WHAT IS THE CVA BY THE SCA - COFFEE VALUE ASSESSMENT - PART 2

This is the 2nd part in our series on the Coffee Value Assessment by the Specialty Coffee Association, complete with resources and links for you to learn, download, practice and provide your feedback.

Source Links for the Coffee Value Assessment CVA by the Specialty Coffee Association SCA.

Introducing the CVA: https://sca.coffee/value-assessment

Download and Read about the CVA: PDF CVA Full Link

Printer friendly version of the CVA: PDF CVA Printable Link

Physical Affective Form CVA: PDF CVA Physical Affective Link

The Value of Specialty Coffee Cuppers: PDF SCA Perspectives Roles Professional Competencies

Descriptive Form CVA: PDF CVA Descriptive Link

SCA White Paper: PDF Towards a Definition of Specialty Coffee

CVA SCA White Paper “Towards a Definition of Specialty Coffee” https://sca.coffee/sca-news/just-released-new-sca-white-paper-towards-a-definition-of-specialty-coffee

CVA SCA White Paper “The Value of Specialty Coffee Cuppers” https://sca.coffee/sca-news/just-released-the-value-of-specialty-coffee-cuppers-sca-white-paper

SCA YouTube Playlist on “Theory of the SCA Coffee Value Assessment” https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ5Na-9NWGIrHQ8M4H9_i_5lDZnTvcUAe&si=hF1FY_oeTOGlKrVb

Re’co Specialty Coffee Symposium article by Peter Giuliano “The Power of the Extrinsic” https://sca.coffee/sca-news/watch/video/the-power-of-the-extrinsic

Understanding Value in Coffee from the Green Coffee Summit 2022 YouTube Recording: https://youtu.be/eq_XkGqJdIo?si=ASomY1eXP4ThTnIv

SCA Article 25 Magazine Issue 18 “How Do Cuppers Cup?” https://sca.coffee/sca-news/25/issue-18/how-do-cuppers-cup-evaluating-and-evolving-elements-of-the-sca-cupping-protocol

SCA Article 25 Magazine Issue 18 “All in the Mind: How External Cues Impact Brain Activity and Preference” https://sca.coffee/sca-news/25/issue-18/all-in-the-mind-how-external-cues-impact-brain-activity-and-preference

SCA Article 25 Magazine Issue 19 “From Value to Values: Determining the Worth of Coffee” https://sca.coffee/sca-news/25/issue-19/from-value-to-values-determining-the-worth-of-coffee

What is the CVA by the SCA - Coffee Value Assessment

It’s time to dive into the CVA by the SCA.

This multi-part series has long been waiting, in the making. We need to unpack the great research and thought that the Specialty Coffee Association has put into the Coffee Value Assessment tool. With white papers and research examining coffee cupper value assessments, cupping scores, green coffee scores and more - we will seek to understand how the SCA CVA was created and how coffee professionals can use it in their coffee purchasing and roasting decisions.

Please let us know what questions you have and if this information is helpful. Thank you!

New 2024 Coffee Sensory Training Kit

New 2024 Coffee Sensory Training Kit
Cup These 8 Coffees - Grow in 2024!

This is the latest, featured Limited Edition, 2024 release of our popular Sensory Training Kit. Enjoy the videos below and be sure to follow along with your own coffees available at: Training Kits

Featuring 8 Unique Coffees
for 4 Paired Exercises
+ 2 CUSTOM CUPPING SPOONS:

SP1 Arabica Species Papua New Guinea Baroida Estate Wet/Washed Coffee

• SP2 Robusta Canephora Species Java Gambung Pulp-Natural Coffee

• GR1 Specialty Grade Sumatra Organic Aceh Bukit Wet-Hulled Giling Basah Arabica Coffee

• GR2 Commercial Grade India Araku Valley Timor, Tafarikela, Catimor Dry/Natural Arabica Coffee

• PR1 Washed Wet Process Ethiopia Guji Goro Bedessa Arabica Coffee

• PR2 Natural Dry Process Ethiopia Guji Buno Dambi Uddo Coffee

• RO1 Lighter Roasted Colombia Alto Occidente Wet/Washed Arabica Coffee

• RO2 Darker Roasted Colombia Alto Occidente Wet/Washed Arabica Coffee

• Four x2 Cup A-B Cupping Placemats

• x2 Bonus Cupping Spoons!

Enjoy!

