What are the characteristics on which coffee is judged?
Specialty coffee is judged on more than cupping alone. The COE and SCA systems score eight items: cleanliness, sweetness, acidity, mouthfeel, flavor, aftertaste, balance and overall impression, with aroma used as a reference. COE gives each item up to 8 points, totaling 64, plus a base score of 36 for a maximum of 100. Above 6 points, scores move in 0.5 steps.
Grading still depends on origin, green bean quality, screening, processing, roasting and brewing, because a cup only earns the specialty name when every step is controlled. Defect deductions also lower the final score. Buyers can treat the resulting grade as a practical reference, alongside documents from bodies such as a national coffee association, rather than relying on cupping notes alone.
Whether a cup of coffee can be crowned with the name "specialty" is by no means decided by cupping alone. From the green bean's origin, screening and processing, to roasting and brewing, every step must be carefully controlled so that the flavor in the cup ultimately reflects the characteristics and cultural heritage of the producing country. This article will systematically sort out the two major cupping scoring systems, COE and SCA, and break down one by one the points to note for each scoring item—cleanliness, sweetness, acidity, mouthfeel, flavor, aftertaste, balance, and so on—as well as explain in detail the defect deduction rules and grading standards. Front Street Coffee will also draw on years of quality control experience to help you use evaluation grades as a reliable reference for judging specialty coffee when purchasing.
In previous articles we talked about the differences between specialty coffee and ordinary coffee, as well as the specific cupping procedure. Now that you know how cupping is conducted, do you know exactly which dimensions cupping uses for scoring? And what details need attention in each scoring item?
Of course, to determine whether a coffee is specialty grade, cupping alone is not enough. It is also necessary to comprehensively consider the coffee bean's place of origin, green bean quality, screening stage, processing method, roasting curve, and brewing technique. Every step must be rigorously controlled, and only then can the final cup be called specialty. A cup of specialty coffee lets you feel the unique flavor characteristics of the producing country and experience its local culture. Below we will take a detailed look at the scoring breakdown and points to note in cupping.
Introduction to Evaluation System 1
COE is the abbreviation of Cup of Excellence. The scoring form used by the COE cupping system was first designed by flavor pioneer George Howell with reference to the wine book "wine taster's Secret," and it had an extremely profound influence on later coffee cupping systems. The score includes 8 scoring items, with aroma as a reference item; aroma itself is not directly counted toward the total score. Each item has a maximum of 8 points, and above 6 points it can be adjusted in increments or decrements of 0.5 each time. 8×8=64 points, plus the base score of 36, gives a total maximum of 100 points. The base score is set at 36 for ease of calculation, but if other quality issues are found, deductions can also be made separately from the evaluation items.
The scoring items are as follows:
Clean Cup
Cleanliness refers to the texture performance of the coffee itself, giving the drinker an especially clear mouthfeel in terms of flavor, without any off-flavors interfering. The cleaner the coffee, the higher its layering, flavor clarity, and variability. The coffee in the cup must not have any defective flavors that hinder the judge: including no excessive fermented flavor, phenolic flavor, or musty flavor, and also no grassy flavor, earthy flavor, roughness, or astringency. Only if the coffee origin's microclimate can bring richer flavor variations is it possible to score above 6 in the Clean Cup item. However, cleanliness rarely receives a high score; generally an extra point is given only when it sets off excellent flavor and acidity, and it is usually only when all items other than cleanliness have scored 7 that cleanliness will be scored 7. In the COE evaluation system, many items are interconnected, and cleanliness is precisely the core among them.
Sweetness
Sweet sensations, such as peach and vanilla flavors, all create the impression that "this cup of coffee is very sweet." In addition, acidity also affects sweetness: tartaric acid brings the strongest sweetness, followed by malic acid, then citric acid. Therefore, the "sweetness" of coffee is not determined by a single factor, but is the result of multiple elements combining with one another.
On the other hand, the sweetness of coffee is also closely related to aftertaste performance, so these items are also interconnected.
There are quite a few factors that negatively affect coffee sweetness:
Whether only fully red ripe cherries of uniform ripeness were picked during harvesting. If unripe beans are mixed in, they will present spicy green pepper notes and potato notes. Conversely, if overripe, one will taste the aroma of rotting fruit and rotten banana.
Next is the influence of cleanliness; negative flavors such as bitterness, grassy notes, astringency, and drying sensation all weaken the sweetness of coffee. This is also why it is said that "cleanliness is the foundation and starting point of a good cup of coffee." If no serious negative flavors are tasted, this item can usually also receive 6 points.
