Acme Taster Coffee Cupping Bowls

The Acme Taster started life on the cupping table. Acme designed it for professional coffee tasting, and the compact, handleless shape turned out to work just as well as an everyday cup: at home, on a café pass, or anywhere worktop space is tight. Each one is handmade from thick-walled porcelain in milk white, with one of Acme's signature colours on the base. Ours have a Whale base. Porcelain is a natural material, so expect subtle variations from cup to cup in the shape, glaze coverage and finish.

There are three sizes. The Medium 210ml is the cupping size, and it sits within the SCA's current cupping standard for ceramic vessels. The Mini 110ml suits espresso and short drinks, and the Large 310ml takes a generous filter brew. The Mini pairs with the Acme Classic Saucer Mini (11cm), and the Medium and Large with the Acme Classic Saucer Medium (14cm).

Thick porcelain takes heat from your water at first and then holds it well, so rinse the cups with hot water before you cup. They're sold individually, so you can buy exactly the number you need: five per coffee for a formal SCA score, or three for everyday tasting. If you'd rather have a light, near-unbreakable bowl for a full table, our Barista Hustle Cupping Bowls come in packs of 12 and 24. For the slurping, our Acme cupping spoon was the official spoon of the 2025 World Cup Tasters Championship.

• Brand: Acme
• Model: Taster cup (Taster Range)
• Sizes: Mini 110ml, Medium 210ml, Large 310ml
• Material: Handmade thick-walled porcelain
• Colour: Milk white with a Whale base
• Mini dimensions: 72mm outside diameter, 40mm base, 60mm high
• Medium dimensions: 80mm outside diameter, 48mm base, 76mm high
• Large dimensions: 105mm outside diameter, 49mm base, 74mm high
• Cupping dose (Medium, SCA-102): Approx. 11.6g of coffee per cup
• Saucers: Mini pairs with the Acme Classic Saucer Mini (11cm); Medium and Large pair with the Acme Classic Saucer Medium (14cm)
• Dishwasher safe: Yes
• Sold: Individually

Which size should I use for cupping?

The Medium 210ml. SCA-102, the standard that replaced the SCA's 2004 cupping protocol in 2024, asks for tempered glass or ceramic vessels of 200 to 350ml, with a top diameter of 75 to 90mm, and the Medium fits. The Mini is too small for formal cupping, and the Large is wider than the standard allows, though both are fine for casual tasting at home.

How much coffee should I use per cup?

SCA-102 sets the dose by the cup's capacity to the rim: 8.25g of coffee per 150ml. For the 210ml Medium that's about 11.6g, with water at around 93°C poured right to the rim. Each cup is handmade, so volumes vary slightly. Fill yours with water to the rim and weigh it before you dose, and keep the dose the same across every cup on the table.

How many cups do I need?

Under SCA-102, a formal quality score uses five cups per coffee, so the cupper can judge how uniform it is from cup to cup, while a descriptive tasting uses three to five. Three is common for everyday tasting. As the Tasters are sold individually, you can build a set to fit how many coffees you cup at once.

Should I choose porcelain or plastic cupping bowls?

It depends on how you cup. Porcelain is the material the SCA standard specifies, it feels substantial in the hand and the Tasters double as everyday cups. Our Barista Hustle Cupping Bowls are made from food-grade HDPE: they weigh around 43g, take far less heat from your water, survive being knocked off the table and come in packs of 12 or 24, which suits a busy cupping lab or a team session.

Do I need to preheat the cups?

Yes. Thick porcelain pulls heat out of your brew water the moment you pour, so a cold cup will steep cooler than the cups around it. Rinse each cup with hot water and tip it out just before you add the coffee, and they'll hold their temperature well through the cupping.

Can I use the Taster as an everyday cup?

Yes. The Mini makes a neat espresso cup, the Medium suits filter coffee and smaller milk drinks such as a latte, and the Large takes a generous filter brew. Add a matching Acme Classic saucer if you're serving them.

Are the Taster cups dishwasher safe?

Yes. Acme porcelain is twice-fired to handle both commercial and domestic dishwashers.

Where can I learn to cup properly?

Start with our guide, What is coffee cupping?, which takes you from grinding to breaking the crust to the slurp. If you've wondered what the scores on our coffee pages mean, read What do coffee cupping scores actually mean?. Our team also runs SCA coffee courses, including the SCA Brewing Professional course. To get started at home, grab a Filter Tasting Pack and cup the four coffees side by side.