Coffee cupping, also known as coffee tasting, is the practice of observing the tastes and aromas of brewed coffee. It's a systematic process used to evaluate the quality of coffee beans, focusing on various characteristics like aroma, flavor, aftertaste, acidity, body, and balance.
The Purpose of Coffee Cupping
Coffee cupping serves several key purposes:
- Quality Assessment: Professionals and enthusiasts use cupping to assess the quality of coffee beans before purchasing or roasting.
- Identifying Flavor Profiles: Cupping helps identify the unique flavor profile of a particular coffee, including its origin, processing method, and roasting level.
- Blending: Cupping is crucial for blending different coffees to create desired flavor combinations.
- Roast Evaluation: Roasters use cupping to evaluate the results of their roasting process, ensuring consistency and quality.
- Training and Education: It serves as a tool to train sensory skills and educate individuals about coffee characteristics.
The Cupping Process
While specific protocols may vary, the general cupping process typically involves these steps:
- Grinding: Coffee beans are freshly ground to a medium-coarse consistency.
- Aroma Evaluation (Dry): The dry grounds are evaluated for their aroma.
- Infusion: Hot water (typically around 200°F or 93°C) is poured over the grounds to saturate them.
- Aroma Evaluation (Wet): The wet grounds are evaluated for their aroma. This step is also known as "breaking the crust."
- Tasting: Using a spoon, cuppers slurp the coffee across their palate to evaluate its flavor, acidity, body, and other characteristics. Multiple cups are tasted to ensure consistent evaluation.
- Scoring: Cuppers assign scores to different attributes, helping determine the coffee's overall quality.
Who Uses Coffee Cupping?
Coffee cupping is widely used by:
- Coffee Farmers: To evaluate the quality of their crops.
- Coffee Buyers: To select the best beans for their businesses.
- Coffee Roasters: To ensure consistent roasting and quality.
- Baristas: To understand the flavor profiles of the coffees they serve.
- Coffee Enthusiasts: To learn more about coffee and refine their palates.
- Q Graders: Certified professionals who evaluate and score coffees according to Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) standards.
Key Characteristics Evaluated
During cupping, these characteristics are commonly assessed:
- Aroma: The smell of the dry and wet grounds.
- Flavor: The taste sensations perceived on the palate.
- Aftertaste: The lingering taste after swallowing.
- Acidity: The brightness or sharpness of the coffee.
- Body: The mouthfeel or texture of the coffee.
- Balance: The harmony and interplay of all characteristics.
- Sweetness: The presence and quality of sweetness.
- Clean Cup: The absence of off-flavors or defects.
- Uniformity: Consistency between different cups of the same coffee.
- Overall: A subjective assessment of the coffee's overall quality.
