The Evolution of Coffee Cupping: From Old School Traders to Specialty Coffee Experts
Why Does Coffee Cupping Even Matter?
If you’ve ever watched someone slurp a spoonful of coffee like they’re auditioning for a soup commercial, congrats... you’ve witnessed a cupping.
(We do it on purpose, promise.)
Cupping is the universal language of coffee tasting. It’s how producers, buyers, and roasters all over the world evaluate a coffee’s flavor, aroma, and overall quality.
But this now-standardized ritual didn’t always look the way it does today.
Let’s trace the history of coffee cupping, why it was developed, who pioneered it, how it has evolved through time, and what it might look like in the future.
We’ll also break down the science and structure behind it (without making it feel like a sensory science exam).
Because nothing says “fun” like a pop quiz on mouthfeel.
What Is Coffee Cupping?
Coffee cupping is a formalized method for evaluating the sensory attributes of coffee.
It includes smelling dry grounds, brewing with hot water, evaluating aromas, breaking the crust, and finally slurping to assess taste, mouthfeel, acidity, and aftertaste.
Today, cupping is both art and science.
It ensures a consistent way to judge different coffees from all over the world on an even playing field.
But it wasn’t always this structured.
Where It All Started: The Birth of the Cup Test
In the late 1800s, green coffee buyers mainly relied on visual inspection to determine quality, bean size, color, and defect presence.
But that changed thanks to Clarence E. Bickford, a green coffee broker in San Francisco.
Bickford was the first to emphasize taste over looks.
He introduced what we now call the “Cup Test” (a revolutionary concept at the time).
Suddenly, flavor profiles mattered more than whether the beans looked pretty.
This new approach shifted coffee evaluation from a purely transactional act to a sensory experience.
Imagine that: flavor over fashion. Revolutionary.
B.D. Balart & the Rise of Blind Tasting
Shortly after Bickford’s innovation, B.D. Balart helped standardize the process further by advocating for blind tastings.
This eliminated bias based on origin, price, or appearance.
It was no longer about who grew it or what it cost... just how it tasted.
From these beginnings, cupping evolved from a merchant-side curiosity into a crucial quality control tool for the growing coffee trade.
Codifying the Ritual: Ted Lingle and the SCA Era
Fast-forward to 1985, when Ted R. Lingle published The Coffee Cupper's Handbook.
This marked a turning point for cupping as a professional practice.
Lingle outlined a structured system that gave the industry a consistent, repeatable way to evaluate coffee.
In 2004, the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) adopted this model and launched its own cupping protocols, including a 100-point scoring system.
Inspired by wine tasting models, this system scored coffees on:
• Aroma
• Flavor
• Aftertaste
• Acidity
• Body
• Balance
• Uniformity
• Clean Cup
• Sweetness
A score above 80 points qualified a coffee as “specialty”.
A term that quickly gained traction.
(Also a great way to make your barista sound fancier at brunch.)
But there was a catch:
Scoring mixed objective and subjective criteria.
And THAT led to some problems.
The Problem With the Old System
Not every taster has the same palate, training, or bias.
While one professional might love a floral Ethiopian with bright acidity, another might prefer earthy Sumatran beans.
The result?
Inconsistent scores.
Plus, the 100-point scale created a hyper-focus on "chasing points" rather than evaluating why a coffee was good.
Translation: We started grading like high school teachers in a rush. 📝
The Coffee Value Assessment (CVA): A New Chapter
Recognizing the need for a more holistic and transparent system, the SCA introduced the Coffee Value Assessment (CVA) in the 2020s.
This new approach divides cupping into four types of assessments:
• Physical – Green grading, moisture content, bean defects
• Descriptive – Sensory notes, flavor profile, intensity
• Affective – How much did the cupper like the coffee?
• Extrinsic – Contextual information (origin, process, certifications)
By separating objective measures from personal preferences, the CVA helps create more transparency in the supply chain.
Farmers, roasters, and buyers can now pinpoint what adds value... not just how much value someone arbitrarily assigns.
It's a big step toward equity, especially for producers who invest in sustainable or unique growing methods.
And maybe, just maybe, we’ll stop judging coffee like it’s a talent show finale.
The Cupping Table Today: What Happens, Step-by-Step
For those new to it, here’s how a cupping typically works:
1. Measure: 8.25g of freshly ground coffee into each cup
2. Smell: Dry fragrance is noted
3. Brew: Hot water is poured (200°F), steep for 4 minutes
4. Break the Crust: Stir and sniff again to evaluate aroma
5. Skim the Top: Remove grounds for a clean cup
6. Taste: Use a spoon to slurp, allowing aeration across the palate
7. Score: Evaluate all sensory dimensions individually
It’s a multi-sensory ritual that’s equal parts science lab and meditation practice.
(And yes, we’re aware how pretentious “crust-breaking” sounds. We do it anyway.)
Did You Know?
The term "cupping" is actually quite literal.The practice involves multiple identical cups lined up side-by-side, often without labels, so the tasters don’t know which coffee is which.
Basically a blind date, but for beans.
Cupping and Roasting: Why the Roast Profile Matters
Roasters don’t just roast for flavor, they roast to cup.
Many roasters will use a lighter, standardized roast level when preparing samples for cupping.
This helps highlight the bean's origin characteristics without the interference of dark roast notes.
If a coffee gets too much roast development, it can mask its true attributes (kind of like that one relative who adds ketchup to everything).
(Delicious? Maybe. Informative? Not so much.)
The Cultural and Global Importance of Cupping
Cupping has become a global practice, bridging continents, cultures, and languages.
It’s used by coffee cooperatives in Colombia, exporters in Kenya, importers in the U.S., and quality control teams in Tokyo.
It’s the common language of coffee. Everyone in the supply chain, from the grower to the barista , uses cupping to align on what matters most: taste.
It also plays a growing role in consumer education.
Public cuppings allow curious drinkers to explore different origins, processing methods, and roast profiles, deepening their appreciation for the bean.
And yes, slurping in public becomes socially acceptable here. No judgment.
Where Is Cupping Headed Next?
The future of cupping is more inclusive, more transparent, and more rooted in science.
Expect to see:
• More data-driven cupping tools (like Tastify or Cropster Cup)
• Broader training access for farmers and small producers
• Greater inclusion of consumer feedback in affective assessments
• Continued refinement of CVA standards
There’s also a rising conversation about decolonizing sensory language, replacing Eurocentric tasting terms with vocabulary that reflects local knowledge and cultural diversity.
(About time we stopped calling everything “stonefruit” just because we don’t know what it actually is.)
The big picture?
Cupping is becoming less about elite evaluation and more about collective understanding.
Final Sip: Why Cupping Still Matters in 2025
Cupping isn't just about finding the best-tasting coffee.
It's a tool that connects people across the entire coffee value chain.
It’s how farmers earn premiums.
How importers select lots.
How roasters dial in profiles.
How drinkers fall in love with a new origin.
At Katï Coffee, we take cupping seriously.
It’s how we ensure every roast meets our standards (and your expectations).
Whether we’re sourcing a fruit-forward natural from Ethiopia or a washed lot from Guatemala, it all starts at the cupping table.
Curious about how we cup?
Come visit the roastery.
Stay grounded, stay curious —
Remï