If you’ve read our recent Q Grader spotlight blog, you’ll have heard all about how our Q Graders speak a universal coffee language, understood by experts all over the world. In this blog, we’ll explore how that language extends to numbers, covering how coffees are awarded a cup score (or Q score) and what exactly these scores mean.
Sometimes displayed on coffee packaging, a cup score is a measure of the coffee’s quality based on how it is ranked out of ten for ten criteria specified by the Speciality Coffee Association.
These categories include fragrance and aroma, flavour, aftertaste, acidity, body, balance, uniformity, cleanliness, sweetness and overall impression. Each coffee is tasted and scored on these characteristics and a score is calculated out of 100.
How do you get a cup score?
To award a cup score, coffees must be evaluated through a process called cupping. This process enables coffee experts to compare and evaluate coffees side by side and determine their score.
To begin with, we weigh out the same amount of beans for each different coffee we’re tasting into cupping bowls. The beans are then ground with the same grind size, hot water is poured over them and they are left to brew for the same amount of time.
Then comes the tasting. The ‘crust’ of the coffee is broken to reveal the coffee liquid beneath, this is then removed before the coffee is tasted from a specially designed cupping spoon, usually with a slurp. The reason you’ll see coffee tasters slurping their coffee is to aerate the liquid as it makes contact with the taste buds – intensifying the tasting sensation. To find out more take a look at our step-by-step cupping guide.
As well as assessing the coffee against the designated criteria, this process also enables coffee experts to identify any defects within the coffee which may impact the cup score. These defects could be caused by problems during growing, harvesting or processing and are manifested across the look, smell and taste of the coffee.
This is part of the reason why our three in house Q Graders assess all the coffee which comes in and goes out of the roastery, tasting up to 150 cups of coffee each day! Our coffee is assessed at every stage of the roasting process to ensure quality and consistency for our customers.
What’s a good cupping score?
At Lincoln & York, all the coffee we buy is high grade commercial or above, with a cup score of 76+. Buying only this and nothing else has enabled us to build a reputation for high quality coffee over our 30 years in the business.
A significant amount of the coffee we buy is specialty coffee, in order to qualify as ‘specialty’ a coffee must achieve a cup score of over 80. Generally commanding a higher price point, these coffees offer superior flavour and aroma for an elevated experience. Specialty coffees with scores over 80 are the best quality coffee you can get, and anything with a score of 90 or over is exceptionally rare, usually with an equally exceptional price tag.
Fancy a cup?
Whether you’re looking to perfect your house blend or you’re after an 80+ scoring specialty single origin coffee to add to your menu, get in touch with the coffee experts at Lincoln & York. Our registered Q Graders can work with you to determine the exact characteristics you’re after, guide you through the cupping process and ensure your coffee is roasted and packed to perfection every time.
