Cupping Technique Part 1: Coffee cupping, also known as coffee tasting, is the Technique of tasting coffee to determine its quality. This is a professional practice carried out by “Q Graders” or anyone (Cupper) with an essential awareness of Cupping processes and a passion for coffee.
Because the tasting process is a highly personalized sensory evaluation, the coffee cupping procedure must adhere to a system governed by several factors, including instruments, sample preparation, sample evaluation, manipulation, and scoring… To acquire the most objective coffee quality results possible.
Cupping isn’t tricky in and of itself, but Cupping correctly is.
What is the purpose of Cupping?
To Cupping, the coffee will be roasted “woody” at a low temperature, preserving the bean’s unique flavor. This allows us to recognize the primary flavors, benefits, and drawbacks and select the best processing method, blend different varieties, and enjoy them. Cupping will reveal the differences in taste between coffees from other countries, regions, and altitudes…
Cupping is a procedure, not an art
Cupping isn’t just for enjoying coffee; there are various manual ways to enjoy coffee, such as Pour Over V60, French Press, or something a little more demanding like Siphon, Espresso…
Cupping is used in the coffee industry to evaluate the quality of purchased coffee. Cupping is, in some ways, a job that necessitates precision and a wide range of skills.
On the other hand, Cupping necessitates a high level of expertise and falls almost into the realm of sensory evaluation science. There are a lot of specific criteria and computations to consider.
From preparation to grinding seeds, adding water, tasting, and scoring, each process must be precise and complete to produce the most objective results. Professional Cuppers, well-trained in SCAA coffee tasting skills, and qualified SCAA/Q-Graders will agree on Cupping Technique rather than Cupping Art.
Cupping fundamentals
We will study all about coffee tasting using the set of technical standards provided by the Technical Standards Committee of SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association – Specialty Coffee Association of America).
To master the Art of Cupping, you must first master the Art of Cupping
- First and foremost, remain humble and continue to learn
If you’re a Barista (barista) or a Roaster (coffee roaster) who wants to work autonomously and needs to share your experiences with friends and coworkers, Cupper is the place to be.
The finest cuppers are humble and eager to learn more, emphasizing team roles. When someone cups a few different varieties of coffee by himself and claims to know the flavor of coffee, it sounds “exaggerated.”
- Second, don’t be scared by those who try to impress you with a coffee mug full of abstract descriptive numbers.
There will be no out-of-the-ordinary things because this is not a cooking competition, and speaking fluently is not an indication of high cupping abilities.
The description of the coffee cup, on the other hand, should not be too dry, rigorous with the definitions in the Wheel Flavor (coffee flavor circle) because if you like coffee, you will find it quite intriguing.
To summarize, the key to becoming a good Cupper is to believe in yourself by practicing often and to remain humble enough to learn from others.
Reference source:
- Coffee Cupping – http://www.scaa.org
- Tasting Coffee – http://www.coffeeresearch.org/
- Coffee Cupping:A Basic Introduction – www.hasbean.co.uk
- The Craft and Science of Coffee – Britta Folmer; Chapter 8: Cupping and Gradingd Discovering Character and Quality