Coffee Glossary · Quality
Cupping
Coffee's standardized tasting protocol: coarse-ground samples steeped in bowls under strict ratios and temperatures, the crust broken and skimmed, then evaluated by spoon-slurping across attributes — fragrance, flavor, acidity, body, balance, uniformity, cleanliness, sweetness. Cupping's rigid format strips away brewing variables so lots can be compared and defects caught. It anchors every trade decision: exporters cup to classify, buyers cup to approve samples against contracts, graders cup to score. Every Volcana lot is cupped at origin before offer and again before shipment.
Related terms
SCA Score (Specialty Grade)
The 100-point cupping score under Specialty Coffee Association protocol, summing graded attributes; 80 points…
Q Grader
A cupper certified by the Coffee Quality Institute to evaluate Arabica under standardized protocol — coffee's…
Defects (Green Coffee)
Physical faults in green coffee counted under grading systems like the SCA's: category 1 (primary) defects —…
Bean Density
How much mass a coffee bean packs per volume — measured in g/L or judged by feel and appearance (tight,…
Grading (Green Coffee)
The classification of green coffee into commercial tiers by measurable criteria — screen size, defect count,…
MASL (Meters Above Sea Level)
The standard measure of coffee-growing altitude, and one of quality's strongest predictors. Higher farms are…
Reading up before buying? Volcana Coffee exports SGS-inspected specialty Arabica and Fine Robusta from the Bolaven Plateau, Laos — and we're happy to walk new importers through every term on a real offer sheet.
Talk to Our Export Team