Coffee Cupping
What is cupping?
Cupping is a method of evaluating different characteristics of a particular coffee bean. Cupping allows us to compare and contrast coffees against each other, and allows us to get a better understanding of each coffee.
Its important that you so use the same method each time as this can have an effect on the results, so if cupping is being used as a comparison / evaluation tool then uniformity is key.
Coffee table preparation
In a coffee cupping session, the table is usually set up with 6 to 10 cups per coffee. These are fashioned in a triangular manner. At the top of this triangle you should place a sample of the roasted coffee and a sample of the green coffee. In the center of the table place a cup of room temperature water and an empty cup containing the cupping spoons. Cover both the green sample and roasted sample until the cupping session is over and the coffee aroma, fragrance, and flavor profile have been documented. After this time, the coffee samples could be uncovered and additional comments can be written based on appearance. This method will help reduce the common “eye cupping” technique.
Coffee sample preparation
To prepare the coffee samples, place 2 tablespoons of freshly roasted and freshly ground coffee in a 6 oz cup. Ideally one should use 55g of coffee per liter of water. The grind should be between a French press size and a drip coffee size. The coffee should be roasted light (Agtron 65). In the industry we often stop the roast about 30 seconds into the first crack long before the start of the second crack. This allows us to fully evaluate the coffee for defects and for the sweetness and aroma that are burned off at darker roasts. The roast should be similar for all of the coffees evaluated. During an important coffee cupping session the roast similarity can be verified visually by grinding a portion of each sample and lining the coffee samples up next to each other on a black sheet of paper.
So what are you looking for?
Fragrance of dry grounds
Does it smell fresh? Does it smell stale? Over roasted? Under roasted? This is a great place to find out.
Examples
Sweet, Spicy, Roasty, Nutty, Malty, Carbony, Stale, Fresh
Fragrance of wet grounds
Aroma: what’s there? The water mixing with the coffee and oxygen will produce a more intense smell than with the dry grounds
Examples
Smooth, Fresh, Lively, Creamy, Sharp
Acidity / Liveliness
Acidity in coffee can be a welcome attribute, or it can be a most unwelcome one. In one form it can give liveliness and freshness to the flavour. In another form it can appear as sourness. Coffee without acidity is lifeless. Coffee with too much or the wrong sort of acidity can be unpleasant, even sour. If the acidity is unpleasant, pleasant, fresh, sour, or whatever - make a note.
Examples
Nippy, Neutral, Soft, Tangy, Tart, Rough, Mild, Delicate, Smooth, Winey
Body
Body is a description of the fullness and richness of the feel of the coffee in your mouth.
Examples
Full, Rich, Fat, Thin
Flavour / Depth
What’s there? This is the fun part. Is there chocolate? Fruit?
Examples
Fruity, Winey, Buttery, Caramel, Chocolate, Blackcurrant, Woody, Grassy, Honey,
iquorice, Malty, Nutty, Spicy (and what kind of spice?)
Finish
What does the coffee leave in your mouth when you have finished? Aftertaste is a very important part of the cup.
Examples
Sweet, Sour, Bitter, Sharp, Smooth, Full, Silky, Burnt, Dry
Coffee Flavor Analysis
After the coffee has cooled sufficiently take some coffee into the spoon and slurp the coffee strongly to aspirate it over the entire tongue. It is important to aspirate strongly since you are trying to cover the entire tongue evenly. Aspirating strongly will also cause tiny droplets of coffee to be distributed into the throat and into the nasal passage. The nose can act as another powerful tasting tool. Most of the flavor observed in a coffee is a result of aromatic compounds present in the coffee. This effect can be demonstrated by plugging your nose while drinking coffee. While the nasal passage is blocked, the coffee will likely taste similar to instant coffee due to its lack of aroma. When the nasal passage is opened, a full rainbow of flavors will immediately become evident.
After each coffee taste test, write down your observations of coffee taste, acidity, aftertaste, and body. Move to the next cup and try to compare the different cups. As the coffee in each cup cools, it is often possible to detect new flavors. Therefore, it is important to cup a coffee when it is both warm and when it has cooled to just above room temperature. The best coffees will have positive characteristics at both ranges of temperature.
If you are cupping more than a couple cups of coffee, it is advisable to spit out the coffee after evaluation. When cupping several coffees it is possible to have too much caffeine, which can adversely alter your cupping ability.
Conclusion
In conclusion I hope that this guide is helpful. I am by no means an expert on cupping but I am a great believer in its utility in the evaluation of fine coffees.
This is just a set of guidelines and there are no hard and fast rules. Everyone from the beginner to the expert can gain a great deal from the experience of cupping.
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