What Is a Coffee’s Cupping Score?
What is a Coffee's Cupping Score?
Did you know that coffee has a formal grading process similar to how a fine wine is graded? The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) has developed standards for assessing the quality of coffee. The coffee tasting and scoring methodology of a particular coffee is called its "cupping score."
The exact protocols and best practices can be found here.
Cupping seeks to grade a particular coffee in 10 different categories:
Fragrance - smell of ground coffee while dry
Aroma - smell the coffee releases once infused with hot water
Acidity - while the variant of the coffee can drive this category, generally coffee should not be intensely acidic
Body - mouthfeel
Flavor - the signature taste a coffee gives the palate
Sweetness - how sweet a coffee tastes on the palate
Clean Cup - uniformity of taste throughout the cup
Balance - equilibrium of acidity, aroma, flavor, and aftertaste
Aftertaste - the length of the flavor after the coffee has been swallowed
Overall - personal considerations of the taster
Once all of the above categories are assessed, a final score is determined. The final score classifications for coffee are as follows:
95-100: Super Premium Specialty
90-94: Premium Specialty
85-89: Specialty
80-84: Premium
75-79: Usual Good Quality
70-74: Average Quality
60-70: Exchange Grade
50-60: Commercial Grade
40-50: Below Grade
< 40: Off Grade
A score between 60-80 is considered commercial grade. A score of 80 or higher is required for a coffee to be considered "specialty" grade.
The higher scoring coffees are often a result of how the coffee is harvested. Those varieties that are grown at higher elevations, have traceable origins, and are processed carefully will result in a higher cupping score due to the great care given to each step of the process.
At Kith + Kin Coffee, we aim to provide quality premium varieties at affordable prices. All of our coffees typically score between 80-85 on the above cupping schedule. For more information on our coffee's cupping scores and to be the first to learn about new varieties, please subscribe to our email list.
