How coffee is scored.
Every bag of green coffee is evaluated before it's bought, shipped, or roasted. Physical grading counts defects and measures screen size. Cupping assigns a score to the flavor. Together, they determine whether coffee is commodity, commercial, or specialty, and what price it commands.
The 100-Point Scale
The SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) cupping protocol scores coffee on a 100-point scale. 80 is the threshold for specialty grade. Below 80, the coffee trades as commercial commodity. Above 90, it's world-class.
Outstanding
Exceptional, rare, complex. Competition-winning lots. Less than 1% of all coffee produced.
Excellent
Distinctive character, origin clarity, memorable. Top specialty lots. Maybe 5% of production.
Very Good
Specialty grade. Clean, sweet, no defects. Clear positive attributes. The entry point for specialty.
Good
Below specialty threshold. Mild defects or flat attributes. Premium commercial grade.
Average
Commercial grade. Used in blends. Some defects tolerated.
Below Average
Commodity grade. Significant defects. Instant coffee, filler.
SCA Cupping Protocol
Five cups of each coffee are prepared. 8.25g per cup, 150ml water at 93°C, 4-minute steep. The cupper evaluates 10 attributes, each scored 6.00-10.00 in quarter-point increments. Defects are subtracted. The sum is the final score.
Grind: medium-coarse. Ratio: 8.25g ± 0.25g to 150ml. Water: 93°C ± 1°C. Steep: 4 minutes. Break crust at 4:00. Begin cupping at ~70°C.
Fragrance/Aroma
max 10Dry fragrance of ground coffee + wet aroma after water is added. Assessed by sniffing the grounds and breaking the crust.
Flavor
max 10The combination of taste and aroma perceived from the coffee. The most important single attribute.
Aftertaste
max 10The length and quality of positive flavor remaining after the coffee is swallowed. Long, sweet, clean aftertaste scores high.
Acidity
max 10The bright, dry sensation on the sides and tip of the tongue. Not sourness. High-quality acidity is lively, sweet, and crisp.
Body
max 10The tactile weight and texture of the coffee in the mouth. Light, medium, or full. Syrupy, creamy, or tea-like.
Uniformity
max 10Consistency between the 5 cups on the table. Each cup is scored 2 points. All 5 identical = 10.
Balance
max 10How well flavor, aftertaste, acidity, and body complement each other. No single attribute overwhelms.
Clean Cup
max 10Absence of non-coffee flavors and defects from first sip to aftertaste. Each cup is scored 2 points.
Sweetness
max 10Perception of a pleasing sweetness. Each cup is scored 2 points. All 5 sweet = 10.
Overall
max 10The cupper's holistic personal assessment. A reflection of how the attributes integrate as a whole experience.
Score Calculation
Final Score = (Fragrance + Flavor + Aftertaste + Acidity + Body + Uniformity + Balance + Clean Cup + Sweetness + Overall) - Defects. Maximum possible: 100. Minimum for specialty: 80.00. Each of the 10 attributes starts at 6.00 (baseline "good") and goes up to 10.00 (outstanding). Defects are scored as "taint" (2 points per cup) or "fault" (4 points per cup), multiplied by the number of cups affected.
Physical Grading
Before cupping, green coffee is physically inspected. A 300g or 350g sample is hand-sorted. Defects are counted and classified. Screen size, moisture content, and density are measured. For SCA specialty grade: zero primary defects allowed, maximum 5 secondary defects in 350g.
Screen Size
Measured in 1/64ths of an inch. Screen 15 = 15/64" = 5.95mm. Specialty Arabica typically Screen 14+. Larger screen = more uniform roast.
Moisture
Target: 10-12% for green Arabica. Below 9%: faded, woody, past-crop taste. Above 12.5%: mold risk, unstable storage, potential mycotoxin formation.
Density
Higher altitude = denser bean = more complex sugars. Measured by water displacement or free-fall. Dense beans withstand more heat during roasting.
