How to Set Up an In-House Coffee Lab for QC and Training

Lab 

Report 

How to Set Up an 

In-House Coffee Lab 

for QC and Training 

by 

Katie 

Gilmer 

coffee lab should be the crown jewel of a roaster’s 

A business. It’s a special room where roasters can enjoy 

the sensory side of their operations while also validating 

and reinforcing quality claims. Roasters use a lab not only 

for purchasing decisions and sample evaluation, but also for 

confirming that roasting operations are performing as they 

should. The lab is a place to experiment with grind analysis, 

brewing techniques, roast level and blending—and to train 

staff in these areas and more. Some labs also serve as a place 

to educate customers and demonstrate just how important 

quality is to your business. 

With so many uses, building or upgrading a lab can be a 

daunting task. But upgrades can be undertaken one by one 

as time and budgets allow. If a roasting business plans its 

coffee lab in advance, it can build and equip the lab to be 

useful for many years. 

continued on page 72 

70 roast May | June 2011 71

Lab Report: How to Build an In-House Coffee Lab for QC and Training (continued) 

Why build a lab? 

A coffee lab is a safe haven for a roaster to make buying 

decisions without distraction. Just as a scientist measures and 

experiments using the scientific method, coffee professionals 

should hold themselves to the highest standards of quality and 

consistency when evaluating coffee. A lab is a space for roasters 

to take ownership of their inner “Type A” personality and 

remain firm to standards and rules. A roaster needs to be able to 

make consistent decisions from year to year, and using cupping 

protocols and the scientific method will reduce variables. 

Maybe a roaster gets a report from an importer that a 

certain coffee has intense acidity; the roaster needs to try it for 

herself, roasted at her altitude and climate, using her specific 

profile and her water. Getting an accurate sense of how the 

coffee performs in the roaster’s unique environment and in the 

roaster’s blends is key for purchasing decisions. 

But maintaining a lab does not just benefit a roaster’s 

business. Mike Strumpf, who has managed quality control for 

a number of coffee roasters in the United States, stresses a lab’s 

importance. “I think it’s all about fairness,” he says. “When 

you make contracts that have quality bonuses attached to them, 

you need to make an accurate assessment so you don’t hurt a 

farmer’s livelihood. If you don’t cup in a good lab, then your 

scores won’t be valid.” 

Furthermore, having a trustworthy lab will help roasters 

share quality standards with other coffee professionals 

worldwide. The Specialty Coffee Association of America’s 

Laboratory Certification promotes consistent cupping standards and 

the objective evaluation of coffee. The lab certification is needed for 

holding Q Grader courses in a coffee lab, and it addresses aspects 

such as room dimensions, lighting, ventilation, water specifications 

and roast color identification technology. Even if a roaster isn’t 

prepared for official lab certification, the SCAA’s list of requirements 

is a good guide for widely accepted lab standards (for more detail, 

visit the Professional Development section of the SCAA’s website, 

www.scaa.org). 

Positioning your lab 

Maintaining the formal nature of a lab is important. The lab 

is a space to hold cuppings for buying decisions, and constant 

interruptions will sabotage an important cupping. Think first 

about the best location for the lab. A roasting business will need 

a dedicated place where employees can install machines and 

equipment. Is the space near your production roaster? Is it in your 

retail space? Is it in a spare room next to the bookkeeper’s office? 

Will the public be invited into the lab? Is there adequate plumbing 

and electricity available? 

When Charles Patton, owner of Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, 

launched his roastery in La Jolla, Calif., in 2002, he had a small 

lab in the room with his roaster and packaging operations. Patton 

says the setup was problematic. “It’s hard to make buying decisions 

in the same room as production because of all the noise and 

commotion,” he says. “We wanted our roaster to be involved in 

buying decisions, but right as we were about to break the crust, he 

would have to go fix a problem with the machines.” 

When Patton expanded to the retail space next door, he took 

advantage of the extra room to create a new lab. “When we expanded 

next door, we built a little room specifically for cuppings,” he says. 

“We added a kids’ zone next to the cupping lab. We found we had 

a lot of moms coming in with their kids, and we needed to contain 

them. It really helped us accommodate more people and grow 

business.” The lab is divided from the kids’ zone, but moms can peek 

in at lab activity through a cutout in the wall. 

Bird Rock’s lab is open to the public, but Patton schedules the 

most important cuppings after hours. When he needs the undivided 

attention of his staff, it’s best to eliminate the possibility for 

interruptions, he says. 

If a roasting business does not choose to hold public cuppings, 




the business can still hold them where the public can watch. 

Cuppings are a fairly new intrigue for public consumption, so 

customers will enjoy seeing this window into the coffee buyer’s 

world. 

