	Coffee Cupping
Coffee Cupping - coffee tasting technique for evaluating coffee styles, roasts and origins. Examine acidity, body, aroma and flavor.

Coffee Cupping

Coffee tasting the professional way...

On this page…
1. Setting Up
2. Cupping Tips
3. Coffee Cupping Guide
4. Related Reading

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The best way to learn and understand the different characteristics (acidity, aroma, body and flavor) of coffee beans is to experience them. The best way to experience them is to participate in a professional coffee cupping, or coffee tasting. This is a great party idea when you have a few friends over on a rainy night.

For your own coffee cupping experience at home, follow these steps…

1. Setup the equipment

Arrange the following items near the person who will be doing the grinding. You will need:
     1. A variety of whole-bean, single origin coffees
     2. A burr coffee grinder
     3. A kettle of near boiling water
     4. A silver Tablespoon

Place the following items at a table setting for each person. You will need:
     1. A small porcelain cup
     2. A second cup, or somewhere to spit the coffee out
     3. A large silver spoon

Note: be prepared to either rinse each person's cup and spoon between tasting each coffee variety, or provide separate cups and spoons for each coffee variety.

2. Coffee Cupping tips before you start…

Make sure all your equipment is cleaned and free of rancid coffee oils and/or detergent residue.
Fill your kettle with cold, fresh water and allow it to cool slightly before coming into contact with the coffee. This avoids scalding and over-extraction.
Use a medium-course grind.
For each coffee variety, use a consistent amount of coffee and grind-size to make for equality and better comparison.
Always use about 7.25 grams of coffee per 5 oz of water, or two heaped tablespoons (ground) to 6 oz of water.
Depending on the quality of your water, you may find that using filtered water significantly improves the taste of your coffee.
Between tasting each coffee, you should spit the coffee out and rinse your mouth with water to clear your senses for the next variety.

3. Begin

The Coffee Cupping Procedure

Step 1 - Assess the Fragrance

Grind: grind the first variety of coffee and use the tablespoon to place two heaped spoonfulls in each person's cup.

Smell: leaning over the cup of freshly ground coffee, each person should inhale deeply and assess the fragrance.

Evaluate: does the coffee smell sweet (revealing acidity)? Notice the intensity of the fragrance - this is an indicator of the freshness of the roast.

Step 2 - Assess the Aroma

Pour & Wait: onto each sample, pour about 6oz of water, being sure to cover all the grounds. The water should be just cooler than boiling temperature. The easiest way to do this is to boil the water first and leave it for 1 minute before pouring.
Wait for about 3 minutes for the coffee to infuse. During this time the coffee grounds will rise and form a crust on top of the liquid.

Smell: using their spoon, each person should break the crust, pushing back the grounds to see the liquid. At the same time inhale deeply and assess the aroma. Allow the crust grounds to sink.

Evaluate: the aroma that can be smelt makes a significant contribution to the coffee's flavor. You might use words such as chocolately, caramelly, fruity or spicy if you like the aroma. If you find the aroma unpleasant, words such as harsh, grassy or musty might apply.

Step 3 - Assess the Taste (Acidity, Body & Flavor)

Slurp & Swirl: using their spoon, each person should ladle a spoonful of coffee into their mouths, then forcefully slurp the liquid to the back of the mouth, sucking in air at the same time. The air should mix with the coffee and disperse it evenly, allowing it to touch all of the tongue's taste areas (bitter, sweet, salty & sour). Swirl the coffee around the mouth and feel its consistency and body.

Evaluate: the way the liquid felt in your mouth can be used to describe the coffee's body. Did you think it was a light, medium or full-bodied coffee? How would you describe the acidity of the coffee? Was it bright, fruity, metallic, or simply flat and lacklustre? Now that you have considered both the aroma and taste, how would you describe the overall flavor? Was it positive - fruity, winey or nutty? Was it negative - rubbery, chemically or green?