Cupping
The SCA cupping guide.
How the specialty world scores a coffee — the same protocol we run on every lot before it earns a spot in the lineup. Measure it, brew it, break the crust, and taste it as it cools.
The setup
- Ratio8.25 g : 150 mL
- ± 0.25 g per cup · 55 g/L · about 1:18 — leaner than a ~1:16 brew ratio, on purpose. Weigh coffee and water — don't eyeball.
- GrindCoarse
- 70–75% passes an 850 µm (US #20) sieve. Coarser than filter, finer than French press.
- Water200 °F / 93 °C
- Clean, 125–175 ppm TDS (~150 target). Never distilled or softened.
- RoastLight–medium
- No roast character (Agtron Gourmet ~63). Rest 8 h+, cup within 24 h.
- Cups5 per sample
- Identical glasses. Grind each cup fresh and pour within 15 minutes.
The steps
Cupping timer
0:00
- Dry
Fragrance
Smell the dry grounds within 15 minutes of grinding, before any water goes in.
- 0:00
Pour
Saturate all the grounds with 200 °F water, right to the brim. Don't stir — a crust forms on top.
- 4:00
Break the crust
Nose over the cup, push the crust away three times with the back of a spoon, and inhale the wet aroma. Rinse the spoon between cups.
- then
Skim
Lift the foam and floating grounds off the surface with two spoons, and discard.
- 8–10 min
Taste
Slurp once it cools to 160 °F / 71 °C. Score flavor, aftertaste, acidity, body, and balance while it's hot.
- Cooling
Re-taste
As it drops from 71 to 37 °C, sweetness, uniformity, and clean cup read clearest near body temperature. Faults surface here too.
- Room temp
Finish
Stop before it hits ~70 °F / 21 °C. Set the overall score last.
The score
Rate ten attributes, each 6.00–10.00 in 0.25 steps, then subtract defects. 80+ is specialty (85+ excellent, 90+ outstanding).
- Fragrance / Aroma
- Flavor
- Aftertaste
- Acidity
- Body
- Balance
- Uniformity
- Clean cup
- Sweetness
- Overall
New to these? Acidity, body, sweetness and more are defined in the glossary.
The SCA's 2024 Coffee Value Assessment now replaces this form — eight sections (fragrance, aroma, flavor, aftertaste, acidity, sweetness, mouthfeel, overall) rated 1–9, same 80+ specialty line. The brewing steps above are unchanged. Score it with the CVA affective score calculator.
Protocol per the Specialty Coffee Association. We cup every lot before it earns a spot in the lineup.
Sources — SCA Coffee Standards (SCA-102 sample preparation & cupping mechanics — ratio, grind, water, timing) · Coffee Value Assessment (2024, supersedes the 2004 cupping form) · CVA affective score calculator.