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C  Illustration / Hanna Liu


 CUTTING




              THROUGH




          THE NOISE










































 H  ave you ever felt like  you’re constantly being   tion in the first place is the very definition of specialty coffee.   to finish. This is no easy accomplishment, and yet because of
               The reason why I wanted to find the answer to this ques-
                                                          these dedicated professionals, there are numerous specialty
 bombarded with news about the “latest and
 greatest” in one industry or another? It can
                                                          around the corner from you.”
           coffee that scores above 80 points on a 100 point scale. This is
 be hard to cut through the noise and figure   In the coffee industry, specialty coffees are defined as any   coffees available right now, across the globe, and likely right
 out what’s true and what’s just a passing trend. When it   based on an evaluation of a wide range of variables by profes-  Words such as “dedication”, “quality” and “excellence”
 comes to specialty coffee,  I decided to take a closer look   sional sensory analysts to determine the quality of the coffee.  highlight the meaning of specialty coffee, which goes beyond
 and ask a question that has been in my mind for some time:   The Specialty Coffee Association epxands on this defi-  the cupping score. Of course, the cupping score is the result
 has specialty coffee become just another trend?   nition on their website, “Specialty coffee can consistently   of the hard work of everyone involved, however, what I would
 To  get  the  answers,  I  decided  to  explore  this  topic   exist through the dedication of the people who have made it   like to focus on is the culture behind this score.
 through the celebrity lens, as well as the perspectives of   their life’s work to continually make quality their highest
 experienced  coffee  farmers,  experts,  and  roasters.  The   priority. This is not the work of only one person in the life-
 driving force behind my inquiry was to find out if special-  cycle of a coffee bean; specialty can only occur when all of
 ty coffee is just a passing trend or if it has the potential to   those involved in the coffee value chain work in harmony and
 stick around for the long haul.   maintain a keen focus on standards and excellence from start   71


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