If the coffee lab will be constructed in a shared workspace, build 

walls or a barrier around it to block distracting noise or smells that 

could affect cuppers’ focus. Install windows or a sliding glass door so 

others can see when lab occupants should be left alone (and so those 

working in the lab can check on the situation outside the room). 

Think about all the functions of a lab—cupping, experimenting and 

testing, as well as training for both employees and customers. If the 

roasting business cannot dedicate several separate spaces to the lab, 

take that into consideration when planning the size of the lab. 

An innovative idea coming from origin—where coffee 

professionals have become expert at devising economical solutions— 

is constructing a mobile lab. The Divisoria Cooperative in Tingo 

Maria, Peru, dispatches two mobile units to the most remote 

communities. The members can’t often make the trek to the co-op 

offices to taste their own coffee, so the co-op brings the service to 

them. Divisoria Quality Control Manager Julian Aucca built a lab 

composed of a small electric roaster, grinder, parchment dehuller 

and folding table. He stocked it with cups and spoons, and stored it 

in a portable cupboard. The whole unit fits in the back of a pickup 

truck. 

While a roaster might use a mobile lab for customer visits, 

Divisoria uses it as a way to identify where problems are happening 

on the farm level. “The mobile lab allows us to create a culture 

of quality,” Aucca says. “It gives our producers another resource 

to know what a good coffee tastes like and identify any quality 

problems before they get serious.” 

Roasters should consider the return on investment of a mobile 

lab. Will it be worth the cost, or is an in-house lab sufficient? 

Whether mobile or stationary, public or private, find the solution 

that works best for the company’s location and business. First and 

foremost, the goal is to evaluate coffee. 

Building your lab 

Whether a roasting business constructs a lab from scratch or 

sets it up in a preexisting space, there are a few considerations 

to think about. Tables and storage areas, along with water and 

power sources, need to be addressed from the start. Is the business 

thinking of having sit-down cuppings or standing cuppings? If 

standing, the lab will need a table that is high enough so cuppers’ 

backs don’t hurt from bending over but low enough for the shorter 

cuppers. The table should have at least two feet of clearance on all 

sides so cuppers can move around it freely. If a wooden cupping 

table will be used, make sure to choose wood that is fragrance-free 

and invest in a fragrance-free finish to protect the table from water 

damage. For public cuppings, roasters will need to provide furniture that 

is accessible for people with disabilities. 

Another useful piece of furniture for the lab is a cabinet or shelving 

unit for storing green coffee samples. Opaque plastic or metal canisters 

stack easily and block the green coffee from damage from outside light. 

How many people will be using the lab on an average day? If the coffee 

business plans to dedicate a team of three people to cup every production 

roast, the requirements for furniture and countertop space will be much 

greater than the requirements for a lab for a solo green buyer who is 

evaluating the occasional offer sample. Think about how many coffees the 

roasting business will evaluate on an hourly basis. If the company is using 

SCAA standards, it will need five cups for each coffee. Cup needs add up 

quickly at that rate. Planning the cupping frequency will also help roasters 

determine their hot-water requirements. It’s essential to have a sufficient 

supply at the right temperature. 

The water situation in a lab requires advance planning. If a roasting 

company intends to pipe in water, make sure a filtration system is in 

place. At Bird Rock, Patton chose to use bottled water for his lab instead of 

going through the plumbing hassle. 

Will the business be cupping coffees every day, multiple times per 

day? A hot-water tower will make the process much more efficient. Kim 

Bullock, who manages sustainability and producer relations for Counter 

Culture Coffee and is a member of the company’s quality-control team, 

has this piece of advice: “Plan for a lot of power—either a 220-volt, 30-amp 


Equipment 

Essentials 

3Sample roaster 

3Grinder 

3Digital scale 

3Electric water 

kettles 

3Hot-water 

tower 

3Cups or glasses 

3Spoons 

3Timer 

3Scoring sheets 

3Digital 

thermometer 

3Humidity meter 


Lab Report (continued) 

circuit where you can hook up a hot water tower or enough 

110 outlets on dedicated circuits so you can plug in a bunch of 

water kettles.” Water kettles are the least expensive way to boil 

water for cuppings, but they are infamous for tripping circuit 

breakers. 

Lighting is another crucial consideration for a coffee lab. 

