What is Specialty Coffee?

What is Specialty Coffee?

Specialty Coffee is more than a buzzword. It's a standard, a movement, a philosophy. The Specialty Coffee Association has one clear standard: a coffee must score at least 80 out of 100 points to earn this name.

SCA Grading and Q-Graders

A Q-Grader is a trained expert who evaluates coffee using a standardized framework: aroma, acidity, body, flavor, aftertaste, and balance. This isn't subjective - it's quality control.

The Third Wave Movement

In the 70s, coffee was just brown. In the 90s, Starbucks made it mainstream. Then came the Third Wave: small roasteries visiting coffee farmers personally and working with respect. That's Roestpost's world - we work with over 200 Swiss roasteries, many of them Third Wave roasters.

Why It Makes a Difference

Cheap coffee is often a blend of the worst beans. Specialty Coffee is carefully selected, nurtured, roasted. When you taste a real specialty coffee - light roast from Ethiopia with notes of bergamot and flowers - you notice immediately: this is a different beverage. Alive, complex, real.

At Roestpost

Every week a new specialty coffee from a different Swiss roastery. That's not just coffee - it's a journey through the Swiss coffee scene. Discover our roasteries or subscribe now.