Primary Defects
One primary defect = one "full defect equivalent." SCA specialty: zero primary defects allowed in 350g.
| Defect | Count per Full Defect | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Full Black | 1 | Completely black, opaque bean. Fermented, dead on arrival. Overripe cherry left on ground. |
| Full Sour | 1 | Yellow-brown, vinegary smell. Over-fermented during processing. Strong sour taste in cup. |
| Dried Cherry/Pod | 1 | Entire dried cherry still encasing bean. Processing failure. Ferment and mold risk. |
| Fungus Damaged | 1 | Visible mold or fungal growth. Yellow-reddish spots. Musty, phenolic cup. |
| Foreign Matter | 1 | Stones, sticks, metal, soil. A physical contaminant. One stone = one full defect. |
| Severe Insect Damage | 5 | 3+ bore holes from coffee berry borer (broca). Hollow, compromised structure. 5 beans = 1 full defect. |
Secondary Defects
Multiple secondary defect beans = one "full defect equivalent." SCA specialty: max 5 secondary defects in 350g.
| Defect | Count per Full Defect | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Partial Black | 3 | Partially blackened. Less severe than full black but still fermented taste. |
| Partial Sour | 3 | Partially discolored yellow/brown. Less severe sour defect. |
| Floater | 5 | Low-density, pale bean that floats in water. Underdeveloped, papery, straw-like flavor. |
| Shell/Ear | 5 | Malformed bean, shell-shaped. One half of a split peaberry. Roasts unevenly. |
| Broken/Chipped | 5 | Mechanically damaged during processing. Creates fines during grinding. Uneven extraction. |
| Immature/Unripe | 5 | Small, pale green, wrinkled. Grassy, peanutty flavor. The classic "quaker" when roasted. |
| Withered | 5 | Shrunken, wrinkled from drought stress. Low density. Straw, hay flavor. |
| Hull/Husk Fragment | 5 | Parchment or silver skin still attached. Papery, dry, can catch fire in roaster. |
| Slight Insect Damage | 10 | 1-2 bore holes. Less severe than 3+. 10 beans = 1 full defect. |
Country-Specific Grading
Every producing country has its own grading system, developed over decades to reflect local conditions, varietals, and market expectations. These exist alongside (not instead of) the SCA cupping score. A Kenya AA and a Brazil NY 2 are both top physical grades, but for different reasons.
Ethiopia
ECX / Ethiopia Commodity Exchange system. Grade 1-5 for washed, Grade 1-5 for naturals.
0-3 defects per 300g. Specialty. Cup score 80+.
4-12 defects per 300g. Specialty eligible. Most exported specialty is Grade 2.
13-25 defects per 300g. Commercial/premium.
26-45 defects per 300g. Commercial standard.
46-90 defects per 300g. Low commercial/domestic.
Kenya
Screen size and density grading by the Nairobi Coffee Exchange.
Screen 17-18 (6.7-7.1mm). Largest beans. Most premium. Bold, complex.
Screen 15-16 (6.0-6.7mm). Most common export grade (~60% of production). Excellent quality.
Single rounded bean (no flat side). ~10% of harvest. Concentrated, bright.
Screen 14-15. Smaller beans. Lower premium but can be excellent.
Unusually large beans. Two beans fused. Rare, novelty.
Light-density beans removed from AA and AB by air separation.
Smallest, lightest. Chips, broken, light beans from C grade. Low quality.
Colombia
Federation Nacional de Cafeteros (FNC) grading by screen size.
Screen 17+ (6.7mm+). Largest beans. Premium export grade.
Screen 14-16.5. Standard export grade. Good quality.
Mixed screen sizes. General commercial.
Peaberry, any size. Sorted separately.
Brazil
Santos/New York basis. Screen size + defect count + cup quality.
Max 4 full defects per 300g. Top commercial grade. Clean cup.
5-8 defects per 300g. Standard fine quality.
13-26 defects per 300g. Commercial standard.
27-46 defects per 300g. Lower commercial.
Large screen = premium. Screen 14/16 = standard.
Cup quality tier overlaid on physical grade.
Indonesia
Grade by defect count per 300g sample.
Max 11 defects per 300g. Rare for wet-hulled. Usually washed lots.
12-25 defects per 300g. Good quality. Most specialty Mandheling.
26-44 defects per 300g. Standard commercial. Bulk Robusta.
45-80 / 81-150 defects. Low commercial. Domestic consumption.
151-225 defects. Lowest grade. Instant coffee.
India
Coffee Board of India. Separated by species and processing.
Washed Arabica. Screen 17+. Top grade. Clean, bright.
Washed Arabica. Screen 15-16. Good quality.
Washed Arabica. Screen 14. Smaller beans.
Natural Arabica. Screen 15-17. Fruity, body.
Special process. Screen 17+. Musty, spicy, full body. Iconic Indian coffee.
Washed Robusta. Best quality Robusta. Chocolatey.
Natural Robusta. Standard quality.
