Specialty Coffee Cupping Scores Explained: What 90+ Points Means
Coffee, like many other commodities, gets graded before it hits the market. In theory, the higher the score, the higher the quality. However, not everyone scores coffee in the same way, and not all scores have the same meaning.
Scoring systems have changed over time, and specialty coffee now has more established standards. The goal is to help set coffee prices fairly and get it to the right markets. So, what are cupping scores and why should you care? Here’s what you need to know about how specialty coffee grading works.
What Is a Coffee Cupping Score?
If you’ve read market reports or coffee literature, you’ve probably seen these two terms: cupping scores and coffee grading. They both attempt to put a number on the coffee’s quality, but they mean different things.
Coffee cupping evaluates the coffee’s sensory qualities. Experts taste it using consistent methods and standards to assess its flavor, acidity, body, and aroma, among others. Cupping is particularly useful when comparing two or more coffees side by side. Nevertheless, as with any sensory evaluation, there is some subjectivity involved.
How Specialty Coffee Grading Works
Unlike cupping, coffee grading assesses the quality of green coffee beans. They are assessed before they reach the roasting stage.
Different countries and regions have their own grading terms and processes: The highest ranked coffee in Latin America, for example, is labelled as Superior or Excelso, while African producers label theirs AA or A. Nevertheless, everyone assesses green coffee based on factors such as bean size, color, uniformity, and the number of defects in a sample. Moisture and density can also provide useful information about the coffee.
The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) has established a system for assessing coffee’s physical characteristics, including bean size and defects, and it’s widely used worldwide. This is not the same system that results in the coffee’s cupping score. They have another system for cupping.
SCA Score Explained: What Does 90+ Points Mean?
The SCA developed a system for evaluating coffee through cupping, resulting in the widely used 100-point scale. The traditional system evaluates coffee across ten attributes: aroma, flavor, aftertaste, body, acidity, balance, uniformity, sweetness, cleanliness, and overall quality.
Coffee with scores below 80 falls outside the specialty coffee category. Scores between 80 and 85 mean the coffee is good, while scores between 85 and 90 are excellent. Coffee scoring above 90 is considered outstanding.
Although scores are still useful, the SCA’s approach has evolved over time. Its newer Coffee Value Assessment also looks at things like a coffee’s origin, traceability, and the qualities that different buyers value, such as whether the grower is organically certified, or has a positive impact on the community.
Does a Higher Coffee Score Mean Better Coffee?
Grading coffee systems help farmers, merchants, roasters, and vendors match the right coffees to the right markets. They separate the great from the good. However, for consumers, cupping scores are not as important as they might seem.
In theory, higher coffee scores mean that the coffee is better, yes. But the way you roast, grind and brew coffee has a greater impact on its flavor and aroma than its score alone might suggest. Once you reach a certain level of quality, a point or two between coffees doesn’t make much difference. So, find a coffee you love, and don’t worry too much about the numbers.
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