How coffee is rated and scored on Archiver Coffee
Every bag on Archiver Coffee is rated out of five stars. A score out of 100 is optional, and nobody picks that number: you rate six sections from the SCA Coffee Value Assessment between 6.00 and 10.00, and the score is their sum multiplied by five thirds.
The stars come first
Every bag is asked for one thing: a rating out of five stars. It takes a tap, each star means the same thing for everybody, and no stars means not rated yet — never zero. The community rating on each coffee is the average of these.
- ★★★★★ Five stars
- Outstanding — one of my best.
- ★★★★ Four stars
- Great — really enjoyed it.
- ★★★ Three stars
- Good — a solid bag.
- ★★ Two stars
- Meh — not for me.
- ★ One star
- Bad — did not like it.
The optional score out of 100
For the bags you want to take apart properly there is a second, deeper form — under “More” on the log sheet. Nobody has to use it, and it is never converted to or from the stars.
Six sections, each scored from 6.00 to 10.00 in steps of 0.25. Add them up and you get a number between 36 and 60. Multiply by 5/3 and you get a score between 60 and 100. A flat 8 across all six sections gives exactly 80; a flat 9 gives exactly 90 — which lands the scale on the bands the coffee trade already uses.
The six sections
- Fragrance & Aroma
- The dry grounds, then the crust of the wet slurry. Judge intensity and quality, not preference.
- Flavor & Aftertaste
- The main event and what lingers after you swallow. The heaviest-weighted thing you taste.
- Acidity
- Brightness. Score the quality of it, not the quantity — a low-acid coffee can score well here.
- Sweetness
- Fullness of flavor and perceptible sugar. Usually the section people under-score.
- Mouthfeel
- Weight and texture on the palate: thin, silky, syrupy, drying.
- Overall
- Your holistic judgment of the cup, and the only section where preference is legitimate.
What the bands mean
- 90 and above
- Outstanding. A coffee you would travel for.
- 85 – 89
- Excellent. The top of most roasters’ menus.
- 80 – 84
- Very good. Well made and worth drinking.
- Below 80
- Good. Fine, unremarkable, or not to your taste.
Common questions
What is the difference between the stars and the score?
The stars are the verdict: one to five, given in a tap when you log a bag, and what the community rating on each coffee is averaged from. The 100-point score is the reasoning: six sections you can actually taste, for when you want to say why. A bag can have stars, a score, both or neither, and the two are never converted into each other.
Why not just pick a number out of 100?
Because people cannot do it consistently. Asked for a single score, most drinkers use a narrow band around 85 and move it based on mood and price. Asked to judge six specific things they can actually taste, they discriminate far better — and the arithmetic does the rest.
Is this the same as an SCA cupping score?
It is adapted from the affective section of the SCA Coffee Value Assessment, which replaced the older cupping form. A certified Q grader scoring a sample under controlled conditions is doing something more rigorous than someone scoring a bag at home, and the two numbers should not be treated as interchangeable.
Do I have to score a coffee to log it?
No. Most bags get a star rating and nothing else, and a bag can sit on your shelf with neither indefinitely. Scoring is the optional depth layer, not the price of entry.
Can a roaster pay to change a score?
No. Scores come from drinkers and no commercial arrangement touches them. Paid placement exists on this site and never enters a ranked list.