Espresso is prepared differently from filter coffee as pressure extracts flavor components from ground coffee. Nowadays it is enjoyed by many as it is or in espresso-based drinks. The Espresso Protocol (TEP) is a new method for assessing the quality of espressos by utilizing sensory evaluation techniques, such as the just-about-right (JAR) scale and the check-all-that-apply (CATA). This study aimed to evaluate the discriminability of TEP. Coffee experts from the US/Canada (n=32) and Australia/New Zealand (n=31) participated in the study. Twelve coffees were shipped for evaluation using espresso machines in their respective homes. As a result of the response analysis using the frequency of CATA to identify the participants' coffee culture differences, no significant cultural differences were identified in the two groups, the US/Canada and Australia/New Zealand. CATA results enabled discrimination among samples and were able to indicate characteristics associated with high quality coffee and able to identify 'defect' in samples. Defect due to container contamination was perceived from flavor evaluation only. There was no significant difference between the initial quality score and overall quality scores evaluated at this tool's beginning and end, except for the defective coffee sample. Between the percentages of participants who were willing to use the bean for espresso extraction and overall quality scores, there was a high correlation. Penalty analysis coupling overall quality score and just-about-right evaluations of each category indicated their influence on quality perception. Furthermore, no significant differences between blind duplicate coffee samples confirmed consistent measurement of this tool. TEP can be used to evaluate the quality of coffee beans for espresso by coffee experts.