By the time you open a bag of our El Salvador coffee in Calgary, our family has already tasted that harvest many times. Some of my favourite photos from the farm show a table covered in cups and people leaning in to smell, taste and compare them.
That’s coffee cupping: a way to evaluate coffees side by side using a consistent preparation. It helps us understand what each lot has to offer before we decide what to bring to the roastery.
These photos were taken during our 2024–25 harvest. My dad, Mauricio, was in El Salvador overseeing the later stages of the season and evaluating coffees from the farm. After months of work among the trees, we finally had cups in front of us. I wish I could send you the smell through this page.
What is coffee cupping?
Cupping is a structured way to taste and compare coffee. Tasters prepare the samples using a consistent method, then smell the grounds, taste the brewed coffee and record what they notice as the cups cool.
We pay attention to:
- Aroma: What we smell in the dry grounds and brewed coffee.
- Flavour: The impressions we notice while tasting.
- Acidity: The brightness or liveliness of the cup.
- Body: How the coffee feels in the mouth.
- Sweetness and balance: How the coffee’s qualities work together.
- Aftertaste: What remains after a sip.
Preparing the coffees consistently matters. People can describe a flavour differently, but at least we’re comparing the same samples under similar conditions. That makes it easier to discuss a lot, spot potential problems and decide what deserves another look.
What are we tasting after harvest?
We taste both our larger production lots and smaller microlots. A microlot is a separately identified quantity of coffee that we evaluate on its own. It might come from a particular section of the farm or involve a particular variety or processing method.
This is where the work of the year becomes tangible. We can compare two lots from our farm and find different qualities in each one. We can also find out whether an experiment we were excited about actually delivered something compelling in the cup.
Alejandro brings his training in coffee evaluation and his years of experience on our farm to those conversations. My dad knows what happened among the trees that season. Together, that knowledge helps us connect what we taste with the decisions made before the coffee ever reached the table.
Why do cup scores matter?
Cup scores are an important part of specialty coffee. The industry has long used 80 points or above on a 100-point scale as a benchmark for specialty-grade coffee. A score gives professionals a shared way to assess and compare quality. It doesn’t tell you, on its own, whether you’ll personally prefer a bright, fruit-forward coffee or a softer, chocolatey one.
We’re proud that Finca Argentina has repeatedly produced high-scoring coffees. Independently judged lots from our farm scored 85.88 in a 2019 El Salvador competition and 87.13 in the 2023 National Winners competition. Those are results from specific lots, rather than a score we would claim for every coffee grown on the farm. They are also concrete examples of the quality our team has achieved across different harvests.
At our own cupping table, we take scores seriously. We also ask what makes each coffee interesting. Does a lot have the clarity and sweetness we hoped for? How does it compare with other lots from the harvest? Would we want to share it on its own, and how might we roast it?
The Specialty Coffee Association’s newer Coffee Value Assessment looks beyond a single number to record more about a coffee, including its sensory qualities and information such as origin and processing. That broader view is useful. It doesn’t erase the work behind a strong cup score.
What happens after we choose a coffee?
Cupping helps us decide which lots stand out, but a coffee doesn’t go straight from this table into a bag in Calgary. It still needs to complete preparation and evaluation, be selected for purchase and export, travel as green coffee, and arrive at our roastery. Then we work out how to roast it.
The timing varies, so a photo from one harvest isn’t a promise that the exact lot is available today. If you’d like to taste a coffee grown by our family, our El Salvador Bourbon product page describes the coffee we’re offering and shows its current availability.
You can also go back a step in the journey and read Alejandro’s account of harvesting the coffee cherries. The cupping table makes even more sense once you’ve seen what it takes to bring in the fruit.
When I look at these photos, I see much more than people tasting coffee. I see my dad, Alejandro and the farm team finding out what their work has produced. A good score is something to celebrate. So is finding a cup we can’t wait to share with you.
From our farm to your cup,
Adriana