Specialty Coffee in Naples, Florida: A Simple Buyer's Guide
"Specialty coffee" shows up on bags, menus and websites everywhere, but it is rarely explained. If you live in Naples or anywhere in Southwest Florida and want better coffee at home, it helps to know what the term actually means and what to look for.
We are a coffee growing family from Tarrazú, Costa Rica, and we roast in small batches right here in Naples. Here is our honest, plain guide.
What does "specialty coffee" mean?
For years, specialty coffee had a simple number attached to it. On the classic cupping form used by the Specialty Coffee Association, trained tasters scored coffee on a 100 point scale, and coffee scoring 80 points or higher was considered specialty. Coffee in the 70s was treated as commodity grade.
Today the Specialty Coffee Association describes specialty coffee more broadly: "a coffee or coffee experience recognized for its distinctive attributes." Those attributes include what you taste, like flavor, aroma and mouthfeel, and what you know about it, like origin, producer, growing practices and processing.
In 2025 the SCA's new Coffee Value Assessment replaced the old form, but the 80 point mark is still the number most coffee people use as shorthand for specialty grade.
How is coffee scored?
On the classic form, cuppers taste the coffee carefully and rate attributes such as fragrance and aroma, flavor, aftertaste, acidity, body, balance, sweetness, clean cup and uniformity. Defects take points away.
A few numbers help put scores in perspective:
- 80 to 84: specialty grade, very good coffee.
- 85 and up: excellent coffees often sold as single origins.
- 90 and up: rare, outstanding coffees.
Most coffee sold in grocery stores is not scored at all, and that is fine for many people. But if you want to taste the difference that careful farming and processing make, specialty coffee is the place to start.
Scores are a useful guide, but your own taste matters most. A coffee you love at home is the right coffee.
What should you look for on a bag of specialty coffee?
- A roast date, not only a best by date. Fresh coffee tastes dramatically better.
- A specific origin, ideally down to the region or farm, such as Tarrazú, Costa Rica.
- Altitude, variety and process. These tell you a lot about flavor before you open the bag.
- Tasting notes that sound like real food, like caramel, cherry or raspberry.
- Whole beans, so you can grind right before brewing.
Words like "gourmet" or "premium" on their own are not graded terms. Specific details, like a farm name, an altitude and a roast date, are much better signs of quality.
Why buy fresh roasted coffee locally in Naples?
Freshness is the simplest upgrade most people can make. According to the National Coffee Association, whole beans stay fresh for about 1 to 3 weeks at room temperature once opened, so coffee that spent months in a warehouse has already lost a lot before it reaches you.
Buying from a local roaster shortens that trip. Your coffee can go from roaster to cup in days instead of months. And in a humid climate like ours in Southwest Florida, storing it well matters even more, so keep beans in an airtight, opaque container away from heat and light.
How does Aviadora roast specialty coffee in Naples?
Aviadora is the coffee of the Montero family, four generations of growers in Tarrazú, Costa Rica, since the 1940s. Our family lots were Top 10 finalists three times: 8th place in 2021, 6th in 2022 and 6th in 2024.
Our founder, Maria Montero, is a pilot. Coffee from the family farm helped pay for her pilot training, and today she roasts every order to order, in small batches, in Naples, Florida. Nothing sits on a shelf waiting for you. Read more on our story page.
- Natural Reposado ($22, 350 g): Finca Temática, 1,600 m, shade grown and pesticide free. Cherry, raspberry, juicy acidity and a creamy body.
- Semi-Washed ($18, 350 g): Finca La Pastora, 1,900 m. Caramel, ripe fruit, bright acidity and a silky finish.
Choose Light, Light-Medium, Medium-Dark or Roaster's Recommendation, where Maria tailors the roast to your brew method.
How can you get fresh coffee delivered regularly?
A subscription is the easiest way to never run out of fresh coffee. Pick Jet A for single origin pour over and filter, or Espresso Altitude for espresso, cappuccino and latte. Choose delivery every week, every 2 weeks or every month, and subscribers save 10 percent.
Prefer to try first? Browse our coffee and order a single bag.
Frequently asked questions
What makes coffee "specialty"?
Traditionally, specialty coffee is coffee that scores 80 points or more out of 100 on the Specialty Coffee Association's cupping scale. Today the SCA also describes it as coffee recognized for distinctive attributes, both in the cup and in where and how it was grown.
Is specialty coffee worth the price?
For many people, yes. Specialty coffee is carefully grown, picked and processed, and it tastes sweeter and more complex. Freshness matters just as much, so look for a recent roast date.
Where can I buy fresh roasted coffee in Naples, Florida?
Aviadora Coffee roasts every order to order, in small batches, in Naples, Florida. You can order single bags online or set up a subscription for regular delivery.
What should I look for on a specialty coffee bag?
Look for a roast date, a specific origin, altitude, variety, processing method and tasting notes. Whole beans that you grind at home will give you the freshest cup.
Sources
- Specialty Coffee Association: What is Specialty Coffee
- Royal Coffee: Scoring Specialty Coffee, What Do the Numbers Mean?
- National Coffee Association (About Coffee): Coffee Storage and Shelf Life
Informational only. Brewing results vary with your water, grinder and equipment.
