You know that moment when you taste a coffee that stops you mid-sip? When you can actually taste blueberry, not just "fruity notes," but blueberry?
That's what happened to our founder, Sean Stewart, years ago. "I thought, no coffee could taste that way," he recalls. "And that was exciting."
At Folk, we're chasing that moment for you. Every coffee we share scores 86 points or above on the specialty coffee scale. But we believe a score is just the starting point.
It's about something much more human: making sure the coffee you slow down with is actually worth slowing down for.
The coffee scoring system
Think of Q-graders as sommeliers for coffee. There are only about 500 of them in the entire United States, and Sean's one of them. They taste coffee professionally, scoring it on a 100-point scale.
- Most commercial coffee sits between 75-82 points.
- Good specialty coffee hits 83-85.
- At 86 and above, something shifts.
To get these numbers, Q-graders evaluate everything from aroma to aftertaste, but Sean sees it differently than most. "It's not just about the score," he explains. "It's a threshold that shows the producer's effort. I'm looking for coffee that makes someone say 'that's different, that's special.'"
What makes 86+ coffee different
Clarity of flavor
"At 86 and above, flavors isolate themselves," Sean explains. "You might taste specific berries, or types of chocolate. You could even notice whether it's orange blossom honey or clover honey."
Instead of generic "chocolate notes," you taste dark chocolate with toasted almonds. Instead of "fruity," you get strawberry jam or green apple. The flavors become distinct, recognizable, memorable.
Here's what that specificity looks like in practice:
| 85 points | 86 points |
|---|---|
| Chocolate | Dark chocolate |
| Fruit | Pink lady apple |
| Sweet | Almond extract |
| Earthy | Mushroom |
Rarity of volume
The rarity factor: Only about 5% of the world's coffee production scores 86 or above. When we select these coffees, we're often working with micro-lots so small that only a few thousand people worldwide will ever taste them.
The best coffees often exist in quantities so small, only a few thousand people will ever taste them.
These aren't coffees engineered for volume. They're rare varietals grown at challenging high altitudes, processed with methods that require more time and skills, and harvested at peak ripeness.
"By the time we find one we love, there's often only enough to share with our members," Sean notes. "We think that makes sharing it more meaningful. Like passing a great book to a friend."
The farmer and their work
But perhaps what matters most for us: 86+ coffees represent the farmer's craft.
"You don't accidentally get that quality," Sean emphasizes. "You have to put in serious work at the farm level."
These farmers are implementing sustainable farming practices, taking risks on unique varietals, and processing these coffees with tighter controls.
When Sean visited Jorge Vasquez Urana's farm in Costa Rica, everything clicked.
Seeing how he used regenerative farming practices made his coffee was so unique compared to everything else I had tasted. It was giving more depth and complexity. The soil was so lush and soft. I saw how those regenerative farming practices end up producing quality in the cup that was unmatched by anybody else.
This level of coffee isn't traded on the commodity market. Farmers set prices based on their work and the coffee's merit, creating a more stable, equitable system. When you choose 86+ coffee, you're directly supporting farmers who choose quality over volume.
Why this matters for your morning coffee
You don’t need to be a Q-grader or memorize flavor wheels to fully enjoy or appreciate a 86+ coffee. We’re here to help you slow down and just taste what's in your cup. To notice what makes one coffee taste like walking through an orchard while another reminds you of Saturday morning pancakes.
When you open your Folk Volume, you're getting:
- Coffee selected from hundreds of samples
- Flavors that make you stop and actually taste what you're drinking
- Something genuinely rare that won't come around again
- A story worth sharing with the person across the table
When we say we only share 86+ coffees, we're making a simple promise: every delivery will be worth slowing down for.
Not because of a number on a form, but because at that point, coffee becomes something different. Something you notice. Something you remember. Something that turns a regular Wednesday morning into a moment worth savoring.
That's what 86+ means to us. Once you taste the difference, we think you'll get it too.
