What is Specialty Coffee?

I’ll never forget my first experience with a specialty coffee; it’s seared into my memory, ranked just behind the birth of my son and just ahead of my wedding day. After ordering a cup of Ethiopian from a local coffee shop, the tasting notes made me question fundamental truths about my existence. What is this madness? Surely this wasn’t “coffee”? It tasted like blueberries and blood oranges. I gathered the courage to double check my order with the barista.