The differences that we must explain about regular coffee in the supermarket and specialty coffee are more than we think. When we talk about a regular coffee it is difficult to think of special characteristics, beyond its dose of caffeine and its dark color that is determinant to start the day. However, they are not beans that can describe a particular flavor and it is hardly possible to drink them free of sugar.
On the other hand, we find specialty coffees. These coffees not only undergo a different selection process but also each of their phases that affect the quality is reviewed and carried out to extract all of its properties. In this category, coffee can be broken down into five fundamental parts: flavor, fragrance, aroma, acidity, and body. When starting a qualification process of these characteristics, you achieve that each score is high, you are facing a specialty coffee.
Cupping Score
Since we are talking about cupping scores, we can explain in detail how coffee becomes a specialty coffee. Coffee undergoes different transformations before reaching the cupping table. First, it is harvested, then it is selected, later it is fermented, then it is dried, and finally, it is milled to reach the magical moment of roasting. Once it has gone through these phases, it is ready to be tasted.
How the coffee score Works
In a cupping table, the coffee will be rated from 0 to 100 based on its attributes. A specialty coffee must be in a score above 80, where its value will be measured from 1 to 10 in ten different categories. Aroma, Flavor, Aftertaste, Acidity, Body, Balance, Uniformity, Clean-cup, Sweetness, and cupper points. Once all the scores are related we will have a score for each particular coffee. So when ordering your coffee, if you see it’s from the origin, if you find aromatic descriptors or flavor notes on the package, or if you find a specific type of variety, without a doubt, you will taste a coffee that surpassed all the criteria to be a specialty coffee.
We already know the methodology and the particularities that make a coffee part of a category or another, but it is also important to know when these qualification scales arise and also who rules or regulates them.
When are the coffee scores born?
The coffee score or scoring systems were developed in 1984 by the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association), which named the coffee cupping exercise through the 10 categories as SCA Cupping Form. The main objective of these classifications is not only to distinguish the quality of the coffee, but also to detect batches of coffee defective, thus impacting the profitability in the export and import exercise, and above all, improving the product that reaches the final consumer.
What is SCA?
The Specialty Coffee Association is an entity with a presence in more than 100 countries whose purpose is to promote and support coffee-related activities. Sustainability, equity, and strengthening of the entire supply or production chain are the basis for the creation of this association. This organization, through a large number of industry professionals, seeks to expand the knowledge and characteristics that allow coffee to move to the next category. Although the SCA is the association that provides the categories to qualify the coffee, any person that is certified by the SCA can provide the score of a cup, being those who participate in events such as Cup of Excellence, or publications such as the Coffee Review that are quite relevant in the coffee sector.
