7.2 Affective Assessment (SCA-104): Impression of Quality & the Cupping Score

The Affective Assessment answers "how high is my impression of this coffee's quality?" SCA Standard 104-2024 governs it. The Q Grader Affective Assessment practical grades form use and consistency, so you must handle the scale, the defect and uniformity fields, and the score calculation reliably.

Impression of quality

SCA-104 defines impression of quality as a taster's opinion of the distinctiveness and desirability of a cupping section, reflecting either their own preference or a known market preference. Key points from the standard:

• It is affective, meaning subjective, so some diversity between cuppers is expected.
• Impressions can converge when people share cultures, criteria, or liking patterns. SCA-104 calls this alignment, and the standard treats alignment as neither positive nor negative.
• A cupper may learn to recognize attributes that others value. For example, a cupper who dislikes earthy coffees may know a market segment that prizes them.
• Ratings must be honest and intuitive, and not influenced by other cuppers in a group setting.

The nine-point scale

The eight rated sections are fragrance, aroma, flavor, aftertaste, acidity, sweetness, mouthfeel, and overall. Overall includes aspects not covered elsewhere, such as balance and personal preference, and it is assessed at the end of the cupping.

Changing a rating. If your impression shifts as the coffee cools, fill a second bubble and draw an arrow showing the direction. When more than one bubble is filled in a row, write the final rating in the "final" box at the end of the row.

Affective notes justify a rating — they explain why you rated a section as you did. If a descriptive assessment was done, do not repeat descriptive notes here.

The cupping score

SCA-104 defines the cupping score as a compound indicator of one taster's impression of quality. It is calculated with this equation and rounded to the nearest 0.25:

$S = 0.65625 \sum_{i=1}^{8} h_i + 52.75 - 2u - 4d$

where $h_i$ are the eight nine-point ratings, $u$ is the number of non-uniform cups, and $d$ is the number of defective cups.

Two anchor points make the formula easy to check:

• All eight sections at 9: the sum is 72, and 0.65625 × 72 + 52.75 = 100.
• All eight sections at 5: the sum is 40, and 0.65625 × 40 + 52.75 = 79.

Using the two-way table

When computing tools are not available, the form's table converts the sum of the eight ratings (column A, from 8 to 72) to a score before deductions (column B). You then deduct 2 points per non-uniform cup and 4 points per defective cup. Selected rows:

The SCA also hosts an online affective score calculator designed for use with the SCA-104 form.

Worked example

A washed Colombian receives: fragrance 7, aroma 7, flavor 8, aftertaste 7, acidity 8, sweetness 7, mouthfeel 7, overall 7.

1. Sum: 7 + 7 + 8 + 7 + 8 + 7 + 7 + 7 = 58.
2. Before deductions: 0.65625 × 58 + 52.75 = 90.8125, which the table rounds to 90.75.
3. Cup 3 tastes distinctly of potato defect. Mark cup 3 as defective (type: potato) and as non-uniform, so u = 1 and d = 1.
4. Final: 90.8125 − 2 − 4 = 84.8125, rounded to 84.75. Using the table gives the same result: 90.75 − 6 = 84.75.

Reading the numbers sensibly

Because a 5 means "neither high nor low," an all-5 coffee scores 79. A coffee rated 6 ("slightly high") in every section sums to 48 and scores 84.25. Do not carry over heritage-form instincts about where "80" sits; the scale works differently.

Consistency — what the practical rewards

The SCA says the Affective practical grades form use and consistency. The exam's method is not published, but these habits support consistency:

1. Anchor your 5. Before the session, decide what "neither high nor low" means for the purpose written on your form, such as your company's buying standard.
2. Rate each section on its own. A spectacular fragrance should not pull up mouthfeel.
3. Use the final box whenever your rating moved during cooling.
4. Re-cup known coffees. In practice, rate the same coffee on two different days and compare the results.
5. Keep defects specific (Section 7.3) so that deductions are consistent.

The purpose line and the overall section

Each CVA form has a Purpose line. Writing the purpose — for example, "espresso blend component for our retail market" or "single-origin filter offer" — tells the reader whose preference your ratings reflect. That matters because SCA-104 allows the impression of quality to follow either your own preference or a known market preference.

The overall section is rated last and captures what the other sections do not, such as balance and personal preference. Do not use it to repeat an average of your other ratings. Ask instead how high your impression of the whole coffee is, given its purpose.