What Does the SCA Coffee Grade Mean?

Today we’d like to introduce you to the SCA grading system and what these grades say about each coffee (mean).

 What does SCA stand for?

SCA, stands for Specialty Coffee Association. It was created in 1982 with the following purpose:

“The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) is a trade association built on foundations of openness, inclusivity, and the power of shared knowledge. SCA’s purpose is to foster global coffee communities to support activities to make coffee a more sustainable, equitable, and thriving activity for the whole value chain. From coffee farmers to baristas and roasters, our membership spans the globe, encompassing every element of the coffee value chain. The SCA acts as a unifying force within the specialty coffee industry and works to make coffee better by raising standards worldwide through a collaborative and progressive approach. Dedicated to building an industry that is fair, sustainable, and nurturing for all, the SCA draws on years of insights and inspiration from the specialty coffee community.” https://sca.coffee/about

SCA Cupping Test

Picture of Miguel Echeverri, Hatillo Coffee's co-founder and Chief Quality Officer, smelling three samples of ground specialty coffee to look for fragrance during a coffee cupping procedure
Miguel during a coffee cupping session in Medellin – Colombia

In the 1980’s when the SCA was created due to the exponential growth in coffee consumption, they introduced the practice of coffee cupping, also known as sensory evaluation.

Coffee cupping is a standardized scoring system whose main objective is to separate specialty coffee from commercial coffee. It consists of a 10-point score card which is used to evaluate the overall quality and identify individual characteristics of a sample cup.  

Each point corresponds to a category and is graded on a scale of 1 to 10, they are:

  • Aroma
  • Taste
  • Aftertaste
  • Acidity
  • Body
  • Balance
  • Cleaning
  • Sweetness
  • Uniformity
  • General
picture showing an olfactory kit for coffee sensory training being used by Hatillo Coffee during a specialty coffee cupping session
Olfactory Training Aroma Kit

Adding the individual scores and subtracting any defects results in a final score ranging from 1 to 100. Coffees scoring 80 or above are considered specialty coffees.

Evaluations are done by certified coffee graders called Q Graders. These are experts trained and endorsed by the SCA to analyze and grade coffee.

An Emphasis in Specialty Coffee

At Hatillo Coffee we specialize in coffees with scores above 80. Our portfolio currently includes various microlot specialty coffees with scores above 85. It is our goal to keep our selection at lots scoring 85 and above, ensuring that we provide our customers with outstanding high-quality beans.

picture showing a training session with a Q Grader to learn to cup specialty coffee
Fine tuning our senses for cupping specialty coffee

To guarantee the quality of our coffees we make it part of our mission to accompany and mentor coffee farmers to help them maintain the optimal results of their artisanal processes. We believe this is only possible through long term relationships built on trust and continued support and growth.