Cup of Excellence
The Cup of Excellence (CoE) is the most rigorous coffee competition on Earth. It runs in 12+ producing countries each year. Coffees must score 87+ in national jury rounds, then face an international jury of 20-30 certified cuppers from around the world.
Winners are auctioned online. Prices regularly reach $20-100+ per pound (green), with record lots exceeding $300/lb. For a farmer who normally sells at $1.50-3.00/lb, a CoE win is life-changing.
The Process
- Submission: Farmers submit lots (minimum 100 lbs green). Hundreds enter per country.
- Pre-selection: National cuppers reduce entries to ~150 lots scoring above 84.
- National Jury: A week-long cupping. Top 40-50 lots scoring 85+ advance.
- International Jury: 20-30 Q Graders from 15+ countries. Blind cupping over 5 days. Top 30 scoring 87+ earn the CoE designation.
- Auction: Online auction, open to registered buyers worldwide. Minimum bid above the C-market price.
The CoE scoring protocol uses the same 100-point framework as SCA but with additional emphasis on sweetness and cleanliness. Scores above 90 are marked "Presidential Award." The auction creates a transparent, direct link between quality and price that bypasses the entire commodity chain.
Q Grader Certification
A Q Grader is a licensed coffee quality evaluator, certified by the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI). The certification takes 6 days of testing across 22 individual exams. You must pass all 22 to earn the credential. Fail one and you retake it. The license must be recalibrated every 3 years.
As of 2025, there are approximately 7,000 licensed Q Graders worldwide. The exam has a first-attempt pass rate of roughly 30%. It tests olfactory memory (identifying 36 aromas by smell alone), acid identification (distinguishing citric from malic from acetic at varying concentrations), triangulation cupping (identifying the odd cup in sets of three), and comprehensive green and roasted coffee evaluation.
The 22 Tests
General Knowledge (written exam)
Sensory Skills: Olfactory (Le Nez du Café, 36 aromas)
Sensory Skills: Organic Acids (citric, malic, acetic, phosphoric, quinic, tartaric)
Sensory Skills: Sweet/Salt/Sour identification
Sensory Skills: Intensity pairs (light, medium, dark roast)
Cupping: Sample ID (triangulation, 6 sets)
Cupping: Washed coffees from different regions
Cupping: Natural coffees from different regions
Cupping: Defect identification in cup
Green Coffee: Visual grading (defect counting)
Green Coffee: Sample roast evaluation
Roasted Coffee: Visual identification (roast levels)
Sample Roasting
Green coffee is evaluated after a standardized "sample roast," not a production roast. The goal is to reveal the coffee's inherent character without adding roast-derived flavors.
SCA Sample Roast Standard
- Roast level: Agtron 58 whole bean / 63 ground (light-medium). Measured within 24 hours.
- Time: 8-12 minutes total roast time. No shorter. No longer.
- Batch size: 100-150g on a sample roaster.
- Rest: Minimum 8 hours after roasting before cupping. Maximum 24 hours.
- Grind: Immediately before cupping. Medium-coarse (particles pass 850 micron sieve, 70-75% pass).
The sample roast protocol exists so that every cupper worldwide evaluates coffee under the same conditions. A Q score in Addis Ababa means the same thing as one in Portland. Without this standardization, quality scoring would be meaningless.
How to Cup at Home
You don't need a Q Grader license to cup coffee. The basic protocol is accessible to anyone with a grinder, a kettle, and a few identical cups.
Grind and Smell
Weigh 11g per cup. Grind medium-coarse. Immediately smell the dry grounds (this is "fragrance"). Write down what you detect.
Add Water
Pour 200ml of 93°C water directly onto grounds. Start your timer. A crust of grounds forms on top. Don't touch it yet.
Break the Crust
At 4:00, push a spoon through the crust three times. Lean in and smell (this is "aroma"). The most volatile aromatics are released here.
Clean the Surface
Skim off the floating grounds and foam with two spoons. Don't stir further. Let the coffee cool to about 70°C (roughly 8-10 minutes total).
Slurp
Take a spoonful and slurp it forcefully. Aspirate it across your entire palate. This aerates the coffee and spreads it across all taste receptors. Note: flavor, acidity, body, sweetness.
Evaluate as It Cools
Cup again at 60°C, 50°C, and 40°C. Great coffees reveal new flavors as they cool. Poor coffees get worse. This is the most revealing part of cupping.
Every origin, scored and sourced.
We cup every lot before it enters our roastery. Nothing below 82 makes it in. Most of what we offer scores 85+.