The Origins of Specialty Coffee and Third Wave History

Ever wondered why some coffee is labeled 'Specialty' while others aren’t? For decades, coffee buyers faced a confusing patchwork of country-specific grading rules—making it nearly impossible to compare beans fairly across borders. That inconsistency sparked a major shift in how the world evaluates coffee quality.

The Specialty Coffee movement began in response to fragmented global grading systems. By the 1990s, major consuming countries demanded a universal standard, leading to the birth of Specialty Coffee as a defined category by the 1990s—over 20 years after the term was coined.

How Coffee Was Traditionally Graded

Before Specialty Coffee, producing countries set their own rules. These fell into three main methods: altitude-based grading, bean size screening, and a mix of screen size, defect counts, and cupping scores. Each system reflected local growing conditions—but created chaos for international trade.

Altitude-Based Grading: Higher Elevation, Higher Quality

Many Central American countries tied coffee quality directly to altitude. The cooler temperatures at higher elevations slow cherry maturation, producing denser beans with fewer defects. For example:

• Guatemala’s SHB (Strictly Hard Bean) grade requires beans grown at 1,350 meters or above.
• Mexico’s SHG (Strictly Hard Grown) beans come from 1,700-meter elevations.
• Honduras and El Salvador classify high-quality beans as SHG if grown above 1,200 meters.

Screen Size Grading: Bigger Beans, Better Cup?

Countries like Kenya, Tanzania, and Colombia sorted beans by physical size using perforated metal screens. The size is measured in 1/64-inch increments. Key examples include:

• Tanzania’s top AA grade uses 18/64-inch (7.14mm) screens.
• Kenya AA beans must exceed 7.2mm.
• Colombia’s Supremo grade requires beans to pass through a 17/64-inch (7.54mm) screen, while Excelso allows 16/64-inch (6.35mm) beans mixed with up to 11% smaller beans.

Larger beans often develop more complex flavors during roasting—a factor that supported this grading method.

Brazil’s Composite Grading System

As the world’s largest coffee producer, Brazil needed a flexible approach. Its system combined three factors:

• Defect count (No. 2 beans have the fewest flaws).
• Screen size (beans are graded from 12 to 20/64-inch mesh).
• Cup quality (rated from ‘Strictly Soft’ for the best flavor to harsher profiles).

For instance, a top Brazilian lot might be labeled ‘Santos No. 2, 19-screen, Strictly Soft’—indicating low defects, large bean size, and premium cup characteristics.

Other National Systems: Jamaica and Beyond

Jamaica graded its famous Blue Mountain coffee by growing region rather than a universal defect or size metric. This lack of a shared standard made it difficult for importers to evaluate beans objectively—fueling calls for a common language.

The Birth of Specialty Coffee

The term ‘Specialty Coffee’ was first introduced in 1978 by Erna Knutsen of Knutsen Coffee at an international coffee conference. She defined it as coffee grown in ideal microclimates that produce unique flavor profiles—drawing a parallel to terroir in wine.

Initially, the concept didn’t gain traction quickly. Most U.S. importers focused on lower-grade beans (like Brazil No. 5), and it wasn’t until the rise of espresso culture and brands like Starbucks in the 1990s that Specialty Coffee gained momentum. Within a decade, the U.S. transformed from a market of low-quality imports to a leader in premium coffee demand.

What Is Specialty Coffee Today?

There’s still no single global definition. Instead, organizations like the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) set their own standards. These metrics—which we’ll explore in the next article—focus on defect limits, cupping scores, and traceability.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the original meaning of Specialty Coffee?

Specialty Coffee was defined in 1978 as coffee grown in unique microclimates that produce distinctive flavors, similar to how terroir affects wine. The term was coined by Erna Knutsen at an international coffee conference.

Why did traditional coffee grading systems vary by country?

Countries developed their own grading rules based on local growing conditions, such as altitude in Central America or bean size in East Africa. This led to inconsistent standards for international buyers.

What are the main historical coffee grading methods?

The three traditional methods were: 1) altitude-based grading (e.g., SHB in Guatemala), 2) bean size screening (e.g., Kenya AA), and 3) a composite system including defects, screen size, and cup quality (e.g., Brazil’s No. 2, 19-screen, Strictly Soft).

When did the Specialty Coffee movement start?

The Specialty Coffee movement began in the late 1970s but gained widespread adoption in the 1990s, driven by the rise of espresso culture and premium roasters like Starbucks.

Which countries used screen size to grade coffee beans?

Countries like Kenya, Tanzania, and Colombia graded beans by size using numbered screens (measured in 1/64-inch units). Larger beans often correlated with higher cup quality.

How did Brazil’s coffee grading differ from other countries?

Brazil used a three-part system: defect count (e.g., No. 2), screen size (12–20), and cup quality (e.g., Strictly Soft). This approach helped manage its large and varied coffee production.

FrontStreet Beans That Define Specialty Quality

Explore the origins of Specialty Coffee with FrontStreet’s Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, known for its bright citrus and floral notes, and Panama Humbera, offering stone fruit and jasmine complexity. Both beans exemplify the high cup quality and traceability that define the Specialty Coffee movement. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.