Coffee cupping is the best way to learn more about the aroma and flavour of your coffee.
It develops your palate and you can learn more about what you like and dislike about coffee flavours.
It’s something we do with every batch of coffee that leaves the roaster to ensure it’s consistently awesome!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
- 20g of 3 or 4 different coffees
- 6 - 8 identical cups that will hold 160ml - 200ml of water
- a soup spoon for each taster
- grinder
- scales
- bowl to collect wet coffee grounds
- glass to hold the spoons
WHAT TO DO:
Place a cup on your scales and fill with water to check how much the cup holds.
(This guide is for 150ml so adjust the amounts of coffee as you need)
1. Run 2g of coffee through your grinder to prime it. This will remove any stray grounds from the last coffee you brewed.
2. Using a medium / coarse grind setting, grind 9g of the first coffee you want to taste. Put the grounds into your cup, label it and leave in on the bench / table.
3. Take a moment to smell the ground coffee. Make notes on any flavours that you can smell, even if it’s just ‘coffee’ - it’s all useful information and developing your nose.
4. (Pro Tip: Open your mouth when you’re smelling as it helps deliver more flavours and aromas to your palate)
5. Repeat steps 2 - 4 for each coffee, remembering to prime the grinder each time you switch coffees.
6. Heat your water to 94 degrees, pour 150g into each cup and set your timer for 4 minutes.
7. Fill the glass with the remaining water and heat up your spoons.
8. After 4 minutes break the crust that has formed on the top of the coffee. Gently use a spoon to break through the crust and as you do, put your nose near the surface and inhale. Make some notes on any new flavours and aromas that you smell.
9. Rinse the spoon in the glass of hot water and work your way along the line of coffees.
10. Using 2 spoons in a circular motion, remove any remaining grounds on the surface so you don’t end up drinking them in the next step. The aim is to leave as much liquid in the glass as possible, and not disturb the sediment at the bottom.
11. Set your timer for 15 minutes (this will allow the coffee to cool sufficiently so you can taste more flavours)
12. Take a spoonful of each coffee and slurp. The aim here is to aerate the coffee so it coats your palate and that way you can taste the most amount of flavours and aromas.
13. Make notes on all the coffees you taste and repeat. Once you’ve tasted all the coffees and made notes, repeat the process again. This next time you’ll more than likely discover flavours that you missed the first time and your palate adjusts to the subtle differences between the coffees.