Cupping

Cupping is the standardized coffee evaluation protocol developed by the SCA, used by buyers, roasters, and Q Graders worldwide to assess and compare coffees objectively. The method calls for coarsely ground coffee (8.25 g per 150 ml) to be infused with water at 93°C; after 4 minutes, the taster breaks the floating crust and evaluates dry fragrance, wet aroma, and then, once the cup cools to below 71°C, ten attributes: flavor, aftertaste, acidity, body, balance, uniformity, clean cup, and sweetness, each scored on a scale contributing to a total out of 100 points. Coffees scoring 80 or above qualify as specialty grade.

How does the SCA cupping protocol work?

Cupping is the standardised sensory evaluation protocol of the specialty coffee industry, the equivalent of a blind wine tasting applied with scientific rigour. The SCA cupping protocol specifies every detail: 8.25g of coffee per 150ml of water, ground at a coarseness between drip and French press, evaluated at three temperature stages: hot (71°C), warm (49-54°C), and room temperature (below 21°C). Participants evaluate fragrance (dry grounds), aroma (after adding water), flavour, aftertaste, acidity, body, balance, uniformity, clean cup, and sweetness, ten attributes in total, each scored on a scale that produces a final score from 0 to 100. Coffees scoring ≥80 are classified as specialty grade. According to the Specialty Coffee Association, the protocol was developed by Ted Lingle (then SCA Executive Director) in the 1980s and formally adopted by the SCA in the 2000s. In a professional cupping, each coffee is represented by five cups (to detect sample variability), and evaluators 'break the crust' of grounds at 4 minutes with exactly three stirs, then clear the foam before tasting. The cupping protocol is the lingua franca of global green coffee trading: importers, exporters, and roasters cup the same protocol to communicate about the same sensory dimensions regardless of language or culture.

How can you run a cupping at home?

To set up a home cupping session: weigh 12g of three different coffees, grind them identically (just coarser than filter), place each into a 200ml vessel. Add 200g of water at 95°C simultaneously. At 4 minutes, break the crust with a spoon (3 stirs), smell the aroma intensely, then skim the foam. Wait 10 minutes, then taste while hot. Taste again as the cup cools, since great coffees reveal more complexity at lower temperatures. Taking written notes on the SCA cupping form trains your palate systematically.

Related Terms

Related terms: SCA score, the output of the cupping protocol. Flavour wheel, the vocabulary tool used during cupping. Q Grader, the professional trained to cup to SCA standards. Acidity, one of the ten cupping attributes.