When you look at a list of specialty coffee lots, the first number you'll usually see is the score. It's a useful shorthand — as long as you know what it measures and what it doesn't.
Where the score comes from
The 100-point score comes from the cupping protocol of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). Trained cuppers brew samples in a standard way and evaluate attributes such as fragrance and aroma, flavour, aftertaste, acidity, body, balance, uniformity, clean cup and sweetness, then add an overall impression.
Coffees scoring 80 points or more are considered specialty grade. Within that, the commonly used ranges are:
- 80–84.99: very good
- 85–89.99: excellent
- 90 and above: outstanding
The SCA has also introduced a newer evaluation framework, the Coffee Value Assessment, but the 100-point score remains the most common reference in green coffee trading.
What a score is good for
- Comparing lots cupped under similar conditions.
- Filtering a long offer list down to a shortlist worth sampling.
- Pricing context: higher-scoring lots generally command higher prices, especially above 86–87 points.
What a score doesn't tell you
- Whether you'll like it. Two coffees can both score 86 and taste completely different — one bright and floral, the other chocolatey and heavy.
- Whether it suits your use. A delicate, high-scoring washed Geisha may be wasted in a milk-based espresso blend.
- How it will taste months later. Scores reflect the coffee when it was cupped; green coffee changes with time and storage.
- Consistency between cuppers. Scores carry a degree of subjectivity, so a point or so of difference between two sources isn't meaningful on its own.
How we suggest using scores
Use the score to decide what to cup, not what to buy. Pair it with the lot data — region, altitude, variety, process and drying — and with the tasting notes, then cup the shortlist against coffees you already know. Your own cupping table is the final word.
On every Almaguer lot we list the SCA score when it has been assessed, together with the details you need to judge it in context.