The Brew Blog

Global Coffee Awards — the international coffee roasting competition spanning categories and continents, and why an international medal adds a distinct quality signal beyond domestic competitions.

Traceability in specialty coffee is how a cup connects back to a specific farm, lot, and producer. Here's why it matters for quality, ethics, and what's in your cup.

Single origin or blend? Specialty coffee mostly favors single origin — here's why provenance matters more than consistency at the top of the quality spectrum.

Micro-lot and nano-lot coffees aren't just small batches — they're a quality signal. Here's what lot size tells you about specialty coffee, scarcity, and competition wins.

Good Food Awards coffee category — the only major US coffee competition combining blind taste evaluation with verified ethical sourcing standards, and what a Good Food Award medal signals.

What does specialty coffee mean? The SCA defines it at 80 points, but 84 is where the industry's serious buyers draw the line. Here's what the scores actually mean.