Coffee cupping for real folks

We recently cupped some coffees at the shop!  If you’re a coffee fan, but not an industry insider, you might be wondering what the heck is cupping?  Well, “cupping” is the way many coffee pros prefer to evaluate roasted coffee.  

As a shop owner and former Specialty Coffee Association sensory instructor I enjoy cupping very much, but in this post I’ll tell you why I now think it’s not always the best way to evaluate.  I’ll also give you a quick guide on coffee cupping for real folks. Lastly, I’ll offer a practical alternative for savvy coffee shop owners and coffee aficionados to assess new coffees.

Coffee industry cupping

For some perspective let’s begin with a glimpse into professional cupping, which traditionally requires 5 samples of the same coffee, precisely weighed at 8.25 grams and ground into cupping glasses. First, you whiff the dry fragrance, then add 150 ml water off a boil and let it steep for 3-5 minutes.  When time is up, you break the crust with a cupping spoon and experience the aromas.  You then remove the floating grounds and let it cool before (often loudly) slurping to aspirate the liquid to the back of your palate while trying not to choke 😝 Aspirating helps the retronasal aromas ascend up the nasal passage toward the olfactory bulb because 80-90% of taste perception is actually based on smell.  Of course, all of this is very formulaic, and while slurping and sensing, you are also taking meticulous notes on a detailed cupping form that is constantly being reworked by the industry.  

Cumbersome?  Absolutely!

Useful?  Sure, for many applications!  Especially industry purchasing decisions, identifying defects, and in-depth exploration & learning.

Practical for most people?  Not at all!

Coffee cupping for real folks

If you are a small roaster or coffeepreneur, and your job is mainly to identify flavor notes so you can describe a particular coffee to customers, this can be accomplished with one sample (instead of five) and a discussion with other staff about their tasting experience.

For aficionados, it’s equally straight-forward!  If you’d like to explore the sensory side of coffee for fun, here is a simplified cupping exercise that is easy to do at home!  All you need are a few 5-6 ounce rocks glasses, a soup spoon, kettle, kitchen scale, filtered water, and fresh coffee that’s close to drip grind.  

A simplified cupping exercise

1)  Weigh out 8.25 grams of grounds (9 grams is fine if your scale isn’t that precise) into the rocks glasses. I highly recommend two different samples side-by-side so you can compare and contrast.  This is always very enlightening!

2)  Smell the dry grounds and note your impressions.  Keep it simple, and just try to describe using broad categories.  For example, do you smell chocolate? Flowers? Spices?

3) Fill cups with filtered water off a boil and let steep for 3-5 minutes.

4) With your face close to the aromas, dive in with your spoon to break the crust.  Again, note down what you smell.

5) Scoop off the remaining grounds that are floating on top.  Let it cool 3-4 more minutes.  Rinse your spoon between different samples!

6) Get ready to slurp!  Just skim some liquid off the top with your spoon and go for it.  Practice a few times, trying to get a sense of the flavor notes.  For some retro fun and to hear slurping sounds, watch this short video of our Espresso Elevado crew from NINE years ago! 😂

The practical way to assess coffee

In my opinion, the most practical way to get a handle on flavor is simply by brewing! ✨ This is how most customers are going to experience it anyways, right?!  Brewing various ways is even better because you can taste how the coffee expresses itself as a hand-pour, in an Aeropress, or as espresso for instance.  Flavor notes, body, and acidity can all come across differently depending on how you brew.  

If you are a customer, you can do this at home with your favorite brew method(s).  If you’re just trying to figure out what beans to buy for home brewing, I recommend trying the coffee in brewed form first at your local shop to see if you like it.  Easy peasy!

Cheers,