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.
Background & Context
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. 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.
Practical Use
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 — 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.