Origin & sourcing

A producer-owned organization that aggregates coffee from many smallholder farmers, processes it together, and sells it under the cooperative's name.

An annual blind-tasting competition in producing countries that ranks the top coffees of a harvest. Winners are then auctioned to roasters worldwide.

Also: CoE

A sourcing model in which a roaster buys coffee straight from a farmer or cooperative, typically at prices well above the commodity market.

Coffee grown, processed, and milled on a single farm, with the farm name and producer typically printed on the bag.

A third-party certification that guarantees farmers a minimum price floor and a community-development premium on every pound of coffee sold under the label.

A small, separately processed and traceable batch of coffee (often from a single farm, varietal, or harvest day) sold at a premium for its distinct flavor.

A certified coffee taster who has passed the Coffee Quality Institute's rigorous sensory exam, qualified to score green coffee on the SCA scale.

A 100-point quality score assigned by certified Q-graders using the Specialty Coffee Association's cupping protocol: 80+ qualifies as 'specialty.'

Also: cupping score

Coffee sourced from one specific country, region, farm, or even a single lot: never blended with beans from other places.

Coffee graded 80 or higher on the Specialty Coffee Association's 100-point cupping scale, evaluated for flavor clarity, acidity, body, and defects.

A movement that treats coffee as an artisanal product like wine, emphasizing single-origin sourcing, lighter roasts, and brew transparency.