Adulterated coffees and high end specialty coffee
This is a niche topic but one that gets some industry people fired up - adulterated coffees, experimental processes, transparency, honesty and specialty coffee. In this conversation we tried to stick to one question about whether specialty coffee’s reputation is at risk from ‘undeclared’ additives. We didn’t succeed. For many of us in specialty coffee, the issue is too tied up in our values, identity, personal prefences, and the brands of our businesses.The best document to understand the full picture was released by the SCA and is called Green coffee identity.When Paul, Tibor and I were talking a few weeks ago, Tibor decided he had to raise the question of whether adulterated coffees are a risk for high end specialty coffee. What happens when a roaster buys an experimentally processed coffee, that is supposed to have flavours developed through fermentation, but in fact, they come from the addition of an artificial syrup?We discussed this and went down a few tangents.1. Doctored coffees and trust at the high end2. Andrew’s risks-versus-opportunities framing3. Signature drinks and the “identity crisis” question4. Hyper-specialty’s lineageSome useful references: Unpacking the Debate Around Coffee Identity: Insights from Re:co Spotlight, 2025 | 25, Issue 24 SCA Report: What's in my coffee -JULY 2026
