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

Cupping¶

Tags: #coffee/tasting #coffee/quality-control Aliases: Coffee cupping, Cupping protocol, SCA cupping Related: Quality Control MOC | SCA Cupping Protocol | SCA Cupping Form | Flavour Development MOC | Green Coffee Grading Status: ✅ Complete

Overview¶

Cupping is the standardised method of evaluating coffee quality by brewing and tasting ground coffee in an open cup, assessing aroma, flavour, acidity, body, aftertaste, balance, sweetness, uniformity, cleanliness, and overall impression. The SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) cupping protocol is the industry standard, providing a consistent, comparable procedure for green coffee buyers, roasters, quality control specialists, and competition judges. A cupping score of 80 points or above on the 100-point SCA scale qualifies a coffee as specialty grade.

SCA Cupping Protocol¶

Equipment: - Cupping bowls: 207 mL (±1 mL); glass or ceramic - Cupping spoons: stainless steel, 4–5 mL bowl - Ground coffee: 8.25 g per 150 mL water (standard brew ratio) - Water: 93°C (±1°C); off boil; within SCA water standards (TDS 150 mg/L target)

Procedure: 1. Fragrance: Assess dry grounds immediately after grinding; record fragrance score 2. Aroma: Pour hot water onto grounds; crust forms on surface; evaluate wet aroma at 3–5 minutes 3. Breaking the crust: At 8–10 minutes, break the crust with a spoon; inhale released aromas; score 4. Cleaning: Remove grounds and crust from surface with two spoons 5. Tasting: Begin tasting at 8–10 minutes; continue as coffee cools through 70°C, 55°C, and room temperature stages 6. Scoring: Each attribute scored 6–10 in 0.25-point increments on the SCA form

SCA Scoring Categories¶

Attribute	What is evaluated
Fragrance / Aroma	Dry and wet fragrance intensity and quality
Flavour	Overall taste impression across full range
Aftertaste	Persistence and quality of lingering flavour
Acidity	Quality (pleasant vs. harsh) and intensity
Body	Tactile weight and texture
Balance	Harmony between all attributes
Sweetness	Perceived sweetness across five cups
Uniformity	Consistency across five cups in the set
Clean Cup	Absence of off-flavours in any cup
Overall	Holistic quality impression; personal assessment
Defects	Subtracted: taint (−2/cup) or fault (−4/cup)

Maximum possible score: 100 points Specialty threshold: ≥ 80 points with no Category 1 defects in green

Why Five Cups?¶

The SCA protocol evaluates five cups per sample simultaneously to assess uniformity across the lot. Variation between cups can indicate inconsistent processing, mixed lots, or drying defects. A coffee with one cup that differs noticeably from the others loses uniformity and clean cup points.

Cupping vs. Brewing to Drink¶

Cupping is not a brewing method for drinking coffee — it is an evaluation tool. The open-cup brewing produces a strong, unfiltered brew that isolates coffee character clearly, but the grounds are not meant to be consumed (the spoon skims off the liquid from above the settled grounds). For quality evaluation, cupping provides: - A level playing field for comparing multiple coffees - Consistent extraction conditions - Evaluation across a temperature range (different attributes emerge at different temperatures)

Key Facts¶

Cupping is the SCA standard method for coffee quality evaluation; 80+ points = specialty grade
Brew ratio: 8.25 g coffee per 150 mL water; 93°C water; 207 mL bowls
Ten scored attributes + defect deduction; each attribute 6–10 in 0.25 increments
Five cups per sample; uniformity and clean cup scores assess lot consistency
Tasting occurs from approximately 70°C down to room temperature; attributes change as coffee cools

References¶

Changelog¶

Date	Change
2026-04-28	Note created

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