Cup These 8 Coffees

July Sensory Training Kit - Cup These 8 Coffees

Listed below are the coffees featured in the Limited Edition, July release of our popular Sensory Training Kit. Enjoy the video below and follow along with your own coffees available at: https://sca.training/shop-offers/sensory-training-kit-july2023

Featuring 8 Unique Coffees for 4 Paired Exercises:

An Arabica Mexico Chiapas Sierra Mariscal wet/washed coffee with a Robusta Canephora Java Gambung pulp natural for species comparison.

• Mexico Chiapas Cupping Notes: Whole bean fragrance starts very herbal, mint-like which carries through in the grounds that turn to a subtle green apple note on the wet aroma. The coffee is clean and bright with a simple high acidity which is pleasant in balance with a medium-full body and smooth finish.

• Java Gambung Cupping Notes: Whole bean fragrance jumps with brown spices, malty and pungent. When ground a roasted grain, corn and basmati rice comes through. The body is immediately huge and chewy in the mouth. It’s rough which is an aspect of big bitterness on top of the huge body. A bittersweet chocolate with animal-leather tones follow. Note: long after the cupping a tobacco flavor lingered in the air and in my mouth. Wow!

A specialty higher grade Kenya Nyeri Rukira wet/washed coffee paired with a lower scoring (not commercial) grade Brazil Fazenda Furnas dry/natural.

• Kenya Nyeri Kukira Cupping Notes: The whole bean fragrance has a luscious red currant, floral and tropical fruit character. Once ground those notes give place to mango and cherry tomatoes… both of which carry through into the wet aroma. The coffee is clean, complex in acidity like layers of juice tropical, bright, and high acidity which pairs nicely with the big body and sticky mouthfeel. Aftertaste is of grapefruit bitters and lemon rind.

• Brazil Fazenda Furnas Cupping Notes: The whole bean was simple like brown spices and chocolate, but once ground a subtle sweetness of fruit and especially peach came forth. The peach and chocolate carried into the wet aroma. The coffee is clean with strong earthy and bittersweet chocolate character. Creamy big body.

A pair of washed/wet processed Ethiopia Kecho Anderecha coffee and a natural/dry process Ethiopia Senna Kaffa Mountain.

• Kecho Anderecha Cupping Notes: Whole bean fragrance starts with coffee or orange blossoms. Once ground a white grape sweetness emerges which carries through in the wet aroma. The coffee sparkles with bright acidity (like white grape juice) and has a medium-light body. There is a slight astringency like green tea.

• Senna Kaffa Cupping Notes: Whole bean fragrance has soft raspberry tones but with cereal grain like character also in the grounds. The aroma is soft vanilla again with raspberry. It was more syrupy with sweet mouth coating feeling for body and texture. It finishes with an earthy lingering sweetness.

Finally, a lighter roasted Colombia Alto Occidente wet/washed with the same darker roasted Colombia Alto Occidente coffee.

• Light Roasted Alto Occidente Cupping Notes: Whole is herbal like green pepper with milk chocolate. Once ground apple emerges which when wet turns to honey and walnut. The body is full and very smooth to drink with a balanced cup profile and lingering milk chocolate finish.

• Dark Roasted Alto Occidente Cupping Notes: Whole bean has a rich hazelnut vanilla which ground yields to dark cherry. Dark cherry carries through the wet aroma which continues sweet like molasses and maple syrup. The roasty note of soft smoke and dark chocolate blend with full body for a bitter cherry dry mouth finish.

This is comes in whole bean unless requested medium-cupping grind with four x2 Cup A-B Cupping Placemats.

Enjoy!

Cupping Controversial Coffees

Presented at Coffee Fest, Seattle, WA

Saturday 1 Oct, 2022 

By Adam S. Carpenter

Founder & Lead AST

ROCC Coffee Co.

Greeting & Invitation

Thank you for attending this session!

I’m excited to work on this topic together with you today. We are all learning and growing to develop better coffee cupping and sensory skills.  This is one of three sessions prepared for Coffee Fest PNW, 2022. 

1. Developing and Maintaining a Coffee Training Program.

2. How to Get the Best from Your Beans: from Sample, to Profile to Production Roasting.

3. Cupping Controversial Coffees.

If you are interested in these other sessions or would like to connect, I would be happy to share and dialogue.

This session has an accompanying PDF available by blog and email. There may also be discount codes available if you wish to join one of our certified Specialty Coffee Association courses always available online.

