In the world of coffee there is an international system to evaluate quality, a score that determines whether a coffee is specialty or commercial, all these standards and parameters are given by the SCAA and the CQI .
The first major segmentation is the separation of two groups: specialty coffees and commercial coffees. Only coffees with scores above 80 points are considered specialty. Cuppers, or Q graders, are individuals certified by the Coffee Quality Institute and are responsible for evaluating the beans to assign this score. Cuppers analyze ten attributes of each coffee lot and rate each attribute on a scale of 1 to 10 points. In this system, perfect coffee would have a score of 100. The cupper takes notes and then uses a decagonal diagram to evaluate the results.
The success of a specialty coffee brand lies in being easily distinguishable from others. This is achieved not only by seeking higher scores, but also by identifying the most defining attributes to create differentiated profiles from the roasting stage.