Part 2: What Makes Coffee Good—And How Do They Know?

La Taza Habla

Join La Taza Habla as we embark on a fascinating 20-year journey into the world of specialty coffee, challenging deeply ingrained notions of "quality." This episode unpacks the intriguing paradox between objective quality, like that of a well-made knife, and the often subjective, performative "quality" applied to coffee. We explore how global definitions of excellent coffee are frequently excluded from mainstream narratives, often due to market leverage. Discover how terms like "ethical," "direct trade," and "sustainable" can sometimes mask power imbalances in the bean to cup journey, leading to farmwashing and greenwashing. From coffee origin to coffee roasting, we scrutinize whose voices define "quality" in the specialty coffee industry and ask: can we redefine quality to be more inclusive, embracing context, culture, and community beyond cupping scores and café aesthetics? This episode promises to shift your perspective on what "good" coffee truly means.

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5 Takeaways:

1. Objective vs. Subjective Quality: Unlike a knife, where quality is objectively measurable (e.g., metallurgy, durability), coffee "quality" is often subjective, performative, and heavily influenced by cultural and market biases.
2. The "Quality" Illusion in Coffee: The coffee industry markets "quality" as an objective standard (e.g., numbers, labels, "specialty" badges), but it's largely defined by Western preferences and buyer gatekeeping, ignoring diverse global understandings.
3. Excluded Voices: Many cultures have their own discerning definitions of good coffee, but these are frequently excluded from mainstream conversations due to a lack of market leverage, not insight.
4. Structural Power Imbalance: Those who define coffee quality are typically buyers, roasters, and marketers, not the growers, cultural stewards, or non-Western consumers, leading to practices like farmwashing and greenwashing.
5. Rethinking Quality: True "quality" in coffee should be re-evaluated to be more expansive, informed by context, culture, and community, moving beyond narrow cupping scores or café aesthetics.

3 Questions:

1. How has your personal definition of "quality coffee" evolved, especially after considering the episode's insights on subjectivity and cultural bias?
2. Can you think of other products or experiences where "quality" is marketed as objective but is, in fact, highly subjective or culturally influenced?
3. What steps do you think consumers can take to better understand the true origins and definitions of coffee quality, beyond marketing labels?

Glossary:

1. "Farmwashing": Using misleading imagery of happy farmers or ethical practices to hide unfair labor conditions or exploitative trade.
2. "Greenwashing": Exaggerating environmental claims or presenting misleading eco-friendly information to appear more sustainable than a company truly is.
3. "Q-Grader Certification": A professional certification for coffee tasters, signifying a high level of sensory evaluation skill. Q-graders learn a standardized system to assess coffee quality based on specific attributes like aroma, flavor, acidity, and body.
4. "Cupping Session": A standardized method for evaluating coffee quality, where tasters systematically assess roasted coffee brewed in specific proportions, usually in a series of cups.
5. "Cup Score": A numerical rating given to coffee during a cupping session, based on a standardized scoring sheet. A higher score typically indicates more desirable characteristics according to the cupping protocol.
6. "Roast Profile": The specific roasting process a coffee undergoes, which impacts its flavor, aroma, and body. Different roast profiles (e.g., light, medium, dark) highlight different characteristics of the bean.