The Coffee Value Assessment and Tools Expands to Two Digital Platforms

The CVA and its tools are now available to use in the digital space, on two platforms: the Tastify Web App and iOS/Android application, CatadorCVA 

 The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) is proud to announce that the Coffee Value Assessment (CVA) and its tools are now available to use in the digital space, on two platforms: the Tastify Web App and iOS/Android application, CatadorCVA. The online platform Tastify and the next generation of the Catador cupping app, CatadorCVA, have adopted the CVA for digital use.

The CVA, which launched in April 2023, and its cupping forms are now more accessible than ever. Grounded in extensive user-perception research within the specialty coffee community, the CVA is reshaping industry standards, marking a significant milestone in coffee evaluation. Creating space online for the CVA and its tools empowers coffee professionals and enthusiasts to use these tools digitally to critically assess coffee's quality and value, fostering a more informed and collaborative coffee community.

“We have been working with different cupping platforms and apps, to bring the Coffee Value Assessment in digital form to users. Benefits for the user depend on each type of platform, but always include an interface which guides the user through the different assessments, automatic score calculation, and a library for their cupping records,” said Mario Fernández, SCA Technical Officer, noting this as a major development in the adoption of the Coffee Value Assessment’s tools and practical use among the industry.

Tastify is an online coffee cupping and database management platform that is built by expert coffee professionals, designed for coffee people everywhere. It offers robust management tools to cup remotely and share notes in real-time, generate reports, and store all your cupping data in one place.

On implementing the CVA tools into their platform, Tastify Product Manager, Ivan Hartanto, states: “We are thrilled to release the Coffee Value Assessment cupping forms into Tastify as the Specialty Coffee Association's official partner. This partnership aims to enhance the adoption of new quality assessment methods through digital means. Furthermore, with various language options and affordable access to Tastify, we hope this release can ultimately benefit both roasters and producers by streamlining their data collection and fostering cross-stakeholder collaboration.”

CatadorCVA, the next generation of the Catador app, offers a replica of the CVA forms and SCA standards, with an easy-to-use system of sliders to rate, record and submit cupping evaluation data. Users can effortlessly record comments and instantly document a coffee’s attributes. Catador also includes administrative features making it a useful tool for coffee evaluation in the real world.

Catador Marketing Director, Jacqueline Chang, adds: “We are excited to launch CatadorCVA as the next generation of the Catador app, which lets you cup using the new SCA Coffee Value Assessment tools, always keeping the offline functionality that characterizes it. It also features the option to share a unique link which generates the PDF version of the cupping session. We are confident that our platform will be an excellent tool to complement coffee professionals worldwide.”

On the doors that digital evaluation opens for future research and industry trend predictions, Mario Fernández adds, “If the evaluator consents, the cupping results may be used anonymously to conduct research about trends in preferences for specific attributes. This data can also inform us about which types of coffees present certain attributes. This research will inform the community about the behavior and trends of specialty coffee."

Industry professionals and cuppers are encouraged to explore using the CVA on both platforms, on the go, and in daily practice.

The Tastify Web App is available at www.tastify.com

The CatadorCVA App is available for download and can be used on iOS and Android devices.