Roasting Competition Scores and Feedback

Hello everyone,

It’s been about a month since the roasting competition and it’s always a time to ruminate and evaluate myself and my roasts. This was honestly such a surprise to have placed Bronze. My intentions of joining the competition was honestly not to win. It’s a always a rare chance to have 4 to 5 Q-Graders evaluate your coffee blind. It helps give me an understanding of what someone else is tasting from a coffee that I have roasted. It also gives an idea of where my roasting approach or profiles need improvements.

Below, I’ve included what the judges were looking for in the coffees and how they were scoring them. And at the very bottom is an overlay of their scores as a graph.

If you’ve bought a Roast Wars Casting Kit, this would be fantastic to use to see what you think of the coffees in comparison to the judges.

Have a wonderful day and drink your coffee that makes you happy!

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Light Roast Evaluation (50 Points)

1. Flavor (10 points) 

• 10-8: Clean, well-developed, highlights origin characteristics.

• 7-5: Mostly pleasant, but some muted or underwhelming notes. Flavors muddled and lacks clarity.

• 4-2: Unbalanced, bitter, or slightly underdeveloped. 

• 1-0: Under-roasted, grassy, or off-putting flavors present. 

2. Aftertaste (10 points)

• 10-8: Pleasant, lingering, and clean. 

• 7-5: Fades quickly or slightly dry. 

• 4-2: Harsh, sour, or astringent. 

• 1-0: Unpleasant, bitter, or off-putting. 

3. Acidity (10 points) 

• 10-8: Vibrant, complex, and balanced. 

• 7-5: Noticeable but slightly sharp or unbalanced. 

• 4-2: Too sour, flat, or muted. 

• 1-0: Unpleasantly sharp or non-existent. 

4. Body (10 points) 

• 10-8: Light yet structured, juicy, and balanced. 

• 7-5: Noticeable but slightly thin or lacking depth. 

• 4-2: Obviously thin. 

• 1-0: Flat, hollow, or lacking presence. 

5. Sweetness (10 points) 

• 10-8: Complex and fruity sweetness present. 

• 7-5: Some sweetness but not missing potential. 

• 4-2: Lacking noticeable sweetness. 

• 1-0: Overly dry, tart, or bitter. 

Dark Roast Evaluation (50 Points) 

1. Flavor (10 points) 

• 10-8: Complex, sugar browning character, elements of origin are still present but transformed (fresh fruit to cooked fruit, etc) 

• 7-5: Slightly muted or lacking depth. Flavors muddled or lacks clarity. 

• 4-2: Cup is dominated by flavors of smoke, ash or bitterness 

• 1-0: Burnt, ashy, or unpleasant flavors dominate. 

2. Aftertaste (10 points) 

• 10-8: Long, smooth, and pleasant. 

• 7-5: Slightly dry or bitter. 

• 4-2: Lingering harshness or astringency. 

• 1-0: Overly bitter, burnt, or unpleasant. 

3. Acidity (10 points) 

• 10-8: Subtle, some juiciness and balanced. 

• 7-5: Present but adds harshness. 

• 4-2: Muted acidity that takes away from overall cup complexity, unbalanced, a bit harsh 

• 1-0: Flat, non-existent acidity, harsh acidity 

4. Body (10 points) 

• 10-8: Full, rich, and creamy. 

• 7-5: Medium body, pleasant mouthfeel, but may be thin or dry. 

• 4-2: Lacking depth or slightly gritty. 

• 1-0: Thin body or unpleasant mouthfeel. 

5. Sweetness (10 points) 

• 10-8: Sweetness and complexity, including possible notes of cooked fruits, dried fruits, or caramelized sugar 

• 7-5: Sweetness is present but unbalanced with bitter elements 

• 4-2: Minimal sweetness, leaning too bitter. 

• 1-0: No sweetness, harsh or acrid.