Every Tuesday morning, before our large commercial roasters start up in Wetherill Park, I stand over a long timber table with a silver spoon in my hand. I’m preparing to evaluate a fresh shipment of green beans from South America. This is coffee cupping, the rigorous quality control process that every bag of Di Stefano coffee must pass before it’s allowed to reach your kitchen.

When you brew coffee at home, your method can sometimes mask the true character of the bean. But on the cupping table, there is nowhere for the coffee to hide. This process strips away the variables of paper filters, pressure, and brewing time, exposing the raw flavours of the roast. It’s the ultimate test of a roaster's craft, and learning how it works is the best way to understand the true potential of your daily cup.

Key Takeaways

The standardised test: Coffee cupping is the global industry standard used to evaluate quality without the variables of different brewing equipment.
The 100-point scale: Professional cupped coffee is scored on a strict 100-point scale, where any coffee scoring 80 points or higher is classified as specialty grade.
Home sensory practice: Running a tasting session at home helps you build your palate and understand the distinct flavours of different single origins.

What is coffee cupping?

Coffee cupping is the standardised method used by roasters, green bean buyers, and quality control teams to evaluate a coffee's aroma, flavour, body, acidity, and aftertaste under controlled conditions.

It’s a highly specific, scientific process that differs significantly from casual coffee tasting. While a regular tasting focuses on the final beverage, cupping is designed to evaluate the green bean itself, entirely removing the variables of different brewing equipment.

This methodology was codified by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) to create a common global language for coffee professionals. Whether a green bean buyer is in Colombia, Kenya, or right here at our Wetherill Park facility, they use the exact same steps to assess quality. This shared language ensures that when we buy coffee, we are paying a fair price based on an objective, measurable score.

What does the SCA coffee grading scale measure?

During a professional cupping session, a certified Q Grader scores the coffee out of 10 points across six distinct sensory categories.

The scores are then tallied to give the coffee a final score out of 100. Any coffee that scores 80 points or higher is officially classified as a specialty-grade coffee. If you want to understand the foundations of this grading system, you can read our detailed guide on what is specialty coffee.

Comparison: The Six SCA Cupping Attributes

Attribute	What You're Assessing	Nicolas' Verdict
Fragrance / Aroma	The smell of the dry grounds first, followed by the wet aroma after hot water is poured.	Always trust your first sniff, as the volatile aromatics are strongest right after grinding.
Flavour	The combined impression of taste and aroma as the liquid rolls across your tongue.	The heart of the evaluation where sweetness and complexity are revealed.
Aftertaste	The quality and length of flavour that lingers in your mouth after swallowing.	A great coffee should leave a clean, sweet, and pleasant finish that lasts.
Acidity	The brightness or liveliness of the cup, reminiscent of a crisp, sparkling wine.	Acidity should never be sour; it should provide structure and energy to the cup.
Body	The physical weight, texture, and mouthfeel of the liquid on your palate.	Whether it is light and tea-like or heavy and syrupy, the body must feel intentional.
Balance	How harmoniously all the individual attributes work together without one dominating.	Balance is the attribute most roasters lose sleep over. A coffee can score well individually and still taste wrong if the elements don't work together.

How do professionals cup coffee?

When we run a professional session at the roastery, we follow the SCA protocol with absolute precision throughout every stage.

The Setup

We use a standardised ratio of 10 grams of coarsely ground coffee to 150ml of water, heated to exactly 93°C. The grind consistency is medium-coarse, similar in texture to sea salt.

The Steep

First, we evaluate the fragrance of the dry grounds. Once we pour the hot water, the coffee steeps undisturbed for exactly four minutes. During this time, a thick layer of grounds and foam known as the "crust" forms on the surface.

Breaking the Crust

At the four-minute mark, we use a spoon to gently break the crust, inhaling the intense wet aroma released at that moment. We then scoop off the remaining foam and floating grounds.

The Tasting

We let the coffee cool for another ten minutes before tasting. Professionals never evaluate coffee while it is boiling hot. Extreme heat numbs the taste buds and mutes the flavour. We return to each cup at multiple temperature stages as it cools, because different characteristics reveal themselves at different points.

The Slurp

We use a shallow spoon and slurp the liquid loudly. This aerates the coffee, spraying it across the entire palate to engage all your taste buds at once. Professional cuppers also spit rather than swallow. When you are evaluating 20 to 30 samples in a single session, swallowing that much caffeine would quickly ruin your palate.

If you want to understand how different brewing methods change the taste of the same bean, read our guide on what coffee brewing method is best.

How to do a coffee cupping at home?

You don't need a professional laboratory to experience the magic of cupping coffee. Running a tasting session at home is incredibly simple and is the single best way to train your palate.

The Equipment You Need:

Two or three distinct coffee varieties (whole beans).
Uniform cups, mugs, or small bowls (about 150ml to 200ml capacity).
A quality coffee grinder.
A kettle and filtered water.
Two soup spoons or cupping spoons.
A timer and a kitchen scale.