We also have great training kits available at www.sca.training with tools and equipment at www.rocc.coffee.

Introduction

I approach our time together with humility. I know in the crowd we have coffee experts with experiences beyond my own. I am always learning and looking forward to be challenged, so I appreciate your grace as I too extend grace to you on the path of study and practice you are currently walking.

My name is Adam and I love helping people and businesses grow. Our vision at ROCC is to use training and tools to build a Global Community and Provide a Playground that Makes Life Better.

I grew up on a small farm in Michigan drinking Folgers instant coffee with my dad and grandpa.  They worked hard and I wanted to be like them. In university I had the chance to stay at a Costa Rican coffee farm. Picking coffee cherries by day and playing futbol at night changed my life.

My wife and I married, went to China as English teachers and then in 2012, I opened Central China’s first artisan coffee roastery - ROCC. We roasted wholesale coffees and had two retail outlets. One coffee window and one full Coffee Discovery Bar. In 2015 I started training as a fully certified AST with the SCAE running courses in both English and Mandarin Chinese all over China. Today I lead certified SCA courses online and offline in the Coffee Skills Program while supplying training tools and coaching for clients - especially roasters & labs.

I would be honored to work with you or your team to grow your business.

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I LOVE to cup coffees, but honestly I was afraid of the SCA cupping form for quite a while. It felt cumbersome and I always had a creeping thought in the back of my mind, “you’re liking missing something or doing this wrong.” I want you to know that we all start somewhere and have similar fears or doubts. Doubt is inherent to sensory work and cupping because no-one of us has the complete picture. That’s why we cup coffees together and calibrate with one another to get closer to a group and global norm.

I LOVE cupping coffees and am proud to cup alongside you today!

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Cupping Controversial Coffees

It’s time to introduce our six coffees. These coffees were selected to push the boundaries of the SCA cupping form and to stretch many of us outside of the normal coffees we are exposed to in our cafes, roasteries and sales catalog. 

First, the SCA cupping form was designed for washed Arabica coffees. However many roasters use various processing methods such as: dry/natural, honey, semi-washed, and new experimental anaerobic processing methods. We have many of these today in addition to Robusta coffees (which have a different cupping form).

The SCA cupping form was designed for washed arabicas only.

After we smell and taste our coffees we will gather back together to share insights, ask questions and discuss any “Wow!” moments. We will also take a quick look at basic concepts with coffee species, grades, processing and roast impacts. If time permits or if it happens naturally we can calibrate our cupping results together.

Our Coffees

• Our Robusta Table (3)

  • A high quality, Organic India bean from the Araku Valley, dry/natural processed. 

  • A fine, Vietnam Lam Dong Central Highlands bean “winey” dry/natural processed.

  • A standard, Uganda Screen 15 dry/natural processed bean.

• Our Arabica Table (3)

  • A commercial grade India Kent/Timor Blend, from Araku Valley dry/natural processed.

  • A specialty anaerobic honey process bean from Honduras.

  • A specialty anaerobic wet hulled Sumatra coffee.

Cupping and Sensory Rules

Regardless of the audience, I want to ensure that we are on the same page with our cupping protocols. We want to adhere to SCA cupping standards as instructed by the SCA Cupping Protocol (available PDF) practiced around the world. If you are unclear about roast, ratio, grind, water, etc. variables, we can discuss these at the end of our session. However, I’d also like to remind us of cupping etiquette.

My house rules (established from cupping cross-culturally for over a decade) is that there are many bad habits or personalized preferences that can interfere with others proper cupping experiences. Together out of etiquette let’s focus on creating an optimal atmosphere and environment for others by collectively:

• Affirming this is a judgment free zone, where we are collaborating - not competing.

• Not whistling, creating drama or drawing attention to ourselves through our slurping habits. We should be attuned to the coffees and seek to not disturb others.

• Restraining from moving cups, shaking grounds and otherwise disturbing the cupping setup.

• Not moving too slowly (give everyone a chance) and not pushing up near or pressuring the person in front of us. We should move at a steady pace and at times, we may not be able to catch our cupping results, but should move for the next person to have a chance.

• Using a dispensing cup or 2 spoons with one designated to slurp and the other designated to transfer coffee without transferring germs.

• Keeping thoughts and reflections to ourselves so as to not influence others.

• Attempting to use the SCA cupping form.

Have fun, let’s cup these controversial coffees.

