What are the Cupping Scoring Standards for Coffee? What Does the SCAA Form Include?

Coffee cupping initially served to ensure the quality of coffee beans entering trade. Over time, with the emergence of specialty coffee concepts, a scoring system for evaluating beans through cupping was developed.

Coffee beans scoring below 80 points are classified as commercial coffee, while those scoring above 80 points are categorized as specialty coffee! The higher the score, the more superior the quality of the coffee.

Currently, there are two most authoritative cupping scoring systems: those established by SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) and COE (Cup of Excellence). Today, we will focus on sharing the SCAA cupping scoring system.

SCAA Cupping Scoring System

The SCAA cupping evaluation includes eleven criteria: Fragrance/Aroma, Flavor, Aftertaste, Acidity, Sweetness, Body, Uniformity, Balance, Clean Cup, Overall, and Defects/Subtract.

For each coffee sample, five cups of coffee are prepared to ensure consistency, stability, and objectivity. Since all beans participating in SCAA evaluation are commercial grade or above, each scoring category (except defect deduction) ranges from 6 to 10 points, with 0.25-point increments, totaling 16 scoring intervals.

Detailed Evaluation Criteria

Fragrance/Aroma

The aroma released after grinding coffee beans is called "dry fragrance," while the aroma emitted when these ground coffee particles contact hot water is "wet aroma." In the scoring form, vertical markings record the intensity of dry/wet aromas; horizontal markings evaluate the quality of the aromas; and the two horizontal lines in between are used to describe the aromas we perceive!

Acidity

Coffee acidity can be either positive or negative. Excellent acidity can enhance the complexity of coffee, being moderate and gentle. For example, round acidity and bright acidity can provide us with pleasant sensations. Sharp and unpleasant acidity is considered negative, and tasting it might make us wear a "pain mask."

(Similarly, the horizontal axis represents score levels, while the vertical axis represents acidity intensity)

Sweetness

Sweetness refers to the sweet sensation perceived in coffee, generally brought out by acidity/bitterness. A small number of beans might have sweetness dominating when both acidity and bitterness are weak. Unlike other scoring categories, sweetness is evaluated using grids representing five different sample cups, with each cup capable of receiving up to 2 points, totaling 10 points.

Flavor

Flavor is quite straightforward—it refers to what flavors this cup of coffee possesses. If it contains high-quality flavors, it can score higher; if it has obvious defect (negative) flavors, it will receive a lower score.

Body

Body represents how the liquid of this coffee feels in the mouth (mouthfeel, texture). Generally, descriptions of body include: full, viscous, smooth, and thin.

(Similarly, the horizontal axis represents score levels, while the vertical axis represents body intensity)

Aftertaste

Aftertaste refers to the aroma perceived from the throat to the nasal cavity after swallowing. This aspect is evaluated in two parts: whether the lingering flavor is positive or negative, and the duration of the flavor's persistence. Short, absent, or negative aftertastes will receive low scores! Conversely, positive and lasting aftertastes will receive high scores.

Clean Cup

Clean cup is demonstrated by the absence of any off-flavors or throat-catching sensations from entry to swallowing. Like sweetness, five grids represent five sample cups, with each cup capable of receiving up to 2 points, totaling 10 points.

Balance

Balance refers to whether the various sensations mentioned above are proportionally balanced in the mouth. When one aspect is too weak or overly prominent, points will be deducted due to affecting the overall balance.

Uniformity

Uniformity refers to the similarity of sensations among the five sample cups! The more similar they are, the higher the score. Similarly, five grids represent five sample cups, with each cup capable of receiving up to 2 points, totaling 10 points.

Overall

This category can be considered a relatively subjective evaluation item. If the overall performance better aligns with the cupper's preferences, this category will receive a higher score.

Defects/Subtract

This is the only category that involves point deduction. When significant negative defects are discovered in the sample coffee during cupping, such as weak aroma, off-flavors, or very prominent negative flavors, evaluation will be conducted. Each cup is deducted 2 points if judged as a defect, and 4 points if judged as a fault. The formula is: number of defective cups × defect score = points deducted.

After calculating the total score of the first ten categories and subtracting the defect points, the final score of the sample bean is obtained: beans scoring below 80 points belong to commercial coffee that hasn't reached specialty grade; beans in the 80-84.99 range are classified as Very Good; beans in the 85-89.99 range are classified as Excellent; and beans scoring between 90-100 points are classified as Outstanding.

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