Q: What is the difference between specialty coffee and regular coffee?

Regular café coffee typically uses commodity-grade robusta or low-scoring arabica blends, roasted dark to mask defects. Specialty coffee starts with beans scoring 80+ points, sourced directly from specific farms or cooperatives, roasted to highlight the bean's natural flavour, and brewed with precise temperature, ratio, and timing. The result is a cup with distinct origin character — fruit, florals, or chocolate notes — rather than a generic bitter espresso.

Q: Is specialtycoffee.paris free to use?

Yes. This is an independent, non-commercial directory maintained by coffee enthusiasts. Listings are not paid placements — every shop is scored on the same criteria. If your shop is missing, contact us at hello@specialtycoffee.paris.

Q: How often is the directory updated?

Shop data — including Google ratings and review counts used in scoring — is refreshed regularly. New shops are added as they open or are submitted by the community. Scores are recalculated automatically whenever underlying data changes. If you spot an error or a missing shop, email hello@specialtycoffee.paris.

Question 1

What is specialty coffee?

Accepted Answer

Specialty coffee refers to coffee graded 80 points or above by a certified taster (Q Grader). It emphasises traceable single-origin beans, careful roasting, and precise brewing. Shops in this directory focus on quality over volume — you will find V60, AeroPress, and espresso prepared with attention to every variable.

Question 2

How are shops scored?

Accepted Answer

Each shop receives a score out of 100 built from three components. Google reputation accounts for 75%: the raw Google rating is Bayesian-adjusted against the Paris-wide average, so shops with very few reviews are pulled toward the mean rather than inflated. Breadth of offering accounts for 15%: points are awarded for manual or cold brew options, plant-based milk, dine-in seating, outdoor seating, and food. Longevity accounts for the remaining 10%: a logarithmic curve rewards the first few years of operation (when survival is uncertain) more than marginal additional age, capped at 5 years. Scores map to 9 letter tiers from S+ (≥ 96) down to D (< 50).

Question 3

What is the difference between specialty coffee and regular coffee?

Accepted Answer

Regular café coffee typically uses commodity-grade robusta or low-scoring arabica blends, roasted dark to mask defects. Specialty coffee starts with beans scoring 80+ points, sourced directly from specific farms or cooperatives, roasted to highlight the bean's natural flavour, and brewed with precise temperature, ratio, and timing. The result is a cup with distinct origin character — fruit, florals, or chocolate notes — rather than a generic bitter espresso.

Question 4

Is specialtycoffee.paris free to use?

Accepted Answer

Yes. This is an independent, non-commercial directory maintained by coffee enthusiasts. Listings are not paid placements — every shop is scored on the same criteria. If your shop is missing, contact us at hello@specialtycoffee.paris.

Question 5

How often is the directory updated?

Accepted Answer

Shop data — including Google ratings and review counts used in scoring — is refreshed regularly. New shops are added as they open or are submitted by the community. Scores are recalculated automatically whenever underlying data changes. If you spot an error or a missing shop, email hello@specialtycoffee.paris.

The guide to specialty
coffee in Paris

All 611 shops on the map

Browse by arrondissement

Newcomers

Café Home

CHĒZ - Rue Réaumur

Café Là

emm… café

JANA Coffee Club

CHĒZ - Rue de Sévigné

Top-rated shops

Brouillon

Silo

Crible

Léandrés

Santa Lyna

Café Tranquille

Featured roasters

Fève

Coutume

Tanat

Lomi

Noir

The Coffee

Frequently asked questions

The guide to specialty coffee in Paris