What is good coffee?
What normal people usually say when they evaluate their coffee, probably the most common words are whether it’s ‘good’ or ‘okay’ or rarely ‘bad’. It can be assumed that people have their personal own perceptions about how coffee should taste like.
In terms of definition of specialty coffee, this is a term that people use to describe coffee that is scored over 80, assessed by their cupping form.
But SCA described specialty coffee as,
"Specialty coffee can consistently exist through the dedication of the people who have made it their life's work to continually make quality their highest priority. This is not the work of only one person in the lifecycle of a coffee bean; specialty can only occur when all of those involved in the coffee value chain work in harmony and maintain a keen focus on standards and excellence from start to finish. This is no easy accomplishment, and yet because of these dedicated professionals, there are numerous specialty coffees available right now, across the globe, and likely right around the corner from you. (HTTPS://SCA.COFFEE/RESEARCH/WHAT-IS-SPECIALTY-COFFEE)"
Whether we have realised it or not, the concept of specialty coffee has included a broader spectrum that covers not just the quality of coffee but also people who devote their life and passion into the coffee.
In Australia, as we know, there are a number of great coffee brands, and many of them are specialty coffee brands. We use 'specialty grade’ coffees and say that we are a specialty coffee company. But what does it really mean to our customers? Does ’specialty coffee’ really matter? Is ’specialty coffee’ good? Always? In other words, as a coffee brand, what ‘specialty’ should be like? What values should we deliver to our customers?
We focus on what we do. That’s great. However, sometimes, we forget the elements that make ’specialty coffee’ special.
Going back to the head, what is good coffee? This can be different for everyone. However, it is sure that ‘good’ doesn’t only mean good quality. This surely contains quality, service, environment, atmosphere, people, etc. And all of these come together to make an ‘experience’ to our customers. It doesn’t matter what origin or method or flavour profile or who made it, but it should be considered what ‘experience’ we offer to our customers. Everyone has different skills, talents, and values of the offer. But it is the same that giving 'good experiences’ is important for everyone as this influences coffee to be special.
