Elevating Coffee Excellence: How 787 Coffee's Team Mastered the Art of Cupping at La Marzocco's Florence Academy
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Discover why NYC's premier specialty coffee destination invests in world-class training to bring you the perfect cup
When it comes to serving the best specialty coffee in New York City, 787 Coffee doesn't just talk the talk – we walk the walk. That's why our dedicated team members Brandon Pena and Sam Sepulveda recently embarked on an extraordinary journey to Florence, Italy, to complete the prestigious SCA CVA (Specialty Coffee Association Coffee Value Assessment) course at La Marzocco's renowned La Accademia del Espresso.
This intensive 2-day immersive cupping course, organized by BWT water filters, represents the pinnacle of coffee education – and it's just one more reason why 787 Coffee stands as NYC's leading destination for single-origin specialty coffee.
What is the SCA? The Gold Standard of Coffee Excellence
The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) is the world's largest coffee trade association, setting the global standards for specialty coffee quality and education. Founded on the principle that coffee can and should be extraordinary, the SCA provides the framework that defines what makes coffee truly "specialty grade."
For coffee enthusiasts and professionals alike, SCA certification represents the highest level of coffee expertise. When you visit 787 Coffee, you're not just getting a cup of coffee – you're experiencing the result of internationally recognized training and standards.
Understanding CVA: The Science Behind Perfect Coffee
The Coffee Value Assessment (CVA) is the SCA's comprehensive methodology for evaluating coffee quality through systematic cupping protocols. This scientific approach examines every aspect of coffee's sensory profile:
Aroma - The fragrance and bouquet of freshly ground and brewed coffee
Flavor - The taste characteristics that define each origin's unique profile
Aftertaste - The lingering flavors that complete the coffee experience
Acidity - The bright, pleasant tartness that adds complexity
Body - The tactile feeling and weight of coffee in your mouth
Balance - How all elements work together harmoniously
Sweetness - The natural sugars that round out the flavor profile
Clean Cup - The absence of defects and clarity of flavors
Uniformity - Consistency across multiple cups
Overall - The holistic impression of the coffee experience
Each coffee is scored on a 100-point scale, with specialty coffee requiring a minimum score of 80 points. This meticulous evaluation process ensures that every bean we serve at 787 Coffee meets the highest international standards.
Why Cupping Matters: The Foundation of Exceptional Coffee
Professional cupping is far more than just tasting coffee – it's the cornerstone of quality control in the specialty coffee industry. At 787 Coffee, we understand that exceptional coffee starts with exceptional evaluation.
Here's why cupping is essential to our commitment to serving NYC's best coffee:
Quality Assurance: Every single-origin coffee we offer has been rigorously evaluated using standardized cupping protocols. This ensures consistency and excellence in every cup we serve.
Origin Selection: Through expert cupping, we can identify the most exceptional lots from coffee farms around the world, selecting only those beans that meet our exacting standards.
Roast Profile Development: Cupping helps our roasters understand how each origin responds to different roasting approaches, allowing us to unlock the full potential of every bean.
Staff Training: Our cupping expertise enables us to train our entire team to recognize quality, ensuring that every 787 Coffee team member can speak knowledgeably about our offerings.
The Florence Experience: Immersive Excellence at La Accademia del Espresso
La Marzocco's La Accademia del Espresso in Florence represents the intersection of Italian coffee tradition and modern specialty coffee innovation. This world-renowned training facility provided the perfect setting for Brandon and Sam to deepen their expertise in coffee evaluation.
The 2-day intensive course covered:
Advanced cupping methodologies and standardized protocols
Sensory analysis and flavor identification techniques
Proper cupping form completion and scoring systems
Understanding terroir and how origin characteristics influence cup quality
Water quality impact on extraction (thanks to BWT water filters' expertise)
Calibration exercises to ensure consistent evaluation standards
This immersive experience wasn't just about learning – it was about bringing world-class expertise back to 787 Coffee's customers in New York City.
