Coffee: SCA Cupping Protocol — 100-Point Scoring Scale

The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) cupping protocol is the global standard for evaluating coffee quality. It provides a systematic, reproducible framework for assessing a coffee’s sensory attributes, enabling professional comparison across origins, processing methods, and roast levels.

Protocol Procedure

Cupping follows a strict sequence to ensure consistency:

1. Roasting: Coffee must be roasted within 24 hours of the cupping session and rested 8–24 hours post-roast. Light to medium roast profile (Agtron 55–65 on whole bean) is specified.
2. Grinding: Coffee is ground immediately before cupping to a medium-coarse consistency (slightly coarser than drip).
3. Dose and ratio: 8.25g per 150ml of water (approximately 11.5g per 200ml standard cup). Five cups of the same coffee are prepared.
4. Water temperature: 93°C (200°F) at time of pour.
5. Steeping: Coffee steeps undisturbed for 3–5 minutes.
6. Crust break: At approximately 3–4 minutes, the cupper breaks the crust of grounds floating on the surface with a spoon, pushing them to the back of the cup while deeply inhaling the released aromas. This is the wet aroma evaluation.
7. Cleaning the surface: Remaining foam and grounds are skimmed from the cup surface.
8. First evaluation: When the cup cools to approximately 70°C, cuppers use a deep-bowl spoon to aspirate coffee forcefully (slurping), spreading it across the palate. Flavor, aftertaste, acidity, body, and balance are scored.
9. Second evaluation: As the cup cools to ~60°C, all attributes are re-evaluated. Acidity and sweetness often become more apparent at lower temperatures.
10. Final evaluation: A third pass occurs as coffee approaches room temperature.

Scoring System

The SCA form scores 10 attributes. Each attribute is scored on a scale with 6 quality descriptors: Good (6.00–6.75), Very Good (7.00–7.75), Excellent (8.00–8.75), and Outstanding (9.00–9.75). Defects are recorded and subtracted.

Attribute	Max Points	Evaluation Method	Notes
Fragrance/Aroma	10	Dry + wet	Dry: ground before pour; Wet: after crust break
Flavor	10	Aspirated sip	Central attribute; complexity, clarity, character
Aftertaste	10	Post-sip	Length and pleasantness of lingering taste
Acidity	10	Aspirated sip	Quality and intensity scored separately on form
Body	10	Mouthfeel	Tactile sensation of weight, texture
Balance	10	Overall pass	Harmony; no attribute dominates negatively
Uniformity	10	All 5 cups	2 points per cup; deducted if cup varies
Clean Cup	10	All 5 cups	2 points per cup; deducted for off-flavors
Sweetness	10	All 5 cups	2 points per cup; deducted if astringent
Overall	10	Holistic	Cupper’s personal impression of total experience
Total	100		Base score starts at 36 (six attributes at 6.0 baseline)

Defect Scoring

Defects are categorized into two tiers and subtracted from the final score:

• Category 1 (Taints): Off-flavors detectable but not overwhelming — deduct 2 points per occurrence × number of cups affected.
• Category 2 (Faults): Overwhelming, unpleasant off-flavors — deduct 4 points per occurrence × number of cups affected.

Common defects include: ferment (over-fermented processing), phenolic (medicinal/carbolic), musty/earthy (storage mold), sour/vinegar, and rubber (Robusta characteristic).

Score Classifications

Score Range	Classification
90–100	Outstanding / Exemplary
85–89.99	Excellent
80–84.99	Very Good (Specialty grade)
Below 80	Below specialty (commodity or off-grade)

The Q Grader certification, administered by the Coffee Quality Institute, requires candidates to calibrate within ±1 point of a reference score across 22 exams. Approximately 5,000 Q Graders are certified worldwide, serving as the human infrastructure for specialty coffee’s quality verification system.