We present the SCA Coffee Value Assessment (CVA), now available in our Hola Coffee Academy
what does it consist of?
After three years of research and development, SCA is evolving the tool the global industry uses to unlock the value of coffee. Coffee Value Assessment or CVA provides a complete, "high-resolution" picture of a particular coffee through four types of assessment, completed separately to avoid bias.
And it's finally available at Hola Coffee Academy following its launch at the SCA Specialty Coffee Expo in Portland in April 2023.
What is the CVA for?
It allows coffee experts to break down the valuable attributes of a coffee, according to the SCA definition of specialty coffee. These include physical, sensory and informational attributes.
Is it the same as a tasting?
Cupping, the standardized method of sensory evaluation in coffee, is used to determine the sensory attributes of a coffee through two tests: a descriptive evaluation and an affective evaluation. Cupping is an element of the system, along with a physical and extrinsic evaluation of the coffee.
Why is the tasting divided into descriptive and affective categories?
The division of tasting into descriptive and affective categories is due to the fact that it has long been known that the description of flavors in a coffee is a different matter from the evaluation of simple taste or quality. In the previous SCA tasting system, these concepts were mixed. The CVA separates the descriptive evaluation and objective description of a coffee's flavor profile from the affective evaluation and subjective impression of a coffee's quality. This separation is considered best practice in sensory and consumer science.
What is descriptive evaluation?
Descriptive evaluation evaluates and records the flavor and aroma attributes of a coffee. This is based on a standardized technique called "sensory descriptive analysis." The result is a profile of the sensory attributes of the coffee. The description is neutral: it is just a description, without negative or positive implications.
What is affective evaluation?
Affective evaluation allows the cupper to write down his or her "impression" of the coffee. This is defined as a personal opinion about the quality of a coffee, or an understanding of the quality of a coffee in a particular market segment (in a certain context - for example, the difference between the US and European markets). This evaluation results in an Impression Quality score, based on a 100-point scale.
What is physical evaluation?
Can the assessments be used separately?
How will this affect coffee producers?
CVA training is now available at Hola Coffee Academy, do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions :)
