You have probably seen it on café menus, coffee bags and increasingly on Instagram: speciality coffee. It sounds impressive, costs a little more and often comes with words like washed, natural, single origin, altitude and tasting notes. But what does it actually mean?

For a beginner, the easiest way to think about speciality coffee is that it is less about a particular drink and more about the quality, character and story behind the coffee. The Specialty Coffee Association defines it as a coffee or coffee experience recognised for distinctive attributes that give it significant extra value in the marketplace. That can include what the coffee tastes like, where it comes from, who produced it and how it was grown and processed.

It starts with the bean

Before your latte reaches the counter, there is a long journey involved. Speciality coffee generally places greater emphasis on the quality of the green coffee, from cultivation and harvesting to processing and drying. Producers may selectively harvest ripe coffee cherries and pay close attention to how the beans are processed, because all of this can influence what eventually ends up in your cup.

You may see terms such as washed, natural or honey on a café menu. These refer to processing methods used after the coffee cherries are harvested. They can influence the flavour and texture of the finished coffee, although they are not flavour guarantees.

Then there is origin

If your coffee menu tells you the country, region, farm or even producer, that is usually a sign that the café is interested in telling you more about the coffee itself.

You might come across an Ethiopian coffee with floral and citrus notes, a Colombian coffee with caramel or stone-fruit characteristics, or an Indian coffee with a completely different profile. These descriptions are not ingredients added to the beans. They are ways of describing aromas and flavours that can naturally occur in the cup.

Origin, traceability and processing information are all considered part of the wider picture of coffee value in the SCA's current Coffee Value Assessment system.

So, what is with all those tasting notes?

This is where speciality coffee can initially feel intimidating. You may be handed a menu describing a coffee as having notes of jasmine, peach, chocolate or brown sugar and wonder whether everyone else is tasting something you are not.

Don't worry. You are not supposed to identify every note on the first sip.

Tasting notes are simply a vocabulary for describing what a coffee reminds you of. Start with broad categories. Is it fruity or nutty? Sweet or bitter? Light and tea-like or heavier and chocolatey? With practice, you may begin to pick out more specific flavours.

Does the roast matter? Very much

The roast level has a major influence on the flavour of coffee. Lighter roasts tend to preserve more of the coffee's origin characteristics and can bring out fruity or floral qualities, while darker roasts generally develop more roasted, bitter and chocolatey flavours.

This does not mean a light roast is automatically better. Speciality coffee is not about forcing everyone to like the same thing. The current SCA approach recognises that different people and markets can value different attributes.

And no, speciality coffee doesn't mean 'fancy latte'

A cappuccino made with speciality beans is still a cappuccino. A pour-over, espresso, cold brew or filter coffee can all be made using speciality coffee. The distinction is primarily about the coffee and the value placed on its attributes, rather than whether the drink comes in a pretty glass.

The next time you walk into a speciality café, you don't need to understand every word on the menu. Ask the barista what is approachable, tell them how you normally drink your coffee and try something outside your usual order. You might discover that coffee has considerably more range than just strong, mild or with milk.

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