The 787 Coffee Cupping Guide: Your Gateway to Coffee Expertise
At 787 Coffee, we believe that great coffee knowledge should be shared. Our comprehensive cupping guide breaks down the professional cupping process, making it accessible to coffee lovers at every level. Whether you're a curious beginner or an aspiring coffee professional, our guide provides the foundation you need to understand and appreciate specialty coffee.
Visit our cupping guide to discover the same techniques our team learned in Florence, and start your own journey toward coffee expertise.
Single-Origin Excellence: Every Bean Tells a Story
What sets 787 Coffee apart as NYC's premier specialty coffee destination is our unwavering commitment to single-origin excellence. Each coffee in our carefully curated selection has been evaluated using the same rigorous standards that Brandon and Sam mastered in Florence.
Our single-origin offerings showcase:
Traceable Origins: Every coffee can be traced back to its specific farm, region, and processing method
Seasonal Freshness: We rotate our selection to feature coffees at their peak flavor windows
Diverse Profiles: From bright, fruity Ethiopian coffees to rich, chocolatey Central American selections
Optimal Roasting: Each origin is roasted to highlight its unique characteristics
Expert Preparation: Our trained baristas understand how to extract the best from every bean
The Science of Measuring Coffee: Forms, Notes, and Precision
Professional coffee evaluation relies on systematic documentation and precise measurement. The cupping forms used in CVA assessment capture dozens of data points for each coffee, including:
Sensory Scores: Numerical ratings for each aspect of the coffee's profile, allowing for objective comparison between different lots and origins.
Descriptive Notes: Detailed flavor descriptors that capture the nuances of each coffee, from "bright citrus acidity" to "dark chocolate sweetness."
Defect Identification: Systematic recording of any flavor defects that might detract from the coffee's quality.
Processing Impact: Notes on how different processing methods (washed, natural, honey) influence the final cup character.
This level of precision ensures that when you order a coffee at 787 Coffee, you're getting exactly what our expert tasters intended – a perfectly crafted representation of that origin's unique characteristics.
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Why 787 Coffee is NYC's Best Coffee Shop
Our investment in world-class training like the SCA CVA course is just one reason why 787 Coffee stands as New York City's leading specialty coffee destination. Here's what sets us apart:
Expert Knowledge: Our team's internationally recognized training ensures that every recommendation is backed by professional expertise.
Quality Sourcing: We work directly with farmers and importers to source the highest quality beans, evaluated using the same standards taught at La Accademia del Espresso.
Precise Preparation: Every cup is prepared with the same attention to detail that goes into professional cupping, ensuring optimal extraction and flavor development.
Educational Approach: We're not just serving coffee – we're sharing knowledge, helping our customers understand and appreciate the complexity of specialty coffee.
Continuous Improvement: Our commitment to ongoing education means we're always evolving, always improving, always striving for excellence.
Water Quality: The Foundation of Great Coffee
The course's organization by BWT water filters highlighted a crucial truth in specialty coffee: water quality is fundamental to great extraction. At 787 Coffee, we understand that even the world's best beans can't overcome poor water quality.
Our water treatment systems ensure:
Optimal mineral content for extraction
Consistent water quality across all brewing methods
Protection of our equipment for reliable performance
The purest expression of each coffee's unique characteristicsn
Visit 787 Coffee: Experience the Difference
When you visit 787 Coffee, you're not just getting a cup of coffee – you're experiencing the result of world-class training, meticulous sourcing, and passionate dedication to coffee excellence. Our team's expertise, honed through courses like the SCA CVA program in Florence, ensures that every visit is an opportunity to discover something new and extraordinary.
Whether you're a coffee connoisseur seeking the perfect single-origin pour-over or someone just beginning to explore specialty coffee, our knowledgeable team is ready to guide you through an unforgettable coffee experience.
Visit us today and taste the difference that true coffee expertise makes. At 787 Coffee, we're not just serving NYC's best coffee – we're sharing our passion for coffee excellence with every cup.
Ready to experience NYC's finest specialty coffee? Visit 787 Coffee and discover why our commitment to education and excellence makes us the city's premier coffee destination. Ask our team about our current single-origin selections and let us guide you through a cupping experience that showcases the art and science of exceptional coffee.