The Art of Cupping

Cupping is a lot like a wine tasting, except you're tasting coffee instead. It's fun and easy-and it's a great excuse for a party. You can keep it simple. Or you can be more formal and maintain a detailed tasting chart that you hand out to your guests. Either way, get ready for a real treat.

The Basics of Home Cupping

Cupping makes it possible to identify-and more importantly-repeat your favorite coffee flavors and roasts. Here's how to conduct your own cupping at home.

Getting ready:

Start with one six-ounce cup or a heatproof glass for each bean or blend you plan to taste. Ideally, the cups should be identical (or as close to identical as possible). Cups or glasses that flare at the top are best so you can experience the full aroma of the grinds.

You'll also need a round metal soupspoon and ideally a burr grinder with a setting range from fine to coarse. This allows you to grind each sample uniformly. If a burr grinder is not an option, a blade grinder will work. But be sure you grind each batch the same amount of time.

Eliminating as many variables in the preparation process will give you the most reliable results. You will also need two glasses of water, one to cleanse your palette and another to rinse your spoon between each tasting.

Five basic ground rules to help you get started:

1. Grind the roasted beans at a medium setting, keeping the grinder clean between each bean variety.
2. Place two level tablespoons of each bean variety into each six-ounce cup.
3. Fill each cup with water about a half inch below the lip (temperature should be just short of boiling).
4. Wait three minutes before tasting the coffee.
5. Now the fun begins! It's time to compare and contrast the unique flavor characteristics of the beans. (See more detailed cupping instructions below.)

Cupping in three easy steps:

Step One: After the coffee has cooled for three minutes, you'll notice a layer of saturated coffee grounds on the top of each cup. These grounds hold the answers you're looking for. Stir the grounds to "break the crust" and release the flavor. Inhale to experience the full aroma of the coffee.

Move back and forth between your samples. Stir the grounds again. Bend down with your nose almost touching the beans to experience their unique characteristics and full aroma intensity. Write down your observations for each flavor variety.

Step Two: Next, it's time to taste the coffee, being careful not to swallow the grounds. Start with your first sample. Most of the grounds should have settled to the bottom of the cup by now. If not, skim the few remaining off the surface. Then lift a spoonful of the coffee and slurp it with a vigorous explosive movement.

The idea here is to instantly fill your mouth with both flavor and aroma simultaneously. Chew. Roll it around in your mouth. Note the acidity. Experience the complexity, balance, body, and whether or not the coffee flavor stays on your tongue or quickly fades. After you've made your observations, spit the coffee into the bowl or mug. (Good table manners aren't part of a coffee cupping.)

Step Three: Repeat the tasting to refine your observations, being sure to cleanse your palette between each tasting. If you're confident you've captured the flavor essence and aroma of the sample, rinse your spoon and move on to your next sample.

When you've finished tasting all the samples, let the coffee cool to room temperature. This is the best time to further refine your previous observations and pick up on nuances and characteristics that emerge only from cooler coffee.

If keeping a tasting chart sounds like fun to you, here are a few of the flavor characteristics to track during your cupping:

* Body: the thickness or the way the coffee feels in your mouth ("mouthfeel"). Terms used to describe body include, rich, creamy, full, thin, watery, light, heavy, and syrupy.

* Acidity: a tart fruity, almost "lemony" sensation on the tip of your tongue. Acidity, also called "brightness," is a highly desirable flavor characteristic.

* Aroma: the aroma of coffee comes from the smell of gases released when the coffee is brewed. Terms used to describe aroma include spicy, wine-like, grassy, musty, earthy, floral, nut-like, or acidic.

* Complexity: complex coffee includes the presence of a number of flavors that complement one another. (Complexity and balance are closely related.)

* Balance: a balanced coffee offers a complex range of flavors that complement one another, with no one flavor overpowering the others. (Complexity and balance are closely related.)

As you track the flavor characteristics of each bean, you'll also want to note the name of the coffee bean and the date of the cupping. A rating system is also helpful. For example, 1 = incredible, 2 = great, 3 = okay 4 = poor, 5 = bad.
 
 

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