A Guide to Coffee Cupping

Coffee cupping is the process roasters and other coffee professionals use to determine the taste and quality of coffee. 

What’s interesting is that anyone can try coffee cupping at home. It can be time-consuming but it’s not a difficult process. You also don’t need any fancy equipment to try coffee cupping at home. 

This process is also how roasters decide which beans complement each other and can be blended together. 

Why Should Coffee Cupping Matter to You?

Let’s face it, many coffee consumers do not concern themselves with techniques like coffee cupping. This is especially true if they only consume coffee to kickstart the day and have enough energy.

But cupping is a valuable practice for coffee lovers. For starters, you get to discover more about coffee and identify what flavour notes you actually enjoy. Is it only fruity notes or nutty and chocolatey notes too?

Gradually, you begin to learn about coffee aroma, mouthfeel, and body. 

Since cupping doesn’t involve other ingredients like sugar or milk, it brings you close to the true flavour manifestation of the bean.

It depicts how the origin and roast level influence the cup profile. That way, you’ll be able to pinpoint what kind of beans are your favourites, so you’re less likely to purchase coffee that you’re disappointed by.

As you get further into this experience, you’ll begin to realise why it makes sense for some coffees to cost more than others. 

How to Try Coffee Cupping at Home?

To start with, choose a few options from different origins. Since the utensils used for brewing also affect the coffee, make sure to use the same type of cups or bowls. 

Regardless of whether you’re grinding the coffee at home or buying ground coffee, go for a medium-coarse grind. Before you bring it in contact with water, try and smell the dry grounds. What is it like? Note down any thoughts you might have at this stage. 

Set a cup of each sample side by side. It’s time to brew the coffee! Brew the samples simultaneously in the exact same way so there are no other variables affecting the flavours. Pour hot water directly onto the grounds and let them steep in the water. Evaluate the smell of wet grounds. 

A crust will form on the surface of the cup/ bowl. After 4 minutes, break the crust and remove the grounds with a clean spoon. Let the coffee cool for a bit.

Then take a spoonful of the brew and slurp it in such a way that it coats your tongue. The slurping action aerates the brew and makes sure that the flavour spreads properly across your tongue.

Once again, write down what you feel. There’s no right or wrong way to go about this. You can note specific words like bold, nutty, bitter, etc. That’s it!

What to Observe During Coffee Cupping?

Cupping shouldn’t feel like an overwhelming task. You’re doing it to improve your coffee knowledge and skills. 

But to give you some context into what you can expect, here are some elements you can look out for during your coffee-cupping journey:

• Aroma

• Flavor

• Body

• Acidity 

• Sweetness

• Cleanliness

• Complexity

• Aftertaste

• Balance

Coffee cupping makes your experience of drinking coffee so much more fun and engaging. You’ll be able to hold your own in conversations and even become the go-to person in your social circles for coffee recommendations.