Nature is the best light source, but natural light can be hard 

to come by in the winter. If natural light is not an option or 

the company would like to supplement it, be sure to choose 

full-spectrum light bulbs. They emit a clean, white light that 

emulates daylight. Avoid yellow-toned light because it will 

change the way the coffee looks. For sample roasters with more 

than one barrel, make sure that the same amount of light falls 

over each barrel. A long tube or track lighting will ensure that 

the light, and consequently the sample roasting, is consistent 

from barrel to barrel. Some labs may install red light bulbs or red 

light covers for triangulation tests to homogenize the color of 

the coffee, both as grinds and brewed. Roasters can experiment 

with red light, but they can also try turning off their normal 

lights and performing a color test with only ambient light from 

outside the lab. Roasters may find the red lights still emit too 

much brightness and that low light is a better alternative for 

those special exercises. 

Air circulation and temperature are important 

considerations for the lab, as well. An HVAC (heating, 

ventilation and air conditioning) system keeps the lab at a 

comfortable temperature. Carefully plan the vent locations 

to prevent an air vent from blowing on half of your cupping 

table but not the other, resulting in unevenly cooled cups. In 

addition, the airflow must not be so strong that it disturbs the 

coffee’s aroma during cupping exercises. A programmable HVAC 

system also helps to maintain a comfortable room temperature 

and a consistent relative humidity inside the lab. 

An advanced lab feature is an air-pressure stabilizer. Clean 

rooms, hospitals, and labs for pharmaceutical or electronics 

manufacturing frequently use pressure stabilization to maintain 

a sterile environment. In a hospital, a patient with a contagious 

illness will be put in a pressure-negative room, ensuring that 

when the patient’s door is opened, air from the hallway flows 

into the room, keeping the illness inside the room. Conversely, 

air will flow out of a pressure-positive room. For a pressurepositive 

coffee lab, this means that outside aromas are kept 

out of the lab. Pressure stabilizers control room pressure 

differentials through the ventilation system; to create positive 

pressure, more air is mechanically supplied to a room than is 

mechanically exhausted. 

Roasting businesses should stress that the lab really is a 

laboratory—a place to learn and experiment—by displaying 

educational posters. A green-coffee-defect chart is practical for 

decoding a funky-looking bean. The SCAA’s flavor wheel is a 

good source for cupping vocabulary. And maps are a must-have 

for pointing out sample origins. If extra space is available in 

the lab, stock a shelf with coffee reference books. A computer 

or tablet in the lab is useful for showing customers photos and 

video from coffee origins. 

Le Nez du Café, a kit of 36 aroma vials representing the 

scents found in coffee, is another good addition to the lab. If 

inexperienced cuppers 

find it difficult to discern 

differences between coffees, 

have them practice with Le 

Nez du Café. This kit should 

be used for training but 

shouldn’t be used in a coffee 

lab during cupping, as the 

aromas may taint a quality 

evaluation. 

Lab essentials 

Building a coffee lab can 

be an expensive endeavor. 

Outfitting a lab to its fullest 

can easily cost more than 

$10,000. However, sticking to the basics can cost as little as 

$2,000. There are a few essentials that every lab needs: a sample 

roaster, a grinder, cups, spoons, a digital scale, a timer, and 

water kettles or a hot-water tower. A sink, garbage disposal and 

dishwasher will make cleanup much faster. 

Unless a coffee business can roast small sample batches with 

a production roaster, the business will need to procure a sample 

roaster to save energy and roast those small green samples. 

Whether a roasting business invests in a top-of-the-line model 

or a modest one, it’s important to measure temperature and 

other variables accurately to produce the same results every 

time. According to Bullock of Counter Culture, “The key [to 

sample roasting] is consistency. A machine purchased in the 

local market might not have the greatest airflow, but for sample 

roasters it’s more about being consistent from roast to roast.” 

Even with a basic sample roaster, a coffee business can 

achieve consistent samples by understanding the principles 

of sample roasting and having a well-trained person at the 

helm. Leave a sample of the company’s ideal roast level next to 

your roaster for comparison. Of course, a fire extinguisher is a 

necessity in a lab with a roaster. Make sure that employees are 

familiar with the building’s fire code in case law requires a more 

sophisticated fire-suppression system. 

It’s ideal to dedicate a burr grinder for lab use only rather 

than sharing a production grinder. Devote the grinder solely 

to cupping and training purposes, and be sure to clean it and 

replace the burrs regularly. A quality grinder ensures consistency 

in the grind’s particle size, which will enhance coffee evaluation. 

Ceramic bowls or rocks glasses are most commonly used for 

cupping. If the lab is using new cups, take measurements so 

employees can cup with the correct water-to-coffee ratio. A 

digital thermometer is useful to have on hand for measuring 

water temperature. 

A humidity meter is also handy in a lab, as it will help 

roasters know what to expect when sample roasting. It’s 

important to test samples’ humidity before buying—green bean 

humidity lower than 10 percent or higher than 12 percent should 

throw up a red flag. An Agtron machine or color tiles are also 




helpful additions to a lab for analyzing the roast level of production 

roasts. 

