How do you cup and score coffee?

Our coffees are cupped using industry-wide standards as developed for Q-Grader certification.

Cupping Process

  • Our quality control team cups every coffee we sell to ensure coffees meet our specialty standards.
  • Our coffees are cupped using the traditional Q system or the established SCA cupping system. 

Scoring Process

  • We try to avoid cupping score inflation and are conservative, or tough, on coffee. Most people using SCA standards would score our Top Lots similarly.
  • We score coffees very differently from trade magazines or consumer publications. People familiar with the magazine and consumer publications might consider a score of 85 represents a medicocre coffee when, in fact, among professional coffee cuppers an 85 would indicate an excellent coffee. All of out "Top Lots score at least 85. 
  • We do not publish our cupping scores, as they are not helpful unless those scoring the coffee and those reading the score are in alignment, i.e. and 85 means the same thing to you that it means to us.