Acidity
In the acidity item, the intensity of acidity is not directly related to the score; what is truly being considered is the quality of the acidity, and this point is crucial. Unlike red wine, coffee has absolutely no need to emphasize or highlight acidity; the pursuit of coffee acidity should be a pursuit of quality. Whether in coffee or red wine, the main axis of flavor is formed mainly by acidity and aroma. In particular, the acidic part is further divided into citric acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, succinic acid, lactic acid, and so on, and each combination of acidity and aroma gives coffee a different "impression." In improperly handled coffee, prominent acidity carries a green impression and is accompanied by strong astringency and tannic bitterness. In the WBC (World Barista Championship), astringency = tannin = drying sensation is classified under the Mouthfeel category for scoring, but COE cupping allows it to be combined with flavor and scored freely.
This item emphasizes the texture of acidity rather than the intensity of acidity. Excellent coffee gives a pleasant impression, and the texture of its acidity also makes it feel smooth to drink.
Therefore, the Astringent item can be scored separately in the three links of cleanliness, acidity, and mouthfeel. If no very heavy green grassy flavor, pungency, or drying sensation appears, it can generally receive 6 points.
Mouthfeel
How the coffee feels in the mouth—this item scores the coffee's viscosity, density, weight, and pungency. As with acidity, the intensity of the tactile sensation is not directly related to its quality. During cupping, the judge first makes a judgment of "intensity" as High Body, Medium Body, or Low Body, and then evaluates the texture of the tactile sensation. The mouthfeel item can also be subdivided into different parts, and the following introduction is only one way of classifying them.
The weight of the liquid (Body, Weight) refers to the feeling and viscosity of the liquid adhering to the tongue. It can be described with words such as light, medium, heavy, thick, and thin.
The tactile sensation of the liquid staying in the mouth refers to the feeling when the coffee liquid covers the oral mucosa. It can be described with words such as sharp, round, and creamy. The feeling of holding the coffee in the mouth can be described with words such as astringency, tannin, and roundness.
The feeling of the liquid flowing refers to the sensation when swallowing the coffee and when rinsing it in the mouth; it can be described with words such as syrupy, silky, and smooth.
Flavor
"Flavor" itself is a composite concept of taste and aroma. The basic constituent elements of flavor are "acidity" and "aroma," plus "sweetness" and "mouthfeel," which together make up the flavor experience.
Aftertaste
Aftertaste refers to the flavor reverberation felt after swallowing the coffee, as well as the sensations brought by other characteristics of the coffee—whether the feeling when swallowing is smooth or obstructive, how quickly the sweetness fades, and so on. Generally speaking, a long, elegant aftertaste can obtain a better score, but a clear, rich aftertaste is likewise very pleasing.
Balance
Balance refers to checking whether the coffee's flavor is harmonious:
Balance is indeed a very difficult item. Let us start with flavor: while having excellent flavor, is there good sweetness and cleanliness to set off the flavor? Balance does not examine whether something is stronger or better, but whether the coffee is harmonious. This can be evaluated from the coffee's own acidity, sweetness, bitterness, as well as mouthfeel and finish, without favoring especially sour or especially sweet notes, and without focusing on only one kind of sensation.
Overall
As the name suggests, this is an item that reflects and describes personal preference:
What impression does this coffee give you—is it a highly complex coffee or a simple and bright one? Do you personally like this coffee? To a certain extent personal preference affects the score, but it will not differ too much from the scores of other items. In addition, it is also used to adjust the final score: 84 points can be recognized as Exemplary Coffee, 86 points is the COE recognition score, and 90 points is Presidential Award Coffee, so at thresholds such as 89.5 points, flexible adjustment is possible.
Final Points
The biggest difference in flavor between coffee and red wine or craft beer is that coffee's flavor changes as the temperature drops. Moreover, the biggest difference between specialty coffee and commercial coffee, aside from the various conditions mentioned earlier, is that the layers of flavor change are also a very important consideration.
Coffee's flavor becomes more prominent as the temperature drops because the temperature has fallen into the range where humans can easily perceive taste. Except for iced coffee, no one wants to finish coffee in one go, because there is a risk of scalding. Therefore, during the process of drinking coffee, changes in the impression of the coffee's taste appear in the following three situations:
Consistent
The coffee's taste does not change over time and is delicious from hot to cold.
Improve
As it cools, the coffee tastes better and better. Coffee that has little flavor when hot only reveals its flavor and sweetness when the temperature drops to the 50-degree range.
Decent
The first sip gives an excellent impression, but as the temperature drops, flaws in cleanliness and mouthfeel also become prominent. Therefore, when judging a coffee, you must drink it until it is cold.
A total score of 69 points or below belongs to slightly inferior commercial beans or industrial-use beans.
A total score between 70 and 74 points belongs to ordinary commercial beans.
A total score between 75 and 79 points belongs to relatively superior commercial beans, generally called high-grade commercial beans.
A total score between 80 and 84 points belongs to specialty coffee, and it can also enter the COE evaluation competition.
