Cupping Coffee – A Way For Ensuring Coffee’s Consistency – Cupping is a procedure used by professionals (Coffee Cupper) to assess the quality and stability of coffee.
The evaluated coffee will be ground and poured into different cups, and then water is added. The experts tested with hot and cold water in turn.
Why is cupping important?
A professional roaster will certainly never skip the cupping process. Daily cupping helps overcome conditions in the roasting process, such as being too bitter, pale, or burnt in coffee.
Cupping to create new recipes solves problems and complaints from customers. Especially cupping helps control the QUALITY and STABILITY of coffee when delivered to customers.
Evaluation Process
Some people may think that this is a simple process and unnecessary. But hidden behind is a highly complex skill that requires the Coffee Cupper to be very knowledgeable about coffee and have sharp senses to feel coffee’s full flavor and taste.
Coffee is roasted after 8 hours will start the cupping process. The cupping process includes four steps:
- Step 1: Take 8.5 grams of coffee beans to taste, grind coffee beans at medium level, put them in a cupping cup according to each type, smell the scent. Take notes and compare.
- Step 2: Pour 150ml of boiling water into the cupping cup. The boiling point of the water is 94-96 o C. Wait 3-4 minutes for the coffee to be extracted. During that time, evaluate the scent of the floating coffee foam.
- Go up, rate what the smell is like: stronger/weaker, better/worse than other coffees. Inhale the coffee aroma deeply rises, refer to the flavor circle and Consider what scent it is?
- Do you notice the smell of nuts? If so, which ones are they reminiscent of chestnuts, peanuts, or almonds? Take notes and compare. Note: just put your nose close to the cup and smell it, don’t use a spoon to scoop it up or touch the foam
- Step 3: After 4 minutes, gently stir the surface of the coffee with a spoon three times, breaking up the foam. Rinse the spoon in hot water between all cups so you don’t get any scents from another cup.
- Insert your nose into the cup to feel the aromas, and watch the aroma change. When the foam in the cups has broken, skim off the coffee powder that rises to the top with two spoons.
- Step 4: Scoop out one teaspoon and take a strong sip/hiss into the mouth with a bit of air, helping the coffee spread evenly to the olfactory bulb and liquid on the palate.
- How do you feel about the taste: does it sound thin, greasy, soft, rough, light, dry, or creamy like cotton? Does it remind you of anything you’ve tasted since last time?
- Can you spot any flavors of nuts, berries, or spices? Is aftertaste how the aftertaste of coffee? Long or short, or disappearing, is the aftertaste natural, how bitter is it, is it unpleasant? Record for comparison.