Our latest dried-process lot came back from cupping at 87 points. If you’re not in the coffee trade, that number probably means nothing on its own — so here’s what’s actually behind it, and why we’re glad to put it on record.
What a cupping score is
Specialty coffee gets evaluated the same way wine or olive oil does: a trained cupper tastes the coffee against a standardized scorecard, scoring categories like aroma, flavor, acidity, body, balance, and aftertaste, then adding them up. The scale tops out at 100, though scores in the high 90s essentially don’t happen in practice.
The number that matters most to buyers is 80 — that’s the line between “specialty grade” and everything below it. Anything under 80 isn’t sold as specialty coffee at all, regardless of how it’s grown or processed.
Where 87 sits
87 points sits comfortably in the upper specialty range — not the rarefied 90-plus territory reserved for competition lots and once-a-year microlots, but solidly above the everyday specialty average, which tends to cluster in the low-to-mid 80s. In plain terms: it’s a coffee with real, distinct character across multiple categories, not just one strong trait carrying a weak cup.
Why the dried process matters here
This particular lot went through natural (dried) processing — the whole cherry dries intact around the bean, rather than being pulped and washed first. Done carefully, natural process tends to bring out more fruit-forward, sometimes wine-like or fermented notes than a washed coffee from the same trees would show. Done carelessly, it can just as easily produce off-flavors — which is exactly why the score matters. It’s independent confirmation that the process was executed well, not just a claim we’re making about ourselves.
What we’re doing with this
We’re bringing this lot to Anacafé Cafex this year, and it’s part of what we’re preparing for the Korea expo in November. A verified score gives buyers something concrete to evaluate before they ever taste the coffee — which matters more the further the buyer is from the farm.
If you’re sourcing green coffee and want the full lot specs — variety, altitude, moisture, screen size, volume — Follow the Green Beans export page.
Want to know more about the Coffe Value Assessment? Check : https://sca.coffee/value-assessment
