A New Way To Talk About Coffee

I’ve just completed the practical of the Coffee Value Assessment. It is a different way of looking at coffee, and to be honest, it arrives at the right moment. The market is shifting. People are buying coffee with a much wider range of tastes, expectations and intentions than ever before. The old approach to judging coffee through one single scoring system is starting to feel out of touch.

Specialty has done a huge amount of good for producers and for drinkers. It raised the floor. It pushed the industry to care about quality, transparency and technique. But it also created a narrow lane for what was considered “good”. Anything outside that lane was quietly dismissed. The reality is that most people in the world do not drink what we call specialty. They drink something roasted a little darker, a little rounder, a little more familiar. And they like it.

This is where the CVA makes sense. Instead of asking whether a coffee is special in the old sense, it asks whether it has value for its intended purpose. A coffee designed to shine in a flat white should not be judged by the same criteria as a washed African filter coffee. A blend built for consistency and comfort should not be held up to the same standards as a wild anaerobic micro lot. Value depends on context. Value depends on what the customer wants. The CVA recognises that.

The industry is changing. Volumes are shifting. Costs are rising. Consumers are more diverse in their preferences. People want flavour and consistency, but they also want coffee that fits into their routine without fuss. Producers need systems that reward them fairly for the work they do across a wider range of styles. Roasters need a language to talk about coffee that does not confuse or alienate the customers they serve.

The CVA is a step toward that. It is not about lowering standards. It is about broadening the idea of what quality means. It brings the focus back to suitability, purpose and value. It gives us a way to evaluate coffees without falling into the trap of thinking one flavour profile is inherently better than another. That kind of ranking never reflected how most people actually drink coffee.

We are in a new era for coffee. The market will keep changing. Taste will keep evolving. The goal is not to hold on to an old definition of quality. The goal is to understand the full range of what coffee can be and to appreciate each style for the experience it brings. The CVA feels like a tool built for this moment. It helps us communicate clearly, make smarter decisions and respect the diversity of drinkers that keep this industry alive.

For me, that is a healthier direction. And it is one I am excited to build Yunara around.