"Speciality coffee" gets used a lot, on menus, on bags, in adverts. But it's a real, measurable standard, not just a marketing word. Here's what it actually means, and why it's the foundation of everything we do at Altura.
The 80-point line
Speciality coffee is graded by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) on a 100-point scale that scores things like aroma, acidity, body, and sweetness. Anything scoring 80 or above qualifies as speciality, the rest gets sold as commercial-grade coffee, often blended anonymously into mass-market blends. Every bean we roast is 100% speciality Arabica, scored 80+.
Why altitude changes the flavour
Altitude is one of the biggest factors behind that score. Coffee cherries grown above 1,500 metres ripen more slowly, in cooler air and thinner oxygen. That slower ripening lets sugars and acids develop more fully inside the cherry, which is where the more complex, layered flavours (think berry, chocolate, citrus, florals) actually come from. Lower-altitude coffee ripens faster and tends to taste flatter and more one-dimensional as a result.
It's the reason the word "Altura", Spanish for altitude, is in our name. Every one of our origins, from Brazil to El Salvador to India, is sourced from farms above that 1,500m line, and it's part of why Peak and Cruise taste so different from a supermarket blend.
It starts long before the roaster
A roaster can only work with what a grower hands them. That's why we care as much about where a bean comes from as how we roast it. Direct relationships with growers mean better traceability, fairer prices, and beans that reach us at their best. Exceptional coffee starts in the ground, not in the roasting drum.
Then, roasted to order
The final piece is freshness. Speciality beans lose their character quickly once roasted, which is why we roast in small batches to order rather than sitting on stock. Your bag is roasted after you order it, not weeks before. Once it arrives, how you brew it matters too, our guide to brewing the perfect cup covers French press, drip, and pour-over.
What to look for yourself
Next time you're buying beans, look past the packaging and check for an SCA score, a specific origin (not just "blend"), and a roast date. If none of those are on the bag, it's worth asking why.
Frequently asked questions
What makes coffee "speciality grade"?
A score of 80 or above out of 100 on the SCA's official cupping scale, which grades things like aroma, acidity, body, and sweetness. Anything below that is sold as commercial-grade coffee.
Why does altitude affect coffee flavour?
Beans grown above 1,500 metres ripen more slowly in cooler air, which gives sugars and acids more time to develop. That's what produces the layered, complex flavours you get in high-altitude coffee.
Is speciality coffee worth the extra cost?
For most people, yes. You're paying for better sourcing, more careful roasting, and a noticeably more complex cup, not just a name on the bag.
Taste what altitude actually does for a cup.
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