Specialty coffee, explained.
Reference guides to specialty coffee — definitions, lifestyle pairings, and practical guides written by the Roasters community.
- Definition
What is specialty coffee?
The 80+ SCA-grade definition, grading, and what it looks like in practice.
- Definition
What is third wave coffee?
The cultural movement that turned coffee into a craft.
- Definition
What is Direct Trade coffee?
A sourcing model where roasters buy direct from farmers — paying above market, publishing the price.
- Definition
What is coffee cupping?
The SCA protocol for evaluating coffee. How Q Graders score the beans you drink.
- Definition
The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA).
The body that defines specialty coffee globally — standards, certifications, the World Barista Championship.
- Reference
Coffee glossary — 50+ terms.
From acidity to Q Grader, from V60 to anaerobic fermentation. The complete reference.
- Lifestyle
Coffee and cycling — a cultural pairing.
The bond between cycling and specialty coffee, from FAEMA to bike cafés.
- Lifestyle
Coffee and running — why run clubs meet at cafés.
Tracksmith, NRC, On — how the modern urban run club was built around the café.
- Lifestyle
Coffee and surfing — cafés near the break.
Dawn-patrol cafés in Lisbon, Bali, Sydney, Biarritz — why surf towns build great cafés.
- Guide
Working from a café — a practical guide.
How to work from a café, the unwritten rules, and the best cities.
- Lifestyle
Coffee tourism — planning trips around cafés.
How to build a trip around specialty coffee — cities, rituals, itineraries.
