精品咖啡定義SCAA(上)
精品咖啡(Specialty coffee )這個很帥的字眼在台灣我看就快要家喻戶曉了，走到哪裡掛著精品咖啡名號的咖啡館可是所在多有(當然vvcafe也掛著)，但其實精品這個字義本身並不是那麼明確，所以大多數人還是沒辦法辨別是否有符合精品咖啡的精神，以下我們就來聊聊精品咖啡的定義。
以下是美國精品咖啡協會網站上對何謂精品咖啡(What is Specialty Coffee? )的回答
Specialty coffee can consistently exist through the dedication of the people who have made it their life’s work to continually make quality their highest priority. This is not the work of only one person in the lifecycle of a coffee bean; specialty can only occur when all of those involved in the coffee value chain work in harmony and maintain a keen focus on standards and excellence from start to finish. This is no easy accomplishment, and yet because of these dedicated professionals, there are numerous specialty coffees available right now, across the globe, and likely right around the corner from you.
精品咖啡的永續發展必須透過一群致力於維持高品質的人們的貢獻，並非只依賴咖啡豆生產流程上的某一人；
從開始到結束，生產鏈上所有的環節都必須通力合作、遵守規範並持續精進，才能造就精品咖啡。
這不是一個簡單的成就，因為一群專注的經營者，目前就有許多精品咖啡在世界各地開花結果，甚至就在你的身邊。
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以前精品咖啡的目光有時聚焦於咖啡生豆的生產過程、有時聚焦於烘焙、有時在出杯
而目前SCAA似乎打算告訴消費者其實真正送到你眼前的「精品咖啡」是每個環節的共同努力成果，這其實是相對中肯的定義，因為任何一個環節出了差錯，眼前的精品咖啡可能就真的變難喝的爛咖啡。
而SCAA又把生產流程中的重要角色也描述了一遍，讓我們繼續看下去：
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Meet the people whose lifework is specialty coffee:
認識致力於精品咖啡的人們
The farmer
Great coffee starts with the PRODUCER whose family likely has spent generations perfecting their approach to farming the highest quality coffee possible. Grown in select altitudes and climates and nursed for years before the first harvest, the producer who creates specialty coffee devotes his or her life to refining and perfecting the highest quality coffee on the planet. For them, it is quality not quantity that is the most important consideration. Only coffees free of defects and picked at their peak of ripeness will continue on to the next hands that will shape them. For the farmer, being able to connect with quality-minded buyers ensures a higher profit option which supports individuals, families and communities around the world.
農民
優質的咖啡肇始於幾個世代都竭盡全力種植出高品質咖啡的生產商，在第一次收穫前必須在嚴選的海拔和氣候帶上用心呵護好幾年，精品咖啡的生產商們奉獻了他或她的生活去改良出世界上品質最好的咖啡。
對於他們來說，品質才是最重要的考慮因素，而非生產量。只有咖啡在無瑕疵且處於最成熟狀態的情況才能進到下一個生產流程。
對於農民，盡可能與優質而有良心的購買者交易才能獲得較高的利潤以支持他們個人、家庭以及社區的生活。
The Green Coffee Buyer
Green coffee is next transferred to the GREEN COFFEE BUYER who may be certified by the SCAA as a Certified Coffee Taster or the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) as a Licensed Q Grader. They have a palate as distinguished as a sommelier and can keenly identify coffee quality via cupping, or systematic tasting of brewed coffees. Through cupping, the coffee taster can assess a coffee’s score and determine whether it is specialty grade quality, make decisions on which coffees they will include in their offerings, and often develop tasting notes and descriptions for the coffee on its final packaging. The green coffee buyer has a large role in communicating the information about a coffee to the roaster and café staff.
生豆商
接下來由生豆商接手這些生豆，有些生豆商經過SCAA的杯側師或咖啡品質學會(CQI)的咖啡品質鑑定師的認證。
他們專業的杯測人員能透過杯測以及系統性地沖煮咖啡，敏銳地分辨出咖啡的品質。
透過杯測，杯測人員將為咖啡打分數並判斷哪些符合精選咖啡的品質要求，以決定收購的品項，他們也將分享他們的風味描述在商品包裝中。
生豆商提供了大量的資訊予咖啡烘焙者和咖啡從業人員。
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