The Science of Coffee Coffee Quality, Part 2: How “quality” became a myth
8 snips
Dec 8, 2025 Dive into the fascinating origins of coffee quality! Discover why coffee experts consistently describe high-quality brews as clean, sweet, and bright while uncovering the subjective nature of these terms. Explore the impact of the 2004 cupping form in cementing a global coffee quality standard and how the Cup of Excellence revolutionized recognition in the industry. Finally, learn about the divide between expert and consumer preferences, revealing that quality is often a matter of taste rather than an unchanging truth.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Cupping Form Shaped A Global Palette
- The 2004 SCAA cupping form drew a clear line defining 'quality' that shaped specialty coffee for decades.
- Repeated use of the form trained professionals to prefer coffees that score highly on that specific definition.
How Cup Of Excellence Started
- George Howell organized the first Cup of Excellence in Brazil to create demand for specialty coffee via a competition and auction.
- That event helped return millions to farmers and signalled what the community regarded as top-quality coffee.
Acidity Became A Quality Requirement
- Early cupping prototypes scored attributes like acidity by intensity, but that changed to judge 'how good' acidity is.
- The final Q-form hard-coded a preference: high-quality coffees must have a bright, clean, fitting acidity.