Strumpf also suggests procuring a top-of-the-line scale because 

the higher price will pay off over the years. He recommends a Class 

3 scale. “A Class 3 scale is legal for trade and can be recalibrated,” 

Strumpf notes. “Keep your scales on a yearly calibration schedule.” 

Calibration is a top lab concern for Strumpf. “This is something 

a lot of labs overlook—getting your grinder, moisture meter and 

scale on a calibration schedule,” he says. Roasters can do some of 

this calibration themselves. Ask the moisture meter company to 

send a sample (usually barley) with a fixed moisture level. Then, 

tare the machine using this sample. To calibrate the grinder, do a 

grind analysis if the company has the available equipment, or send 

samples to companies who will perform the analysis and share the 

results. 

Strumpf’s other must-have tool for the lab is a commercial 

sanitizer, as normal dishwashers take too long. With a sanitizer, 

“a cycle is four minutes,” says Strumpf. “You can put 30 cups on a 

tray. So with two trays, you can wash 60 cups at once.” If roasters 

and buyers are cupping often, a sanitizer saves a substantial amount 

of time. Sanitizers work with either chemical cleansers or with hot 

water. If a roasting business chooses to use a cleanser, experiment 

with different types to ensure they are fragrance and residue free. 

If the roastery will be holding public cuppings, the business 

may want to have scoring sheets on hand. Counter Culture Coffee 

developed its own internal scoring sheet that best fits their 

company’s needs, but the company uses a modified form for 

outsiders. Bullock says, “For our public cuppings, we pared the form 

down so it’s just the sensory categories and space for notes but not 

space for scores.” It is useful to have different forms on hand, such 

as SCAA and Cup of Excellence, to show to staff or anyone else who is 

interested in how they vary. 

Getting the most out of your lab 

Since you have put so much time and money into the coffee lab, it’s 

up to you to harness all of its potential. Use it as much as possible, 

and use it wisely. If a roasting company installs a pull-down 

screen and projector, the lab can be an ideal place to gather staff or 

customers to show them presentations or videos. And, with some 

careful planning, a lab can serve as an office in a pinch. 

Of course, sharing the lab space means that there are a few rules 

that need to be adhered to. Keeping the lab clean is a priority. Think 

of it as a sterile environment—you would never see stray powders or 

clutter in a chemistry lab. Stock a cupboard with cleaning supplies 

so they’re always on hand. Make sure the machines receive regular 

cleaning and maintenance. 

Cleanliness is just one of the elements of a fine-tuned lab. 

Another requirement is a set of lab rules. A Bill of Rights for the 

lab should express your wishes on paper and be posted on the wall. 

Strumpf says his No. 1 rule is “no smelly perfumes or deodorants.” 

Other good rules: no cell phones inside the lab, no talking during 

cuppings, and no outside food or beverages in the lab area. If the lab 

will be used in a number of different ways, it might be helpful to 

post a schedule. See the sidebar on this page for more suggestions for 

lab rules. 

TOP 10 

RULES FOR 

COFFEE LABS 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

No perfumes or colognes. 

No outside food or beverages. 

No interrupting the cuppers (talking, 

music or questions) during the 

process. 

No cell phones/texting in the lab. 

Office phones should have ringers off 

during testing. 

No flavored coffees. 

Only unbiased evaluations. 

Equipment is to be maintained in 

“new” condition at all times. 

Do not roast samples during the 

cupping process. 

Cup coffees light to dark roast, delicate 

to intense. 

No clutter. Keep activities like shipping 

and packaging in other areas. 

With organization and rules, as well as lab protocol, 

consistency is the goal. Be consistent, even if the machines 

in the lab are not top of the line. This consistency in processes 

will give you the most accurate results possible. Adhering to a 

strict quality-control regime will pay off when it comes time 

to upgrade equipment. For ratios, water temperature, and 

other measurable variants, defer to industry standards when 

in doubt. 

Once roasters have decided on the uses of the lab, sourced 

the furniture and equipment, and established a code of 

conduct, the new coffee lab will serve many aspects of the 

business. Roasters will be able to make consistent and fair 

business decisions while enjoying a space to make quality 

control all their own. 

Katie Gilmer is a relationship coffee manager for Sustainable 

Harvest Coffee Importers in Portland, Ore. A Q Grader, she works with 

Sustainable Harvest’s QC labs at origin to make sure they are calibrated. 

E-mail her at katie@sustainableharvest.com.

How to Set Up an In-House Coffee Lab for QC and Training

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