Cupping Feedback

This will not be a perfect calibration, and I failed to fill out my SCA Cupping form with you. Many apologies as I was too busy enjoying conversations and instructing on cupping and curiosity. However, the quick feedback and insights below will help launch us into our next section discussing species, processing, grades, roasts, etc.

Robusta

• Organic India Araku Valley

  • Earthy, Corn Nuts, Smoke, Roasty, Phenol, Green Grass, Metallic, Nutty

• Vietnam Lam Dong “Winey”

  • Dried Fruit, Fig, Peanuts, Hazelnut, Dark Chocolate, More mellow than India

• Uganda Screen 15

  • Metallic, Bitter, Oil, Petrol, Rubber

Arabica

• Commercial India Kent/Timor Blend

  • Earthy, Woody, Tamarind, Spice, Orange, Bell Pepper, Cherry

• Specialty anaerobic honey Honduras

  • Fruity, Bright, High Lemon Citrus Acidity, Sweet

• Specialty anaerobic wet hulled Sumatra

  • High Complex Acidity, Tabasco, Cheese, Herbal Tea, Sweet

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Coffee Species

In general Arabica Coffees will have much more sweetness and acidity than equivalent Robusta Canephora Coffees. Though both are a part of the same family: Rubiaceae, they are unique species, growing in different climates as different trees with differing fruit and seeds (coffee).

The Cafe Imports Coffee Family Tree is a fantastic resource to visually see how the coffee species are related but distinct from one another. Our understanding of Arabica is that it naturally evolved first in the region of Ethiopia while Robusta Canephora evolved further southwest on the borders of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

As different trees growing in different regions the coffee flavor profiles can be generalized with the following distinctions. As the name suggests “Robusta” is more “Robust” as a tree and flavor profile than Arabica.

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Roasting, Processing and Other Impacts

Coffee is such a dynamic and complex fruit that we should never create hard and fast rules. While it is tempting to generalize in a manner as we did above saying “Robusta Canephora is juxtaposed with Arabica… or it is this and not this…” such generalizations are only starting points. 

As we saw from our cupping experiences there can be an array of cup qualities in a Robusta Canephora when it is more carefully screened and processed as the Vietnamese coffee was. Likewise we can see a great discrepancy between the Indian Commercial Kent/Timor blend as compared to the neighboring Sumatra wet hulled anaerobic. Many people have an idea in their mind that Sumatra (and wet hulled) coffees are lower in acid with chocolatey notes… a description that in no way fits our anaerobic wet hulled Sumatra.

We might understand processing and discuss it in “waves” as we do with first, second or third wave coffee. First wave processing was very much driven by climate and natural resources available to coffee growers. The challenge of drying and the abundance of water led Indonesia’s islands to pioneer wet hull processing while the abundant sun and drying conditions led many nations (such as the horn of Africa) to traditionally dry their coffees. These traditional processing methods have created strong expectations and stereotypes in our coffee buying, roasting and cupping work.

Today we are in a new and exciting wave of great experimental processing. Regions that traditionally dried coffee are washing. Regions that traditionally washed coffees or used water for processing are using more natural and mechanical drying methods. Even further experimental yeasts and anaerobic conditions are breaking down the walls of our sensory expectations.

We are in a great “new wave” of coffee processing

We need not speak much about roasting, except that the roasters job is to protect and accentuate the qualities inherent in the green coffee and through the skill of processing. The roaster may preserve and highlight or the roaster may destroy or cover over those aspects. In respect to our SCA cupping form (to come full circle) we should roast the coffees accurately and consistently to complete first crack at or near a whole bean color of 58 with a ground color of 63 on the Agtron Gourmet Color scale.

Coffee roasters should protect and accentuate the qualities of the green.

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Closing Thoughts, Questions & Answers

In this presentation, I have shared many things which could be construed as “rules”, especially in regard to Arabica vs. Robusa Canephora. However, the world of coffee is dynamic and ever changing, so instead we will continue to be humble and open in our exploration together. 

It’s question and answer time. I’d love to hear your thoughts, curiosities and struggles. We can dialogue in the chat here or elsewhere when you find this online. 

Thank you for your time on this topic!

• I have other presentations available at the www.sca.training blog.

• Tools and equipment can also be found at the www.rocc.coffee lab.

If you would like to connect on this topic or with Specialty Coffee Training programs please reach out. My  email list provides coupons and course information with link: http://eepurl.com/cZU5R1 

Instagram @HowToCoffeePro 

Make Life Better my friends!