Specialty Coffee Movement Map of Content¶
The specialty coffee movement transformed coffee from an undifferentiated commodity into a craft product evaluated on quality, origin, and the relationships between producers and buyers. This MOC is the top-level navigation hub for the movement: it links to five focused child MOCs covering history, pioneers, principles, institutions, and regional expressions, plus a selection of foundational data files for direct access to core concepts.
Child MOCs¶
| MOC | Covers |
|---|---|
| Specialty Coffee History MOC | Three waves, timeline, foundational milestones from 1966 to the present |
| Specialty Coffee Pioneers MOC | Founding figures, influential roasters, and barista champions |
| Specialty Coffee Principles MOC | Quality standards, direct trade, traceability, sustainability, and ethics |
| Specialty Coffee Institutions MOC | SCA, CQI, World Coffee Events, competitions, and media |
| Specialty Coffee Regions MOC | Nordic, Australian, Japanese, Asian, European, North American, and producing-country movements |
Core Concepts¶
What is specialty coffee: Specialty Coffee Definition | Specialty Grade Requirements | SCA Cupping Protocol | Q Grader Certification
How quality is assessed: Green Coffee Grading | Defect Grading | Quality Scoring | Cup of Excellence
Trade and pricing: Direct Trade Definition | Specialty Coffee Pricing | C-Market and Specialty | Specialty vs Fair Trade
Current challenges: Coffee and Climate Change | Labour Practices | Specialty Coffee Elitism | Gender Equity in Coffee
Supply chain: Specialty Coffee Pricing | Coffee Contracts | Green Coffee Storage | Sample Roasting
Home brewing: Home Brewing Renaissance | Affordable Quality Equipment | Mail-Order Specialty Coffee | Subscription Services
Related MOCs¶
- Coffee History MOC — broader coffee history including pre-specialty eras
- Quality Control MOC — grading, cupping, and quality systems in detail
- Coffee Processing MOC — cherry to green bean: how processing affects cup quality
- Roasting Methods MOC — green to roasted: roast development and profiling
- Brewing Methods MOC — extraction techniques for filter and espresso
- Coffee Origins MOC — producing country geography and terroir
- World Barista Championship MOC — WBC format, history, and full champion list
- World Brewers Cup MOC — WBrC format, history, and champions
Essential Resources¶
- Hoffmann, James, The World Atlas of Coffee, 2014 — accessible movement overview written by a WBC champion
- Pendergrast, Mark, Uncommon Grounds, 2010 — definitive history of coffee including the specialty era
- Specialty Coffee Association, Research and Resources — standards, protocols, and industry research
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