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Coffee 101 & History > Coffee Harvesting > Coffee Milling > Cupping & Grading

Cupping and Grading

Grading is the critical final step in the lengthy process of getting great coffee from farm to market. In addition to grading the beans on size, the number of defective beans in a given sample, the altitude at which it was grown, the growing region it comes from, and the processing method used, the cupping score will be the criteria that is most important in determining the final price a roaster is willing to pay for a specialty grade bean.

Coffee is graded on a scale of 1 to 100. In order to be considered a specialty grade coffee, the coffee must score at least a 70. The coffees purchased by Dunn Bros Coffee generally score between 85 and 93. The fact is, it is really difficult for most coffee drinkers to tell the difference between a coffee that scores between 85-93. On the other hand, a regular drinker of Dunn Bros coffee could probably tell the difference between a coffee scoring 70 and a coffee scoring 85.

So what is a "cupper" looking for when tasting different coffees? Here's the main things the cupper is zeroing in on:

Aroma — This is exactly what it means. How does the coffee smell? More often than not, the smell and taste go together. If the smell is "off," the taste will probably be too. These aromas will vary based on growing region. As an example, African coffees tend to have floral notes while Central Americans are often vanilla-nut or chocolate.

Acidity — Best described as the physical sensation on the tongue. This is typically described as a taste of sweet and/or slightly sour. Acidity is also called brightness. A pleasant tartness is sometimes described as sweet citrus fruit.

Body — Most easily described as "mouth feel." Does the coffee feel heavy or thin in your mouth? Although the degree of heaviness will vary between different growing regions, all specialty grade coffees should have good body and not be overly thin.

Finish or Aftertaste — This is the perceived flavor left in the back of the mouth after swallowing . The aftertaste in a quality coffee should be well-developed. As an example, a good African coffee will typically have a berry or fruit aftertaste.

You'll see these attributes described for each coffee that we offer. Browse our current bean selections.