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| A cupping I participated in while in Costa Rica |
As you probably know, I drink lot's of coffee when I'm not drinking wine, beer, milk, water, moonshine and Brass Monkey. I've been a hoity toity coffee snob now for about 7-8 years after understanding what Good Coffee really is. I was speaking to a co-worker last week and he asked me, "What the be-jesus is coffee cupping?" For many of you, this is foreign language and probably jibber-jabber that's pretty confusing. But, every good cup of coffee has it's beginning, so let's explain the process.
The cupping process was conceived as a means for evaluating and comparing different coffees on a level playing field. Because the differences between great coffees can be very delicate, observations about the characteristics of those coffees (flavor, body, finish…) can be easily influenced by small variations that occur as part of most brewing methods. By eliminating some of these variables, a carefully prepared cupping allows the coffees being tasted to compete on the basis of their own intrinsic merits. It's ultimately the gating rule for releasing a batch of coffee by a Vendor or Roaster.
Some degree of scientific rigor is key to conducting a fair cupping. Measurements of water and coffee grounds should be precise, any grinding equipment should be flushed between cups to prevent cross-contamination, and the pouring of hot water should be done with great consistency. Time is also a factor; once the grounds are wet the steeping process is underway, and the coffee will undergo many changes in chemistry and flavor over the next 20 minutes. Time is essential - think of it as the NFL combine for coffee beans.
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| The cupping room at Starbucks |
It is very important to evaluate each coffee from the start of this cycle to the finish, so most cuppers have developed a protocol for managing this sequence of events to ensure that every coffee on the table gets equal treatment. Some are a little extravagent and some a bit, insane.
For casual cupping at home the protocols need not be so rigid, as the stakes are quite different. Cupping coffee at home can open you up to a whole new world of what makes coffee the special thing it is to many of us. You’ll discover flavors and nuances you never thought existed in a cuppa joe. You’ll learn to evaluate and categorize coffees that would do well in your own custom blends, if you’re a home roaster, or even if you’re buying a variety of single origin beans, and post blending them at home.
Cupping is also very much a social thing. While one can cup alone, cupping is best done in a group, where you can compare and contrast notes, opinions and thoughts on what you are sampling. For many beginning cuppers, evaluating coffee with others will open your eyes and your tastebuds to nuances in a coffee you might have otherwise missed - your cupping partners will point something out and you will revisit the sample and possibly discover it yourself.
Cupping at home doesn’t have to be rigid - in fact, it shouldn’t have the rigid and complex rules and rituals that professional cupping often has. If you’re cupping at home, you’re most likely doing it for the love of coffee, the sense of adventure from trying and discovering some new things, and you’re doing it to have fun! However, if the goal is to really compare the coffees to one another, it is a good idea to strive for maximum consistency in the set-up.
Instead of putting together a lesson on how to conduct a coffee cupping, I figure I would let the amazing folks at Intelligentsia coffee explain in only a way they can. You can see how to set your own cupping up here.
