CoE Cupping Form Has Eight Scoring Categories | Clean Cup, Sweetness, Acidity, Mouthfeel, Aftertaste, Balance, and More

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The Eight Scoring Categories of CoE Rating Sheet | How are Cleanliness, Sweetness, Acidity, Mouthfeel, Aftertaste, and Balance Scored?

You often hear specialty coffee being honored with the title of "COE specialty coffee." "COE" serves as proof of quality for specialty coffee. So what is the history and origin of COE? 🤔 In the highly competitive world of premium coffee competitions, what are the standards for winning among numerous estates? Jamie has compiled the basic judging criteria and content to share with everyone ☕

What is Cup of Excellence (COE)?

COE stands for Cup of Excellence, representing "a perfect cup of coffee," also known as the "Cup of Excellence."

It was first held in Brazil in 1999 by the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) and is currently the most renowned, credible, and authoritative specialty coffee competition in the world.

The competition is generally held annually and judged by international judges. The final winning estates must pass six stages of screening. Typically, from 500 estates, fewer than 30 remain in the final selection.

How Did Cup of Excellence COE Come Into Being?

As international coffee market prices continued to decline, the United Nations launched a program to promote economic independence in developing countries, known as the "United Nations Premium Coffee Project (1997-2000)." The purpose was to experiment with whether high-quality coffee could be produced, encouraging various countries to participate in the experiment and sell at reasonable prices.

Surprisingly, Brazil, which was previously considered the most difficult country to produce "specialty coffee," emerged as the standout performer. In the 1999 Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE) competition, the finest coffee beans were selected from Brazil and awarded the title of "King of Brazil." Later, this was incorporated into online auction bidding. In 2000, the competition scale further expanded, with the top-ranked coffee beans being awarded the "Cup of Excellence COE" title.

The Impact of COE:

Coffee awarded the COE title can be traded at high prices in specialty coffee auctions.

Influenced by the attractive selling prices, coffee growers who previously focused only on quantity began to invest effort in quality.

This system not only enhances the production motivation of coffee estates but also improves their evaluation and reputation, thereby increasing coffee trading volume. Before Cup of Excellence emerged, most coffee beans were processed as mixed batches, and the unique flavors of different coffee beans could not be highlighted.

How Does COE Work?

Ten white coffee cups, each containing 11.5 grams of fresh coffee beans, distinguished only by numbers.

To ensure the fairness of competition results, no one knows their origin, processing method, or roasting style.

These are the specialty coffees that have made it to the COE semi-finals. They are evaluated through eight scoring criteria (Cleanliness, Sweetness, Acidity, Mouthfeel, Flavor, Aftertaste, Balance, and Overall Impression).

COE Cupping Scoring Standards

"Aroma" is the first item evaluated at the beginning of cupping:

First: Smell the dry powder aroma in the cup at the beginning of cupping.

Second: Smell the wet aroma on the surface after adding water.

Third: Smell the aroma of the broken crust on the coffee surface.

Clean Cup: Cleanliness means no defective flavors or tainted tastes.

Sweetness: Coffee generally contains sweetness, so as long as sweetness is perceived, it will receive a high score.

Acidity: Higher quality acids receive higher scores, such as bright and lively citrus fruit flavors.

Mouthfeel: This evaluation item assesses mouth sensations rather than taste; it belongs to the substances and textures felt in the mouth, such as oiliness, viscosity, for example, the difference between milk and water.

Flavor: Various tastes, aromas perceived by the nasal cavity, and mouth sensations all belong to this evaluation item.

Aftertaste: The various tastes or sensations that remain in the mouth after sipping. If they linger and even spread in the mouth, the score is higher. If there is no aftertaste or it's too short, the score is lower.

Balance: For example, although the acidity is bright, does it still transition to sweetness? Is it viscous but not astringent? Are the various flavors of coffee harmonious?

Overall:

• The CoE scoring sheet has eight evaluation items, with each item having a maximum score of 8 points (8x8=64 points), a minimum score of 0 points, and a weighted 36 points, making the total score 100 points.
• 6 points represent that this item meets COE competition-level standards and belongs to good quality (fine). 0 points (unacceptable) indicates completely unacceptable. Ordinary quality receives 4 points (Poor). If it's exceptionally excellent and perfect, it receives 8 points (great).

What are COE's Standards?

A total score of 69 or below belongs to slightly inferior commercial beans or industrial-grade beans.

A total score between 70-74 points belongs to general commercial beans.

A total score between 75-79 points belongs to superior commercial beans, also known as premium commercial beans.

A total score between 80-84 points belongs to specialty coffee.

A total score of 85 or above belongs to COE competition level, which is also the winning coffee of Cup of Excellence, currently recognized as the highest standard in the international coffee community.

FrontStreet Coffee recommends brewing:

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90 degrees Celsius

Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 3.5

Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, 15g of coffee grounds. First pour: 25g of water for 25s bloom. Second pour: continue to 120g then stop pouring. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half before continuing to pour. Slowly pour until reaching 225g total water. Extraction time approximately 2:00.

Analysis: Using a three-stage brewing method to clearly distinguish the flavors in the front, middle, and end sections of the coffee. Because V60 has many ribs and faster drainage speed, stopping the pour can help extend the extraction time.

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473