A total score of 85 points or above belongs to the COE competition level, and is also the winning coffee of the Cup of Excellence; it is currently recognized by the international coffee community as the highest-level category.
Introduction to Evaluation System 2 – SCA Scoring Standards
SCA is the abbreviation of the Specialty Coffee Association, formed by the merger of the European Specialty Coffee Association SCAE and the American Specialty Coffee Association SCAA. A score of 80 points or above is rated as specialty grade.
Fragrance (Dry)/Aroma (Wet)
First identify from major categories, such as floral, fruity, nutty, woody dry-distillation types, and then give scores according to the richness and intensity of the aroma. Note that the aroma section has a vertical intensity scale that needs to be marked.
This is mainly judged by the dry aroma before water is added and the wet aroma after water is added; the aroma after breaking the crust can also be recorded here.
Acidity
The evaluation of acidity should judge whether the acidity is good or bad according to the stimulation the coffee gives you (layering, degree of returning sweetness); the intensity of acidity does not represent the quality of the acidity. Some coffees have an obvious acidic stimulation on the palate, like the sweet-sour sensation of pomelo or plum, and after swallowing the coffee there is still acidity lingering on both sides of the tongue—then this acidity is very excellent. Some coffees, although not very acidic, taste very smooth in acidity, like the sweet-sour sensation of ripe fruit, and this is also very excellent acidity.
Flavor
The flavor experience brought by the coffee, including aroma and taste (considering complexity and layering). Throughout the entire slurping process, the flavor experiences brought by each stage can be recorded, and the defined score can also be adjusted segment by segment.
Body
The smoothness, viscosity, and thickness of the coffee liquid; this part of the sensation is provided jointly by the water-insoluble oils in the coffee liquid, the woody structure of the coffee beans (extremely fine particles after grinding), and proteins. We can feel the differences in body thickness by comparing different coffee samples. In daily life, you can try comparing different mineral waters with pure water, skim milk, low-fat milk, whole milk, and juice with fruit pulp particles to feel the weight and smoothness that insoluble substances in different liquids bring to the oral cavity.
Aftertaste
The taste sensation remaining in the oral cavity after swallowing, including aroma, taste, and mouthfeel; it can be a creamy aromatic aftertaste, a lasting acidity, a greasy mouthfeel, or even a relatively dry and astringent mouthfeel. Generally, the scoring concepts of sweetness and finish in the COE system can be placed in this item for adjustment and scoring.
Sweetness
Sweetness in the current form is scored per cup based on 5 cup samples; the 5 small boxes represent 5 coffee samples, with 2 points per cup. The criterion for judgment is whether there is sweetness in the coffee; here the coffee's sweetness is judged by the sweetness of 15 grams of sugar added to 2 liters of water.
Balance
The degree of balance among aroma, taste, and mouthfeel.
Clean Cup
Similar to sweetness, it is scored according to 5 cups, 2 points per cup, and points are deducted for the corresponding number of cups based on whether external contamination causes unclean off-flavors. This is equivalent to the cleanliness in the COE system.
Uniformity
Likewise scored according to 5 cups, 2 points per cup. The purpose is to compare multiple cup samples to see whether there are inconsistent flavor performances; if one or more cups are inconsistent, points are deducted according to the number of cups. It should be specially noted here that for uniformity, we are mainly looking for inconsistent bad flavors. If among the 5 cups one cup tastes even better than the other 4, then no deduction is made.
Overall personal preference for the coffee
Likewise an item that reflects and describes personal preference:
Personal preference affects the score, but likewise it will not differ too much from the scores of other items.
Defect Definitions and Scoring
The current SCA cupping form records defects in two types: minor level (Taint) and serious level (Fault). The difference between minor and serious lies in the degree of stimulation to you. If after tasting it is very uncomfortable and cannot be swallowed, it is calculated as a serious defect level; if the degree of discomfort is not that strong, then it is calculated as a minor level.
Usually, if the coffee is externally infected and causes chemical changes in the coffee beans, such as mold or changes in internal organic acid substances, it will bring out excessive acidity, bitterness, and even a chemical medicinal smell. Such coffee will be very uncomfortable on the palate, even causing nausea and vomiting, and after confirmation a defect definition will be given.
Minor level: calculated at 2 points/cup
Serious level: calculated at 4 points/cup.
In particular, the defect scoring is illustrated as follows:
If two cups of coffee have uncomfortable flavors, one minor and one serious, then the total defect score is calculated according to the serious level, that is, 2×4=8, for a total defect score of 8 points.
Professional coffee tasting is not only used to judge whether a cup of coffee is good or bad; more importantly, through it one can analyze a cup of coffee more objectively, allowing the coffee flavor profile to be clearly presented before our eyes, and then through this profile seek methods to improve coffee quality. Next time you buy coffee, the coffee's evaluation grade can also serve as a reference for judging specialty coffee.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
