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.

High in the mountains of Costa Rica, a coffee farmer told me something that stopped me in my tracks: "La Taza Habla". Join me as I unpack this profound insight and share four simple questions that will help you hear what your coffee has been trying to tell you. This is part one of a series on tasting coffee like you've never experienced before.

Start your conversation with these four questions:

1. Do you like your coffee safe or spunky?

2. Does it remind you of a place or experience?

3. If this coffee were a color, what would it be?

4. What food does this remind you of?

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Season 1 -Episode 4

In this last episode of a three part series on the global cultivation of coffee, we delve into the extraordinary tale of Gabriel De Clou, the French naval officer who risked everything to introduce coffee to the Caribbean. Discover his audacious mission to smuggle a coffee plant across the perilous Atlantic, facing pirates, jealous passengers, and life-threatening conditions.

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• Download your Ratio Companion Guide
• Travel the World from Your Kitchen Table: Bald Guy Brew Coffee Roasting Co.