Cupping is a standardized method of evaluating coffee aroma and flavor profile in the coffee industry. During cupping, experts use scoresheets to maintain a structured and consistent assessment. These scoresheets typically include fields to record the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of aroma, flavor, aftertaste, acidity, body, balance, and overall cup quality. Each category is scored numerically, often from 1 to 10 or 1 to 100. Cuppers (the individuals performing the cupping) systematically smell the coffee (both dry and wet), slurp the coffee to ensure it spreads to the back of the palate, and then record their impressions on the scoresheet.
Scoresheets allows cuppers to quantify their sensory experience, turning subjective perceptions into objective data. This data can be used for various purposes, such as green coffee purchasing decisions, roasting adjustments, and quality control. The final score of a coffee can significantly influence its market value and the perceptions of its quality in the industry. The use of scoresheets ensures a degree of objectivity and comparability in coffee quality evaluation, making it a fundamental tool in the coffee cupping process.
The links below are to popular scoresheets and their respective protocols:
Specialty Coffee Association SCA(A) Cupping Forms 2024
Washed Arabica
SCA Cupping form Current – PDF
Cup of Excellence COE Scoresheet
Cup of Excellence Cupping Form
Electronic Coffee Cupping Scoresheet Apps
Catador
Catador, an independently developed electronic version of the SCA scoresheet, for iPhone, iPad and Android that follows SCA Arabica and UCDA Robusta protocols. Read my review of Catador here.
Cropster Cup
Cropster Cup can be used independent from Cropster’s other roast and quality management system. The app is free and connects with your online Cropster account. Cropster Cup for Android, Cropster Cup for iPhone
Tastify
Tastify is a web-based system for one or more cuppers to collaborative log cupping data in an independent online system. Tastify generates attractive visual cupping reports of each sample to visualize sensory characteristics.