Coffee Cupping 101
Why cup? Coffees are 'cupped' to evaluate their good and bad qualities. Some common defaults result when under-ripe coffee cherries are picked and mixed with ripe cherries, or beans have been exposed to bacteria, insects or have fermented due to exposure to moisture.
Coffee cupping is a method used to methodically assess the aroma, taste, and body of a sample of coffee beans. This method consists of an approved method of brewing and a series of steps that lead to a complete sensory evaluation by the coffee cupper's following senses: smell, taste, mouth-feel (touch) . The cuppers are looking for positive flavour features in the taste and aroma properties of the coffee sample, and they are also looking for negative elements, which would indicate poor preparation of the coffee beans during harvesting or processing.
Table Preparation:
In a cupping session the table is usually set up with 6 to 10 cups per coffee. These are arranged in a triangular pattern. At the top of this triangle you should place a sample of the roasted coffee and a sample of the green coffee.
1. Fragrance (smell ) & Aroma
Fresh, near-boiling water is poured over the newly ground coffee beans, and is allowed to steep for approximately three minutes. The coffee particles will form a crust on the surface of the brew. By gently breaking the cap with a spoon, the gases are released & vigorously sucked up into the nasal cavity by a long, deep sniffing action. This set of gases portrays the full range and complexity of the aromatic character of the sample.
These gases include:- an enzyme compound herby in character;
- a nutty to caramelly to chocolaty aroma, derived from the sugar - browning compound found in a freshly roasted bean.
- a few of the lighter components from dry essence compounds in the beans that will give off spicy sensations.
2. Taste
Evaluating the taste is the next step in cupping. Using a special cupping spoon, (usually silver plated to rapidly dissipate heat) raise a small portion of the coffee brew just in front of the mouth and forcefully "slurp" the sample across through to the back of the tongue. ”Slurping” the coffee in this manner spreads it evenly over the entire surface of your tongue. This allows all of the nerve endings on your tongue to simultaneously respond to the sweet, sour, bitter, or salt stimulation from the coffee. The balance will be pleasing to your taste and inclined to be in the sweet to sweet/sour range, recording a taste awareness that ranges from mellow to acidy to winey. sweetness of sugars.3. Nose
The next step is done simultaneously with the previous. The main objective of the coffee brew across the surface of the tongue also "aerates" it, resulting in a portion of the organic flavouring compounds present in the liquid to release as vapours. These vapours travel up the back of the naval cavity until they reach the nasal membrane, creating an aromatic stimulation. This simultaneous assessment of the taste and nose (vapours) of the brew give it its unique flavour. More than the taste, the nose tends to reflect the nature of the compounds created by the roasting process. The breakdown is as follows:- LIGHTLY ROASTED COFFEE BEANS: Tend to have a fruity or herby character.
- MODERATELY ROASTED BEANS: Exhibit a full range of the flavour compounds created by the sugar-browning reactions of the roasting process, which range from nutty to caramelly to chocolaty.
- DARKLY ROASTED BEANS : will illustrate the strong characteristics of dry distillation compounds, turpeny to spicy to carbony, that will be reminiscent of many different types of spices or wood (cellulose) fibre products which have been burned or cured (treated with heat)
4. Aftertaste
Now we come to the "finish" of the coffee brew. After "slurping" the coffee, a cupper will have held the small amount of coffee in the mouth for a few seconds, much like sampling a wine.
The flavour compounds found in the aftertaste may have the following characteristics:- A sweet characteristic reminiscent of a chocolaty taste or any of the heavier vapours from the sugar-browning by-products.
- Turpeny in character due to a resinous or medicinal origin.
They may remind you of a warming or pungent spicy sensation, such as nutmeg, pepper, clove or thyme. They may seem carbony, noteworthy of smoky or an ashy impression stemming from the partial combustion of the bean fibres in darkly roasted coffee beans. Or they may exhibit any combination of these characteristics.
5. Body
The final test. Gently slide your tongue across the roof of your mouth, bringing forth a palpable sensation. The oiliness, or slipperiness, of the sensation measures the fat content of the brew, while the sensation's thickness, measures the fibre and other undissolved components of the brew. These two sensations form the brew's body.
