tags: [] - coffee/tasting - coffee/quality-control aliases: - SCA cupping protocol - Cupping procedure - Coffee cupping protocol

Cupping Protocol¶

Tags: #coffee/tasting #coffee/quality-control Aliases: SCA cupping protocol, Cupping procedure, Coffee cupping protocol Related: Coffee Tasting MOC | Cupping | SCA Cupping Form | Cupping Roast Samples | Green Coffee Grading Status: ✅ Complete

Overview¶

The cupping protocol is the standardised procedure for conducting a coffee quality evaluation session, specifying equipment, ratios, temperatures, timing, and the sequence of assessments used to evaluate aroma, flavour, acidity, body, aftertaste, balance, and defects. The SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) cupping protocol is the primary industry standard; it provides a reproducible framework that allows scores and evaluations to be compared across different cuppers, organisations, countries, and supply chain contexts.

Equipment Requirements¶

Item	Specification
Cupping bowls	207 mL (±1 mL), glass or ceramic
Cupping spoons	Stainless steel, 4–5 mL bowl depth
Grinder	Capable of consistent medium grind (~SCA grind size 4.5)
Water	93°C (±1°C); off boil; SCA water standards (TDS 150 mg/L target)
Kettle	Gooseneck with temperature control or thermometer
Score sheets	SCA cupping form (printed or digital)
Rinse water cups	One per cupper for spoon rinsing
Spittoon	For expectorating between samples

Sample Preparation¶

Roasting: Samples are roasted to a standardised light-medium level — typically Agtron 58–63 on whole bean (Agtron 63–68 on ground) — to minimise roast influence and maximise origin and processing expression. Sample roasts are conducted 8–24 hours before cupping.

Grinding: Each sample is ground to a coarser-than-espresso, slightly finer-than-filter setting (SCA grind standard approximately 70–75% of particles passing 1.2 mm mesh). All samples in a session are ground on the same grinder with sufficient purging between lots to prevent cross-contamination. The dose is 8.25 g (±0.25 g) per 150 mL water.

Labelling: Cups are labelled by code rather than coffee name for blind evaluation. Each sample is represented by a minimum of three cups, though the full SCA protocol uses five cups per sample to assess uniformity.

Cupping Procedure¶

Step 1 — Fragrance (dry)¶

Immediately after grinding, the dry grounds are assessed for fragrance. The cupper leans over each cup and inhales the dry aromatic. Fragrance is scored on the cupping form as the first aromatic assessment. Fragrance and aroma together compose the first SCA scored attribute.

Step 2 — Brewing¶

Hot water (93°C) is poured onto all cups in order, filling each to the 150 mL mark. The pour is timed — all cups should be saturated within a defined window (typically 8 minutes total from the first pour). A crust of grounds forms on the surface during steeping.

Step 3 — Aroma (wet)¶

At 3–5 minutes from the last pour, the cupper breaks the crust on each cup in sequence: a spoon is pushed through the floating grounds with a forward scooping motion while the cupper's nose is positioned directly over the cup to inhale the released steam and volatiles. Wet aroma is evaluated and the aroma score updated. After breaking, the grounds and foam are skimmed from the surface with two spoons.

Step 4 — Tasting¶

Tasting begins when the liquid temperature reaches approximately 71°C (approximately 8–10 minutes from the pour). The cupper uses a cupping spoon to collect a small amount (4–5 mL) of liquid from the top of each cup and slurps it loudly and forcefully across the palate, atomising the coffee across the tongue and directing volatile compounds toward the olfactory receptors via the retronasal pathway.

Evaluation continues as the coffee cools through three temperature ranges:

Temperature	Attributes best assessed
~70°C (hot)	Acidity character and brightness; initial flavour impression
~55°C (warm)	Full flavour picture; balance, body, sweetness well-resolved
~35°C and below (cool/room temperature)	Defects, baking notes, and subtle underdevelopment become most apparent

Step 5 — Scoring and Recording¶

Attributes are scored as the session progresses. The SCA form uses a 6–10 scale in 0.25-point increments for each scored attribute. Defects are noted separately (taint = −2 per affected cup; fault = −4 per affected cup). The final total score is the sum of all attribute scores minus the defect deduction.

Attribute	Evaluated
Fragrance / Aroma	Dry and wet aromatic quality and intensity
Flavour	Overall taste and retronasal aromatic impression
Aftertaste	Length and quality of flavour persistence after swallowing
Acidity	Quality (pleasant vs. unpleasant) and intensity
Body	Tactile weight, viscosity, texture
Balance	Harmony of all attributes
Sweetness	Perceived sweetness across all cups
Uniformity	Consistency of character across the five cups
Clean Cup	Absence of off-flavours in each cup
Overall	Holistic assessment; cupper's personal evaluation
Defects	Subtracted: taint −2, fault −4 per affected cup

Specialty threshold: ≥ 80 points total with no Category 1 defects in the green coffee.

Session Protocol Notes¶

Calibration: Sessions involving multiple cuppers typically begin with a calibration exercise on a known reference sample to align scoring across participants.

Blind evaluation: Cups are identified by code; cuppers are typically unaware of origin or processing details during the assessment to prevent expectation bias.

Rinse discipline: The cupping spoon is rinsed in clean water between cups. Rinse water is changed regularly to prevent flavour carryover.

Triangle cupping: A complementary technique using three cups (two identical, one different) to assess whether a cupper can reliably identify the odd sample; used for quality control and sensory calibration training.

Key Facts¶

SCA cupping ratio: 8.25 g coffee per 150 mL water (approximately 55 g/L)
Water temperature: 93°C (±1°C); steep time ~4 minutes before breaking the crust
Five cups per sample: enables assessment of uniformity and clean cup across the lot
Tasting occurs across three temperature stages: ~70°C, ~55°C, and room temperature
Scoring: 6–10 in 0.25 increments per attribute; total minus defect deduction; 80+ = specialty grade
Samples are roasted to light-medium (Agtron 58–63) to minimise roast influence on evaluation

References¶

Changelog¶

Date	Change
2026-05-02	Compliance review: full rewrite — removed bold pseudo-header glossary format with no frontmatter; rebuilt as encyclopedic article covering equipment table, sample preparation, five-step cupping procedure, tasting temperature stages, scoring table, session protocol notes; added frontmatter, metadata block, Key Facts, References, Changelog, copyright

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