A 90-Point Cupping Score Doesn’t Mean You Should Buy the Lot: 5 Risks for Green Coffee Buyers

Picture two green coffee samples on the cupping table. The first scores 90: bright, complex, with pronounced fermentation and juicy acidity. The second scores 86: clean, sweet, balanced and easy to understand.

The first one is tempting. But in day-to-day trade, the second often wins. A cupping score reflects the impression of one cup on one day. It says nothing about lot consistency, how fast the coffee will sell or what margin it leaves you.

1. A high score doesn’t equal demand

A complex profile appeals to a narrow group of enthusiasts. Strong fermented or winey notes can win praise at competitions, yet an everyday customer may find them strange, or even read them as a defect. Lots like this work best for a specific request or as a limited release, not as the core of your menu.

2. The number hides the coffee’s character

A total score tells you nothing about sweetness, the structure of the acidity or how the descriptors fit together. Two lots at 90 or 86 points can be completely different coffees. That is why the SCA Coffee Value Assessment (CVA) separates the descriptive assessment from the affective one, meaning how much the cupper liked the coffee. A buyer needs the anatomy of the flavor, not an abstract number.

3. Physical quality affects your money

Cupping shows the coffee here and now, not its shelf life or how it will behave in your roaster. Always check:

• moisture content and water activity (aw), which affect how well the coffee holds up in long storage;
• density and screen size, including how uniform the beans are;
• defects, both obvious and hidden.

If these numbers are weak, a lot with a beautiful aroma can fade quickly in the warehouse or roast unpredictably.

4. The sample is not the lot

A common trap is judging a multi-ton container by one perfect 200-gram sample. Quality inside the bags can differ because of poor export preparation, mixed lots or logistics issues. So:

• check how representative the sample is;
• write quality tolerances into the contract;
• inspect the lot before shipment.

In trade, a consistent lot is worth more than one brilliant sample.

5. Economics matter more than descriptors

A micro-lot has to pay for itself, so the score should be one input among many, not the deciding one. Look at the full economics:

• roast loss (weight lost during roasting);
• the real cost of one kilogram of roasted coffee;
• expected margin and retail positioning;
• how fast the stock turns over.

A 90-point lot that sells slowly ties up your working capital. A predictable coffee in the mid-80s can bring steady cash flow and faster turnover.

Instead of “How many points?”, ask these 5 questions

1. Who will buy it? Is the target customer clear?
2. What about the green itself? Are moisture, aw and density within range?
3. How consistent is the lot? Does the supplier stand behind bag-to-bag consistency?
4. Is it easy to roast? Can your equipment bring out this profile?
5. What about margin? Does the profile justify the cost and the risk?

How we help roasters choose

At Nordfield we grade and cup every lot in our lab in Colombia, before it is exported. We also roast coffee ourselves, so we look at green coffee the way you will on roast day: how it fits your menu, your roast style and your price, not only its score.

Tell us what you need the coffee for, and we will suggest Colombian lots from Huila, Tolima and Risaralda that fit the task. Request our price list and samples at hello@nordfieldcoffee.com.

The best coffee for a roastery is not always the one with the highest score. It is the one where flavor, lot consistency, customer demand and margin come together.