A good specialty coffee shop can tell you where its beans came from and when they were roasted, grinds every order fresh on a clean grinder, and makes a straight espresso or pour-over that tastes sweet and clean, not burnt. To find one, search “specialty coffee” plus the city name, check an app like Roasters or European Coffee Trip, and ask the barista at any good cafe where else they like to drink.
Here’s what “specialty” really means, the signs that separate a great shop from a pretender, and how to find one at home or while traveling.
| What to check | Good sign | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Beans | Origin, farm or region, and roast date on the bag or menu | Just “house blend,” no roast date |
| Grinding | Ground to order on a clean grinder | Pre-ground coffee, or a hopper caked with old oil |
| Brewed coffee | Brewed fresh or recently, in a thermal server | A burnt smell from coffee on a hot plate |
| Milk | Glossy microfoam and a quiet steam wand | A screeching wand, big dry bubbles, milk left out on the counter |
| Menu | Short, built around espresso and filter coffee | A huge menu of syrup drinks with little about the coffee |
| Staff | Can tell you about the beans and suggest a brew | Can’t say where the beans come from |
What “Specialty Coffee” Means
Specialty coffee grew out of the 1960s and 1970s, when a handful of roasters, many of them in California, started buying better beans and roasting them to show off their flavor instead of selling bland canned coffee. In 1974, coffee importer Erna Knutsen used the term “specialty coffee” in the Tea & Coffee Trade Journal to describe beans from special microclimates with distinctive flavors.
Today the term has a formal meaning. Under the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) system, coffee that scores 80 points or more out of 100 on a professional cupping counts as specialty. In a cafe, that usually goes with traceable sourcing, fresh roasting and careful brewing. For more on how it differs from everyday coffee, see specialty vs regular coffee and our guide to the waves of coffee.
What Makes a Specialty Coffee Shop Stand Out
Traceable, high-quality beans. Specialty shops buy from specific regions, farms or cooperatives and tell you about them, often on the menu or the bag. Expect details like origin, processing method and tasting notes, whether it’s a floral Ethiopian or a chocolatey Colombian single origin. If no one can tell you where the coffee comes from, that’s a warning sign.
Fresh roasting. Some shops roast in-house, which gives them full control, but it isn’t required. Many excellent cafes serve coffee from a respected local roaster or rotate guest roasters. What matters is freshness, so ask for the roast date; most shops aim to use beans within a few weeks of roasting. If you like what you taste, buying beans from a local roaster is the easiest way to bring it home.
Attention to detail. Good shops weigh their coffee, dial in grind size through the day and time their espresso shots. That precision is what makes the coffee taste the same on Tuesday as it did on Saturday.
Knowledgeable baristas. A good barista works a bit like a sommelier. They can explain what’s on the menu, suggest something based on what you like, and pull a balanced espresso as well as a careful pour-over.
Community and sourcing. Many specialty shops host public cuppings, latte art throwdowns or brewing classes. Many also talk openly about how they buy, through direct trade or long-term relationships with farms. Certifications like Fair Trade are about sourcing standards rather than flavor, so treat them as one signal among many; our guide to coffee certifications explains the differences.
Brew Methods You’ll See
| Method | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Espresso | A concentrated shot, the base for lattes, cappuccinos and cortados |
| Pour-over | A clean, bright cup brewed to order that shows off single origins |
| Batch brew | Filter coffee brewed in larger batches; good shops brew it often |
| Cold brew | Steeped cold for 12–24 hours; smooth and low in acidity |
| AeroPress | Quick and versatile, anywhere from clean to rich |
| Siphon | A theatrical vacuum brewer that makes a clean, aromatic cup |
You don’t need every method. A shop that does espresso and filter coffee well is better than one that does six methods badly.
How to Find a Specialty Coffee Shop
Find a great cafe in five steps
Works at home or in a new city
- Search online. Try “specialty coffee” plus the city name, and check coffee sites like Sprudge or European Coffee Trip for city guides.
- Use a coffee app. Roasters maps more than 20,000 specialty cafes and roasters worldwide, and European Coffee Trip covers Europe in depth.
- Check photos and menus. Look for a short menu, a good espresso machine and grinder, and posts about the beans they’re serving.
- Ask a barista. Baristas at one good shop almost always know the others in town.
- Order something simple. A straight espresso or a pour-over shows the coffee with nothing to hide behind.
Star ratings help, but they reward comfortable seating and friendly service as much as great coffee. Read reviews for mentions of the beans, the espresso or a specific roaster.
When you visit, trust your taste. Great specialty coffee has distinct flavors, such as fruity, nutty or chocolatey notes, and a sweet, clean finish. If the espresso is harsh and the drip tastes burnt, keep looking. Our guide to how to drink espresso covers what to notice.
Tips for Travelers
Finding good coffee abroad works the same way. Coffee apps are the fastest shortcut, and searching for “third wave coffee” or “specialty coffee” in English usually works even where English isn’t spoken. In cities with big coffee scenes, look for shops that list single origins and roast dates. Heading to France? See our picks for the best espresso in Paris.
If there’s a language barrier, ask “Where are your beans from?” A good shop will find a way to answer. And if you’d rather bring your own setup, our guide to making coffee while traveling covers the gear.
Specialty Coffee Shop FAQ
What should I order to judge a coffee shop?
A straight espresso or a pour-over. If you take milk, a cortado is small enough that you still taste the coffee.
Is Starbucks specialty coffee?
Starbucks uses arabica beans and helped bring espresso drinks to the mainstream, but most coffee enthusiasts see it as second-wave coffee. Specialty shops focus more on traceable beans, lighter roasts and brewing each cup with care.
Does a specialty coffee shop have to roast its own beans?
No. Many of the best cafes buy from respected roasters. Fresh beans and careful brewing matter more than where the roaster sits.
Former roastery owner and coffee tour operator. Steve spent five years roasting coffee for his own shop and wholesale customers. More about Steve