Walk down any supermarket aisle and you’ll see shelf after shelf of coffee—but not all beans are created equal.
So what really sets speciality coffee apart from your average supermarket blend? The difference comes down to quality, transparency, care, and ultimately, flavour. Here’s what you need to know:
1. Quality Starts at the Source
Supermarket coffee is often mass-produced, blended from various origins, and focused on quantity over quality. Many beans are picked mechanically and processed with speed, not precision.
Speciality coffee, like Tambia, starts with high-quality Arabica beans, hand-picked at peak ripeness. We grow our coffee at high altitude on our family farm in Colombia, where every step is done with intention.
2. Graded and Scored
Speciality coffee must score 80 points or higher on the Specialty Coffee Association’s 100-point scale. It’s professionally cupped for acidity, balance, sweetness, body, and aftertaste.
Supermarket coffee? Most don’t even go through this evaluation.
3. Full Traceability
You should be able to know where your coffee came from—and who grew it. Speciality coffee offers full traceability, often down to the farm or micro-lot.
Most supermarket coffee doesn’t disclose origin, varietal, or processing method—because it’s usually blended from many unknown sources.
💡 At Tambia, we don’t source—we grow. Everything comes from our own farm, Hacienda La Sierra, in Colombia.
4. Roasted for Flavour, Not Shelf Life
Supermarket coffee is roasted in bulk and often sits on shelves for months. To make it last, it’s usually roasted darker—which can flatten or mask the bean’s natural flavours.
Speciality coffee is roasted in small batches, with precision. At Tambia, we roast locally in the UK to highlight each varietal’s best characteristics—whether that’s Geisha’s florals or Castillo’s cocoa notes.
5. Transparency in Labelling
If your bag doesn’t tell you:
- the origin
- the varietal
- the roast level
- the flavour notes ...it probably isn’t speciality coffee.
We believe you deserve to know exactly what you’re drinking.
6. Ethical & Sustainable by Design
Supermarket coffee rarely supports farming communities in meaningful ways. In contrast, speciality coffee often invests in people.
Tambia supports rural education through Fundación Oro Molido, reinvests in our land, and pays fair wages—because great coffee should benefit everyone involved in making it.
So, Why Choose Speciality?
Because it tastes better. Because it’s better for the planet. Because it supports real people, not just supply chains.
Every cup of Tambia is a product of care—from our farm in Colombia to your kitchen counter.