What is the SCA Scale?

The new SCA Coffee Value Assessment is an innovative tool developed by the Speciality Coffee Association to provide a comprehensive framework for evaluating coffee quality and value. This assessment goes beyond traditional cupping methods by incorporating a wider range of factors that influence coffee's overall worth. It considers not only sensory attributes but also sustainability practices, ethical sourcing, and market dynamics.

The new SCA Coffee Value Assessment represents a significant evolution in the coffee industry's approach to evaluating and pricing speciality coffee. For nearly two decades, the SCA scoring system has been the standard for assessing coffee quality, using a 100-point scale based on green grading and cupping. This system has played a crucial role in determining coffee quality and influencing pricing in the speciality coffee market.

However, recognising the need for improvement, the SCA has spent the past three years conducting extensive research to identify and address shortcomings in the current value system. The result is a new assessment framework designed to offer enhanced benefits to both coffee producers and buyers. This updated approach aims to provide a more comprehensive and equitable evaluation of coffee, potentially reshaping how quality is perceived and valued in the speciality coffee industry.

What is speciality coffee? 

Speciality coffee is defined as high-quality coffee that scores 80 points or above on a 100-point scale established by the Speciality Coffee Association (SCA). This classification reflects rigorous standards across the entire coffee production process, from cultivation to brewing, ensuring that each step contributes to the final product's quality.

Key Characteristics of Speciality Coffee

• Quality Grading: Speciality coffee must be evaluated by certified Q-graders who assess various attributes such as aroma, flavour, acidity, body, and aftertaste. Only beans with minimal defects—specifically, no more than five secondary defects per 300 grammes—can qualify as speciality beans.
• Growing Conditions: Speciality coffee is typically grown at high altitudes in specific microclimates that enhance its flavour profile. Regions like Kenya, Ethiopia, and Colombia are renowned for producing exceptional speciality coffees due to their ideal growing conditions.
• Processing and Sourcing: The beans undergo careful processing post-harvest, which includes selective picking at peak ripeness and various fermentation and drying methods that significantly influence flavour. The entire supply chain, including farmers, green coffee buyers, roasters, and baristas, collaborates to maintain high standards throughout the process.
• Consumer Involvement: Consumers play a crucial role by seeking out speciality coffee, thus supporting quality-focused producers. This commitment to quality not only enhances the coffee experience but also promotes sustainable practices within the coffee industry.

What does SCA Scale Coffee do? 

The SCA's updated system incorporates various factors, including physical assessment of the green coffee, roasting guidelines, and a more nuanced descriptive assessment. They've introduced new rating scales and terminology, such as categorising acidity as "dry" or "sweet" rather than identifying specific acids. The assessment now includes both objective and subjective elements, acknowledging the complexity of coffee evaluation. You can also try out the SCA Coffee Value Assessment Affective Score Calculator for a more wholesome result. 

Notably, the SCA is working to make the assessment more inclusive by allowing for different brewing methods and considering variations in roasting equipment. They're also addressing industry developments, such as the wide range of processing methods now used.

The SCA continues to refine this system, recognising its current limitations and the need for ongoing research. Their goal is to create a more holistic, fair, and accurate method of assessing coffee value that benefits both producers and buyers in the speciality coffee market.

How to analyse coffee through SCA-scale coffee? 

The coffee industry faced a challenge in comparing the diverse characteristics of different coffees. To address this, the SCA developed a comprehensive scoring system that rates coffees on a scale from 0 to 100.

This standardised approach allows for more objective comparisons between various coffee offerings. Under this system, a coffee must achieve a minimum score of 80 out of 100 to be classified as a speciality coffee. However, the score alone isn't sufficient; the coffee must also be free from any defects to earn this prestigious designation.

Score Range	Classification	Description
65 to 80	Commodity Coffee	Used for supermarket coffee, blends, and instant coffee.
80+	Speciality Coffee	More subtle flavours and balanced cups. Many speciality roasters only buy 84+ coffees.
90+	Presidential Award	Extremely rare, making up less than 1% of the speciality coffee market. Exceptional quality.

How is the coffee quality score calculated by SCA? 

The SCA's coffee scoring system is a standardised method for evaluating coffee quality. It considers ten key attributes, each scored on a scale of 0-10, with the total sum determining the coffee's overall quality score out of 100. This system helps in objectively comparing different coffees and identifying speciality-grade offerings.

Attributes:

1. Fragrance/Aroma: Evaluates the coffee's dry smell and wet aroma. It's the first impression of the coffee's potential flavours and complexity.
2. Flavour: assesses the coffee's main taste characteristics. It's a combined impression of all the gustatory sensations and retro-nasal aromas from the back of the mouth.
3. Aftertaste: Measures the length and pleasantness of the flavour lingering in the mouth after swallowing. Positive aftertastes are sweet and clean.
4. Acidity: evaluates the coffee's brightness or liveliness. High-quality acidity is crisp and sweet, adding to the coffee's overall complexity and balance.
5. Body: refers to the physical mouthfeel and weight of the coffee. It can range from light and tea-like to heavy and syrupy.
6. Balance: Assesses how well all the various aspects of flavour, aftertaste, acidity, and body work together. In well-balanced coffees, no single attribute overpowers or disappears from the overall experience.
7. Uniformity: measures consistency across multiple cups of the same coffee. High scores indicate that all cups taste the same and maintain quality throughout the tasting.
8. Clean Cup: refers to a lack of interfering negative impressions from first ingestion to final aftertaste. Any off-flavours or taints will reduce this score.
9. Sweetness: Evaluates the pleasant fullness of flavour and its perception in the coffee. It's a result of the presence of certain carbohydrates.
10. Overall: Reflects the holistic rating of the coffee, as perceived by the individual coffee drinker. It's a personal appreciation of the coffee that may not be captured in the other scores.

Each attribute is typically scored on a scale from 6 to 10, with 0.25-point increments. The scores for all ten attributes are then added together to give a total score of 100. A score of 80 or above qualifies as speciality- grade coffee. This system provides a standardised method for evaluating coffee quality across different varieties and origins.

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