The coffee shall meet the following measurements with a tolerance of ± 1.0 units: Coffees that receive higher scores should be noticeably better than coffees that receive lower scores.The Cupping Form provides a means of recording important flavor attributes for coffee: Fragrance/Aroma, Flavor, Aftertaste, Acidity, Body, Balance, Uniformity, Clean Cup, Sweetness, Defects, and Overall. Home. At this point the coffee will probably be too hot for most people to cup, wait another 3-5 minutes and allow the coffee to cool before proceeding. The purpose of this cupping protocol is the determination of the cupper's perception of quality. The Defect Handbook defines what are considered defects for the SCA GACCS. The form, which is broken up into ten parameters, allows panelists to rate and penalize for any defects found in the cup(s). Although the terminology is relatively straight forward, you will see that many terms differ in meaning from country to country.Now that we've covered the basics in cupping theory, let’s get the coffee samples ready. Sample Preparation Roasting: • The sample should be roasted within 24 hours of cupping and allowed to rest for at least 8 hours. The first step is to ensure that the coffee to be "cupped" is of a light to medium roast. All coffee used should be freshly roasted with no more than 24-48 hours in age, be uniform in color, air cooled, contain no quakers, and have no scorching or tipping present on the bean.Once the coffee has been roasted allow it to rest overnight in a clean area. Lids can be of any material. The quality of specific flavor attributes is analyzed, and then drawing on the cupper's previous experience, samples are rated on a numeric scale. Typically a small sample roaster is used as these roasters provide for greater control and consistency with minimal use of samples. The system is based on a 100 point scale, thereby allowing for the classification of very low quality "Off Grade" coffees to "Super Premium Specialty" coffee. Defects are then subtracted from the "Total Score" to arrive at a "Final Score." This list may not be complete for all coffee companies and operational situations.The attribute score is recorded in the appropriate box on the cupping form. Events; Upcoming Events; Global Specialty Coffee Expo; Re:co Symposium; Barista Competitions The specific flavor attributes are positive scores of quality reflecting a judgment rating by the cupper; Defects are negative scores denoting unpleasant flavor sensations; the Overall score is based on the flavor experience of the individual cupper as a personal appraisal.
These are rated on a 16-point scale representing levels of quality in quarter point increments between numeric values from 6 to 9.
The following Scoring Key has proven to be a meaningful way to describe the range of coffee quality for the Final Score.A protocol is a specific process recommended by the SCA Standards Committee and Professional Development Department. Revised in the early 1990's, the SCAA cupping provides cuppers with an objective way of capturing some of the most important sensory aspects in coffee. But within the specialty coffee world, the de facto standard is the SCAA's Cupping Form.Any serious coffee buyer should take the time to invest in setting up a cupping lab.