A cupping protocol for production, not competitions
Production cupping answers one question: is this batch the same as the reference? A simpler, faster method than full scoring, with the controls that keep it honest.
6 min read Updated 9 October 2026
Buying cups judge a coffee's quality. Production cups judge sameness. That changes the method: you compare each batch with a reference batch of the same coffee, blind, and decide whether it can be released.
The method
- Keep a reference batch for each coffee: a recent batch you approved, stored sealed, replaced regularly.
- Take a sample from each batch to be checked, rested for the same time as the reference.
- Grind and set cups at a fixed ratio. Many roasteries use the SCA cupping ratio of 8.25 g of coffee per 150 ml of water, with water at about 93°C.
- Set the batch and the reference blind, ideally as a triangle: two cups of one and one of the other, so tasters must find the odd one out.
- Break the crust at around four minutes, skim, then taste as it cools.
- Record: same or different, and if different, how (darker, flatter, defect).
- Decide: release, hold for a second cup, reblend, or downgrade.
Keep it honest
Controls
- Code cups so tasters do not know which is which
- Use the same grinder, water and timing every session
- Clean the grinder between coffees
- Have more than one taster when possible
- Record results against the batch number
Scoring
A full 100-point form is slow for daily production. Many roasteries use a short form: pass or fail against the reference, a few descriptors, and a defect check. Keep full scoring for new lots and supplier decisions.
Where Roastnet helps
Questions roasters ask
- What is triangulation in cupping?
- A blind test with three cups, two the same and one different. Tasters identify the odd one. It shows whether a difference can actually be tasted.
- How long after roasting should production be cupped?
- Cup batches and references at the same rest time. Many protocols cup within a day of roasting for consistency checks.
Official sources
Rules change. These sources were checked on 9 October 2026; always confirm the current position with the body that publishes them before you act.
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