Step 1: Measure and Grind Your Beans

Weigh out exactly 10 grams of whole beans for each cup you are testing.
Grind the beans to a coarse consistency, similar to raw sugar or sea salt.
Place the dry grounds into your cups, keeping each variety separate.

Barista Tip: Cupping works best as a comparison exercise. Tasting a single coffee in isolation gives you far less information than lining up two or three distinct origins side-by-side.

Step 2: Evaluate the Dry Aroma

Gently shake each cup to level the dry grounds.
Lean close, tap the cup, and take a deep sniff of the dry fragrance.
Note down what you smell, whether it is chocolate, fruit, or nuts.

Barista Tip: Keep a notebook handy. Writing down your first impressions before you add water helps prevent your brain from being influenced by later stages.

Step 3: Add Hot Water and Steep

Heat your filtered water to 93°C (roughly 30 seconds after your kettle boils).
Pour 150ml of water directly onto the grounds, ensuring they are fully saturated.
Start your timer and let the coffee steep undisturbed for exactly four minutes.

Barista Tip: Do not stir the cups at this stage. Allowing the crust to form undisturbed is essential for trapping the volatile aromas inside the liquid.

Step 4: Break the Crust and Clean the Surface

At the four-minute mark, take your spoon and gently push the floating crust back three times.
Lean in close as you do this; the breaking of the crust releases the most intense wet aroma of the session.
Use your two spoons to skim off the remaining foam and floating oils from the surface.

Barista Tip: Rinse your spoons in a cup of clean, hot water between each bowl. This prevents cross-contamination, ensuring you don't carry flavours from one cup to the next.

Step 5: Slurp and Evaluate

Let the coffee cool for 10 to 12 minutes until it is warm but comfortable to taste.
Dip your spoon into the surface of the liquid, draw it to your lips, and slurp sharply.
Let the coffee roll across your tongue, evaluating the sweetness, acidity, and body.

Barista Tip: Taste the coffees again as they cool to room temperature. You will be amazed at how a coffee that tasted like chocolate when hot can open up into bright fruit flavours as it cools.

Why single-origin coffee makes the best cupping subject

If you want to get the most out of cupping, always choose single-origin beans. Their flavour profile is traceable to one place. No blending, no masking, just the raw character of the soil and climate on your palate.

For your first session, I'd start with our Di Stefano Samba Brazil. Grown at altitude in Minas Gerais on deep red volcanic soils, it's a clean, expressive natural with soft caramel, milk chocolate and a lift of orange on the finish.

On the cupping table, it's exactly what a well-grown single origin should taste like. Straightforward to evaluate and genuinely delicious in the process.

Conclusion: Bring the Roastery Tasting Table to Your Kitchen

Now that you understand the science of the cupping table, you know exactly what I’m doing every Tuesday morning in Wetherill Park. This process is how we ensure that the beans we roast for you are consistent, clean, and full of the flavour notes we promise on the bag.

If you’re ready to expand your palate and experience coffee like a professional, I highly recommend running your own tasting session at home. To get started, pick two contrasting single origins and cup them side by side. The difference in origin character is where cupping becomes genuinely addictive.

FAQ: Questions About Coffee Cupping

What's the point of coffee cupping?

The point of coffee cupping is to evaluate coffee quality and identify flavour profiles in a controlled environment. By removing the variables of different brewing equipment, roasters and buyers can judge the raw quality of the bean itself, ensuring consistent standards across different crops.

What is the difference between coffee cupping and coffee tasting?

Coffee cupping is a highly standardised, unfiltered evaluation method, while coffee tasting is a casual appreciation of a brewed drink. Cupping requires specific ratios, grinds, and temperatures to score the coffee objectively, whereas tasting is simply enjoying a finished cup of coffee.

What equipment do you need for coffee cupping at home?

To cup coffee at home, you need two or three coffee varieties, uniform cups, a grinder, hot water, and spoons. You will also benefit from a kitchen scale and a timer to ensure your water-to-coffee ratio is consistent across every cup.

How many coffees should you cup in one session?

For beginners, cupping two to three different coffees in a session is ideal. This allows you to easily compare contrasting profiles, such as a bright Ethiopian versus a chocolatey Colombian, without overwhelming your palate or your senses.

Can you cup blended coffee or only single origins?

While you can cup blends, single origins are preferred because their individual regional characteristics are unmasked. Blends are crafted to be balanced and consistent, which can make it harder to identify the distinct, raw flavour notes of a specific farm or soil.

Additional Reading

Keen to learn more about coffee roasting? We have a range of articles looking at how to roast coffee:

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About the Author

Nicolas Di Stefano, a third-generation Master Roaster and Director of Di Stefano Coffee, continues his family’s proud legacy of exceptional coffee craftsmanship. Blending traditional Italian roasting methods with a modern dedication to quality, Nicolas ensures every cup embodies the rich flavour and consistency Australians have come to love.