What Makes a Coffee “Specialty”?

~1 min read

You’ve probably heard the term “specialty coffee” thrown around; but what does it actually mean?

At The Folk Roaster, we roast 100% specialty-grade beans, but that label isn’t just marketing fluff. Specialty coffee means:

• Grown at high altitudes, often in small lots
• Handpicked with care to ensure only ripe cherries
• Scored 80+ out of 100 by certified Q-graders (industry coffee tasters)
• Free of defects and full of unique flavour notes; from tropical fruit to dark chocolate

But more than just quality, specialty coffee is about transparency. You should know where your beans came from, how they were processed, and why they taste the way they do.

So next time you brew, you’re not just sipping a drink, you’re tasting a story.