Following a preliminary release in June, the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) is proud to announce the adoption of three Coffee Value Assessment components as its official cupping standards: SCA-102 Sample Preparation and Cupping Mechanics, SCA-103 Descriptive Assessment, and SCA-104 Affective Assessment. These standards, approved by the SCA Standards Development Panel, supersede the 2004 Cupping Protocol and Form, advancing the SCA’s comprehensive approach to coffee evaluation. Use these free resources in your cupping practice at sca.coffee/value-assessment

The Coffee Value Assessment (CVA) for Cuppers Course is a two-day, immersive professional development experience tailored specifically for coffee cuppers and other sensory professionals.

After valuable input from 800 Early Adopters, community groups, and various industry stakeholders, we are progressing to the next phase of the SCA Coffee Value Assessment—the tool the global industry uses to discover value in coffee!

Following a preliminary release in June, the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) is proud to announce the adoption of three Coffee Value Assessment components as its official cupping standards: SCA-102 Sample Preparation and Cupping Mechanics, SCA-103 Descriptive Assessment, and SCA-104 Affective Assessment. These standards, approved by the SCA Standards Development Panel, supersede the 2004 Cupping Protocol and Form, advancing the SCA’s comprehensive approach to coffee evaluation. Use these free resources in your cupping practice at sca.coffee/value-assessment

As presented to SCA members on August 30, the SCA Board of Directors, led by President Pamela Chng, nominated a group of seven professionals from a pool of dozens who responded to our annual call for nominations made in June. As the number of candidates this year is equal to the number of open seats, there is no need to proceed with a voting process, and the SCA Board has confirmed the seven professionals listed below as members of the SCA Board of Directors, in accordance with Section 7.4(f) of the SCA Bylaws.

The Coffee Value Assessment (CVA) for Cuppers Course is a two-day, immersive professional development experience tailored specifically for coffee cuppers and other sensory professionals.

After valuable input from 800 Early Adopters, community groups, and various industry stakeholders, we are progressing to the next phase of the SCA Coffee Value Assessment—the tool the global industry uses to discover value in coffee!

SCA Publications Manager Laurel Carmichael and Sustainability Director Andrés Montenegro were delighted to speak with Willy Foote, founder and CEO of Root Capital, the winner of the non-profit category of the 2024 SCA Sustainability Awards.

In the second interview of this Sustainability Awards winners’ series, SCA Publications Manager Laurel Carmichael and Sustainability Director Andrés Montenegro spoke with Fabrício Andrade, the CEO of Sancoffee.

We are pleased to announce that we have received sufficient nominations to fulfil five open coordinator roles to form the SCA Sweden Chapter Committee for a new term.

SCA members in Greece cast their ballots in the 2024 elections to select their new leadership. Today we are pleased to welcome and celebrate the SCA Greece Chapter’s new committee.

If you’ve been following along with the SCA’s project to evolve the 2004 cupping system into a Coffee Value Assessment, there’s a good chance you’re already aware of the importance of extrinsic, or symbolic, attributes.

The Specialty Coffee Association is the world’s largest coffee membership association, with a sustainability-driven purpose deeply ingrained in its structure as a non-profit trade organization: to make coffee better.

SARAH CHARLES, writer, Communications Officer at the International Trade Centre, and author of a recent dissertation on mandatory supply chain due diligence, outlines the history, opportunities, and challenges of regulatory sustainability approaches while offering a path forward for coffee businesses grappling with the shift from a voluntary to a regulatory approach.

Neuroscientist Dr. FABIANA CARVALHO shares the recent results of a Coffee Science Foundation study, supported by Savor Brands Inc., to understand how packaging color influences consumer behavior.

Economists DAVIDE DEL PRETE and ROCCO MACCHIAVELLO recently completed a literature review of sustainability interventions for the Coffee Science Foundation; here, with PETER GIULIANO, they summarize its findings.

Cognitive psychologist BENTE KLEIN HAZEBROEK and language professor ILJA CROIJMANS explore the role and construction of coffee’s linguistic descriptions—those flavor notes and descriptions across coffee packaging and websites!—in a consumer’s willingness to pay.

Rules & Regulations Released for the 2025 World Brewers Cup

Following a preliminary release in June, the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) is proud to announce the adoption of three Coffee Value Assessment components as its official cupping standards: SCA-102 Sample Preparation and Cupping Mechanics, SCA-103 Descriptive Assessment, and SCA-104 Affective Assessment. These standards, approved by the SCA Standards Development Panel, supersede the 2004 Cupping Protocol and Form, advancing the SCA’s comprehensive approach to coffee evaluation. Use these free resources in your cupping practice at sca.coffee/value-assessment

Rules & Regulations Released for the 2025 World Coffee Roasting Championship

Following the success of the 2023 Educator Summits, the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) is thrilled to announce the upcoming dates and locations for the Educator Summit 2024 Series across Asia. Happening December 3, 2024 in Juengpyeong, Korea, December 8, 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand and December 10, 2024 in Taipei, Taiwan. Learn more and register at education.sca.coffee

The Specialty Coffee Association is excited to announce the launch of a new education program, designed for those looking to learn more about the World Coffee Championships and begin their journey towards becoming a World Coffee Championships (WCC) Certified Judge. The new WCC Judge Skills Program will launch this November 8-10, with a trial event hosted at Lucca Café in Curitiba, Brazil.

As presented to SCA members on August 30, the SCA Board of Directors, led by President Pamela Chng, nominated a group of seven professionals from a pool of dozens who responded to our annual call for nominations made in June. As the number of candidates this year is equal to the number of open seats, there is no need to proceed with a voting process, and the SCA Board has confirmed the seven professionals listed below as members of the SCA Board of Directors, in accordance with Section 7.4(f) of the SCA Bylaws.

As incoming editor of 25, I’ve seen my first issue as a great reminder that every conversation we have about coffee is a chance to interrogate what we think we know.

The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) and the Slow Food Coffee Coalition (SFCC) are proud to announce their partnership, shaping a new pathway towards impactful change within the global coffee industry. This collaboration, initiated at the beginning of 2024, was formalized with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding during Terra Madre Salone del Gusto, the Slow Food flagship event, this weekend in Turin, Italy.