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A specialty coffee is one that, after being evaluated by certified tasters, obtains a cupping score of over 80 points out of 100. According to the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), a sample of 350 grams of green coffee is analyzed, unroasted, and must be free of any primary defects (full black, full sour, severe insect damage, foreign matter). Only a maximum of five secondary defects (broken or chipped bean, floater, partial sour, wrinkled) are allowed.
Another characteristic of specialty coffee is that it comes from clearly defined geographical areas and microclimates, it is grown by small producers in microlots, and quality is a priority from farm to cup. For this reason, great care is taken in planting, harvesting, selecting, processing, storing, roasting, grinding and extracting the coffee to yield a drink with complex flavors.
The labels on specialty coffee offer information on the roasting date, origin, farm the beans come from, altitude, process and variety. In addition, the purchase of these beans benefits the coffee farmer, who will be paid a fair price.
As for the terms "premium" and "gourmet", they have been used in marketing without a clearly defined standard and are often used to refer to specialty coffee.