Specialty Coffee vs Commercial Coffee: What's Actually in Your Cup

Most of us grew up on coffee from a tin or a supermarket shelf, and for a long time that was simply what coffee tasted like. So when someone hands you a cup that tastes of blueberries or dark chocolate, it's fair to wonder what changed. The short answer is everything, from the farm to the roaster.

In this guide we explain the difference between specialty coffee and commercial coffee, how single origin fits in, and how to tell which one you're drinking.

What is specialty coffee?

Specialty coffee has a real definition issued by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) who describes it as coffee that scores 80 points or more out of 100 when it is assessed by trained cuppers. Those cuppers taste the coffee and score it on things like aroma, sweetness, acidity, body and aftertaste, and they check the green beans for defects before they ever reach a roaster.

The 80-point line

The 80-point score is the entry ticket and many roasters, Boardwalk included, buy coffees well above it, because the difference between an 81 and an 86 is something you can taste at home if you brew it right, and that you can definitely taste at any specialty coffee shops.

Traceability

Specialty coffee can usually be traced to a country, a region and often a single farm, washing station or producer group. When you see a name like Yirgacheffe or Sidama on one of our bags, that's the place the coffee grew, and it tells you a lot about how it will taste.

What is commercial coffee?

Commercial coffee is the coffee most people drink every day, sold in large volumes at a low price. It's built for consistency, so that a jar bought in January tastes the same as one bought in July.

Blends built for price

To hold that consistency at a low price, commercial coffee is usually blended from many sources. These blends often include robusta, a hardier coffee species that carries roughly twice the caffeine of arabica and tends to taste more bitter and rubbery.

Why it's roasted dark

Commercial coffee is often roasted dark, because a dark roast evens out the differences between batches and covers up defects. That's where the familiar "burnt" or smoky taste comes from, and it's why many people believe coffee needs milk and sugar to be enjoyable.

Specialty coffee vs single origin: are they the same?

They're related, but they aren't the same thing. Single origin means a coffee comes from one place, such as one country, region or farm, rather than being blended. Specialty is about quality, so a single origin coffee can still be commercial grade, and a blend can still be specialty if every coffee in it scores well.

At Boardwalk we roast single origins because they let each coffee's seasonality and character come through. If you want to go deeper, our guide to single origin coffee beans explains why they taste so different from each other.

How to tell what you're buying

You don't need a cupping table to spot specialty coffee. Look for these three things on the bag.

1. A roast date. Coffee is at its best in the weeks after roasting, so a roast date is a good sign the roaster cares about freshness. Our post on why roast date matters explains how to read one.
2. A named origin. A region, farm or producer name means the coffee can be traced.
3. Tasting notes and a process. Words like "washed" or "natural" and notes like citrus or cocoa show that the roaster has tasted the coffee and knows what it should deliver.

Is specialty coffee worth it?

Specialty coffee costs more per bag, because farmers are paid more for higher quality and the coffee is roasted in smaller batches. What you get for that is a cup you can enjoy without masking it, and a supply chain where the people who grow the coffee are rewarded for growing it well.