Kona coffee.
Some progress has been recently made. Thanks to the ongoing efforts of the Kona Coffee Farmers Association (KCFA.org) and the Hawaii Coffee Association (HCA.org) last July 2024, Hawaii’s governor, Josh Green signed Bill HB2298 into law. Effective on July 1, 2027, all Kona coffees identified as a “blend coffee” must contain a minimum of 51% Kona beans. This law “will prohibit the use of geographic origin names like “Kona” on coffee products unless they contain at least 51% coffee by weight from that origin.” The legislation also stipulates stringent labeling standards for coffee blends, safeguarding the authenticity of Hawaiʻi-grown coffee brands. This also applies to all the other coffee producing regions around the state of Hawaii.
