GLOBAL – Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), an organization that sets recognized professional standards for coffee industry, has officially adopted three new standards for professional coffee evaluation replacing its coffee cupping form and protocol.
SCA’s coffee cupping protocol and form were first published by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) in 2004 and became widely adopted as industry standards.
The three Coffee Value Assessment components, SCA-102 Sample Preparation and Cupping Mechanics, SCA-103 Descriptive Assessment, and SCA-104 Affective Assessment, represents a shift from the limitations of a singular cupping score to describe a coffee.
SCA explained that the new system allows coffee professionals across the supply chain to evaluate and understand coffee’s value with high-resolution data—informing decisions that impact producers, buyers, and consumers.
Mario Fernández, SCA’s Technical Officer, said “This is a landmark achievement for specialty coffee, reflecting years of collaboration, research, and the dedicated input from early adopters and industry experts.”
“The adoption of the SCA Standards in Coffee Value Assessment sets a new benchmark in cupping practices worldwide, aligning with modern sensory science and offering assessments that are data-rich and multidimensional, equipping the industry with deeper insights into coffee quality.”
In the Coffee Value Assessment, SCA Standard 102-2024 Coffee Value Assessment focuses on Sample Preparation and Tasting Mechanics.
This provides consistent guidelines for preparing samples and creating tasting conditions that ensure reliable, repeatable results.
SCA Standard 103-2024 Coffee Value Assessment is a Descriptive Assessment that introduces a structured framework for capturing detailed sensory attributes, including intensities and descriptors.
Meanwhile, SCA Standard 104-2024 Coffee Value Assessment is an Affective Assessment, which focuses on rating the impression of quality across the different elements of a coffee’s sensory experience.
Yannis Apostolopoulos, SCA’s Chief Executive Officer noted that the adoption of these components in the Coffee Value Assessment system as the new official SCA Standards marks a pivotal step forward to making specialty coffee more sustainable, equitable, and thriving for the entire value chain.
These standards , according to Apostolopoulos, empower actors across the supply chain to make informed, value-driven decisions, aligning with our mission to engage and inspire a global community through authentic practices that uphold the true value of specialty coffee across the globe.
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