The Basic Rules of Coffee Tasting
Just as connoisseurs of fine wine go through an elaborate ritual to taste. And judge the first glass from a bottle. So do coffee experts perform a painstaking process to judge the quality of coffee beans. That process is generally referred to as “cupping” coffee, though the terms “cup-tasting” or “cup-testing” are also sometimes used.
Cupping coffee is conducted in several different venues involved in the coffee trade: at coffee plantations, at regional or national coffee boards, in the offices or warehouses of coffee exporters or importers, and within companies that roast and sell coffee to the public.
The people who judge the coffee must not only have well-disciplined palates. But also must generally avoid strong or greasy foods, alcohol, cigarettes, or anything else that might dull their senses.
The Professional Coffee Cupping Process
To prepare for coffee cupping, a sample of green coffee beans is freshly roasted to a relatively light color, since darker roasting can mask flaws in the beans. Then, 1 tablespoon of the roasted coffee beans is coarsely ground and put into a 6-ounce glass or porcelain cup. Freshly boiled water measuring 210°F is then poured over the coffee, which is left undisturbed to steep for several minutes.
Then, the coffee tasting actually begins. The cupper brings his or her nose close to the cup to breathe in the aroma. While breaking through the floating coffee grounds with a soupspoon sized metal tasting spoon.
After the grounds have settled, the cupper lifts a spoonful of brew to the lips, sucking it in quickly to aerate it and coat the taste buds before spitting it out. Then, all the impressions of the coffee’s flavor and body are observed and jotted down in tasting notes. (See Coffee Speak for a glossary of tasting terminology.)
Enjoying Coffee Tasting Techniques at Home
While you don’t have to go through the same elaborate preparatory process. Which is used in professional coffee cupping, you too can make use of the basic approach. Also use philosophy to broaden and deepen your own enjoyment of coffee with every coffee tasting.
When you encounter a new variety or blend of coffee, pour yourself a cup black and unsweetened the first time you try it. Before your first sip, hold the cup up to your nose and breathe in deeply, taking note of its aroma, how rich it smells, and any signs you detect of other scents reminiscent of, say, chocolate, fruit, or flowers.
Next, take the first sip, sucking in some air as you swish the coffee around your mouth. (Don’t spit it out as a professional might, however!
Feel free to swallow it.) while the coffee is still in your mouth, try to notice its different flavors, as well as its level of acidity and how thick or full-bodied it feels; then, note the flavors and aromas that linger after it leaves your mouth. You might also enjoy noticing how your perceptions change with subsequent sips, especially as the coffee’s temperature cools.
If you feel especially enthusiastic about exploring coffee, devote a small notebook to recording your impressions of different coffee varieties, blends, and roasts. With each new coffee tasting experience, you’ll become more and more of an expert on the pleasures of coffee.