Coffee cupping is not imbibing coffee, though it’s an art and science through which coffee lovers, roasters, and baristas can almost value the depth and richness of various coffee beans. Through the close observation of the aroma, the taste, the acidity, the body, and the aftertaste, cuppers can identify the cream of the crop of the beans, identify flavors that don’t belong there, and the ideal brewing techniques.
Whether you are a home brewer or factory roaster, learning the art of coffee cupping is something that will improve your knowledge and sense of this worldwide favorite drink. In this blog we will cover what coffee cupping is, why you should do it, how to have a home cupping party, and how to sharpen your taste buds.
What Is Coffee Cupping?
Coffee cupping is a routine tasting and comparing process of the coffees. Cupping sniffs, tastes, and examines coffee that is roasted to define the flavor of the coffee, flavor profile, acidity, body, and finish. It allows roasters, importers, and coffee professionals to determine the difference between beans that come from a series of locations, processing, and roasters.”.
Unlike typical daily consumption of coffee, cupping is an intentional, methodical way of revealing the subtleties that define every coffee’s profile. It plays a key role in quality control, buying, and learning about the variation of coffee
Why Is Coffee Cupping Necessary?
- Quality Testing: Cupping determines quality beans and reveals flaws or defects in green or roasted coffee.
- Flavor Profiling: It isolates the exact fragrance and taste profiles, i.e., fruit, flower, nut, or spice profiles.
- Sourcing and Selection: Buyers and roasters utilize cupping as a selection process to select beans best suited for their intended flavor profiles.
- Training and Education: It enhances the sensory abilities so that the tasters can recognize nuances and develop palate.
- Recipe Development: Cupping guides brewers to change brewing methods in order to bring out flavors.
Home Cupping
You may cup at home and it is a fine learning exercise. Here’s how:
Ready Your Equipment and Coffee
- Coffee: New high-quality green or roasted coffee beans. Beginners can start with some roasts or origins.
- Grinder: Burrs are best to ensure even grind size.
- Scale: To weigh the coffee and water precisely.
- Cupping Bowls or Cups: Bowls-shaped cups or cupping cups.
- Spoons: Cupping spoons or soup spoons.
- Kettle: To boil water in it.
- Timer: To mark steeping and tasting time.
- Tasting Sheets: To mark your remarks.
Prepare the Coffee
- Add some 8-10 grams of coffee to each standard cupping holding cup.
- Grind the coffee to coarse even grind like sea salt.
Smell the Dry Grounds
- Do a sniff run around dry grounds before brewing to catch the initial aroma. Describe the nature of the smell.
Brew the Coffee
- Pour approximately 150 ml of boiling water over grounds in each cup.
- Start your timer right away.
- Steep the coffee for approximately 4 minutes.
- In the meantime, a crust of grounds will develop a crust over each cup.
Crack the Crust and Smell Again
- Gently break the crust of grounds with the spoon and release the aroma.
- Note your impressions. This becomes the basis in ascertaining the aroma profile of coffee.
Disposal of grounds
- Spoon off the grounds after 4-5 minutes or pour out gently while tilting the cup and let them drain out.
Taste and Judge
- Spoon-taste the coffee.
- Slurp, then take a small sip to introduce air into the coffee and transport it all the way around your mouth.
- Estimate the flavor, acidity, sweetness, body, and finish.
- Note all of these.
Compare and Grade
- Compare side by side directly.
- Mark and grade impressions on your cupping sheet.
Enhancing Your Cupping Experience
- Use Fresh Coffee: The flavor and scent of coffee are volatile. Use newly roasted coffee beans only.
- Be Consistent: Use the same grind setting, water temperature (about 200°F), and steep time for all samples.
- Use Clean Equipment: Wash each cup and utensils sparkling clean.
- Have Variables Handy: Have variables such as temperature and water quality handy.
- Develop Sensory Skills: Develop identifying various aromas and flavors.
- Go Slow: Go slow and relax; do not hurry.
Cupping Notes and Terms
When you write about coffee, you will be writing about what you are tasting. Some of the common terms are:
- Aroma: Dry and brew aroma of the coffee.
- Flavor: Overall flavor character, i.e., sweetness, bitterness, and perhaps your own terms.
- Acidity: Brightness or pungency—usually fruit flavors.
- Body: Weight or mouth feel—light, medium or full.
- Finish or Aftertaste: Flavors matter that occur after you swallow.
Your own taste descriptions will include words that describe things like “bright lemon acidity,” “rich chocolate body,” or “floral aroma.” And just like your palate matures with age and experience in time, so too will your descriptors.
The Perks of Coffee Cupping for Home Brewers
While commercial cuppers may have to spend a few sessions per week, home breeders can still benefit from it, too:
- Increase Sensory Perception: Develop sensitivity to the subtle differences in beans and brewing expertise.
- Improve Brewing technique: Test grind size, water temperature and steep time based upon your taste experience.
- Select Better Beans: Taste first, then buy.
- Develop Appreciation: Relish coffee’s richness on a more profound level.
Purchasing the best quality from trustworthy organic coffee Arabica bean suppliers is also an art of the coffee cupping.
Last Word
Be it quality beans, or price, use reputable organic Robusta coffee bean suppliers. Each reputable supplier offers quality beans at low rates. Remember, the best coffee cuppings you will ever have are those that are with a curious mind, and interested palate, so brew some fresh coffee and gather some tools and start the journey today!
Moreover, if you are looking for high-quality beans to practice your cupping skills, or develop your brewing methods, try Sunrise Coffee Beans–full-bodied, flavor-packed fresh beans to inspire your next tasting adventures.
