Coffee Quality, Part 3: When the “quality” myth hits the farm

From Filter Stories - Coffee Documentaries by James Harper

December 8, 2025 · 30 min · Season 6 · Episode 15

About this episode

This episode explores how the myth of universal coffee quality impacts producers on coffee farms.

For twenty years, the 2004 cupping form profoundly shaped the specialty coffee world. But on the hillsides of coffee farms, some of the form’s byproducts have been disadvantaging producers. In this episode, we follow two producers whose lives collided with the myth of universal quality. These stories reveal how a single idea of “quality” can close doors for the people with the least power in the supply chain. The new coffee evaluation form, the CVA, is still young, and with any luck it will keep evolving. I hope for a form that can empower even the smallest producers. Please support my work directly at Ko-fi.com/FilterStories Other ways you can help: Leave a 5 star rating on SpotifyFollow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram storyWrite a review on Apple Podcasts Discover how I make these Filter Stories episodes by subscribing to my Substack newsletter Go deeper into the story of quality: The original Filter Stories episode about Murray Cooper in Ecuador, Firefly Specialty Coffee Association's new Coffee Value Assessment 2004 cupping form from the Specialty Coffee Association of America SCAA Coffee Cuppers Handbook (4th edition, 2011) Kenneth Liberman's book, "Tasting…

People in this episode

Host: James Harper

Topics covered

coffee quality
specialty coffee
coffee producers
supply chain
coffee evaluation

Keywords

coffee quality
cupping form
specialty coffee
producers
CVA
supply chain
evaluation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Specialty Coffee Association of America, Firefly Specialty Coffee Association, Standart

Products: Coffee Value Assessment

Books & works: Tasting Coffee: An Inquiry into Objectivity

Places: Ecuador