The Art of Coffee Tasting: Cupping

What is Cupping?

Cupping is a method used to compare coffees and help us better understand each coffee by evaluating the different characteristics of the coffee beans.

Coffees tasted are scored based on elements such as cleanliness, sweetness, acidity, mouthfeel, and aftertaste.

Stages of Cupping

To prepare your grinder, first grind 2 grams of coffee, then grind the remaining 18 grams of coffee. Follow this step for each coffee, starting with 2 grams, to prevent other coffees from affecting the aroma within the grinder.

For each 9-gram coffee sample, place it into designated bowls using two bowls per sample. Evaluate the dry aroma of each coffee.

Heat your water and pour 150 grams into each bowl. Evaluate the wet aroma of the coffee.

After 4 minutes, use a spoon to push the coffee grounds towards the back of the bowl. Using two spoons, remove the remaining coffee grounds and foam, and discard them into a waste bowl. Wait for the coffee to cool down and start tasting the coffees after about 13-15 minutes.

Slurp the coffee to spread it across your palate, enabling you to taste all the flavor notes. As the coffee cools down, you’ll be able to experience a broader and richer spectrum of flavors.

How to Improve Your Cupping Skills?

The best way to improve is to continuously practice, especially alongside other people. Practicing makes perfect, and doing it together with others is always better than practicing alone. You can learn more comfortably through observation and repetition.

Examining the SCA Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel will help you. This wheel describes in detail the aromas, tastes, and textures you might find in coffee, at various levels of intensity.

You can view each meal and beverage as an opportunity to practice. Additionally, if you find it difficult to identify specific flavor notes, you can frequently taste foods or drinks known to contain these notes in more detail.