In any field of producing food or beverage, it is important to have a system for quality control. Cupping, which is used in the coffee industry, involves a sensory evaluation of the finished product. Sensory evaluations are used to determine smells and tastes of coffee. Receiving green pre-shipment samples from coffee plantations, allows us to sample roast and perform extensive cupping evaluations for each crop.
Every small, hand-roasted batch of coffee is cupped to ensure that all standards for our finished products are met. This process ensures that our consumers will receive the very best coffee available, every time. When cupping, we look for any faults or defects such as: fermentation, souring, off flavors, or immaturity in the coffee beans. Faults can arise anywhere in the supply chain from growing, processing, shipping, storing, or roasting.
Minimum Cupping Requirements:
Procedures for Cupping:
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1. Grind each coffee to a medium-course ground, similar to a grind you would use for a basket shaped brewing device.
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| 2. Add 10 grams of the ground coffee to an 8 oz. cup.
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3. Pour near boiling water into the cup so that it incorporates all of the grinds, and fills to the brim.
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4. Allow the grinds to steep for 10 minutes. It is possible to analyze some of the Aromas at this stage. Defects may also be detectable. |
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5. After the allotted time has elapsed, use the cupping spoon to break the grinds across the entire surface area of the cup. It is important to analyze the Aroma here, even if you have already done so, as the full extraction has now taken place, and all aromatic compounds will be present.
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6. Skim the grounds and any foam off the top of the cup, as it is not a pleasant experience to slurp a spoon full of ground coffee. Discard.
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7. Take about a spoon-full of the coffee, and slurp it your mouth with force. Caution: Coffee may still be hot. This action aerates the coffee, and disperses it throughout the taste buds in your mouth.
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8. Swirl the coffee around your mouth for around three to five seconds, taking in the taste sensations.
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9. Discard coffee from mouth. When cupping a lot of coffee, the cupper may wish to discard the coffee to avoid consuming more coffee than desired.
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10. Rinse cupping spoon with near boiling water, and rinse palate with cold water before moving on to another coffee. Make notes about your observations, and discuss with others your findings. You will be surprised at how discerning your taste buds are.
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Sensory Evaluation:
Coffee cupping consists of five steps, which evaluate a coffee's fragrance, aroma, taste, aftertaste, and body.
1. Fragrance
Coffee is made up of over 1000 unique substances, many of them being organoleptic. As with many other fine beverages, the fragrance of coffee is a major determiner of quality. The first step in evaluating the fragrance of coffee is to freshly grind your 10 gram sample into the 8 oz. Cup. It is best to analyze the fragrance as soon as possible after it is ground, as the intensity of the aroma decreases over time.
Some things to look for are sharply sweet or pungent hints, as they may denote a defect within the coffee.
2. Aroma
In the previous step, Fragrance, you assess the coffee grounds while they are dry. Analyzing the aroma is different as this step is done after the hot water is poured over the coffee grinds. After the hot water is poured, allow time for extraction and settling of the coffee, a crust will form over the surface of the cup. Using a cupping spoon, gently break the entire surface area of the crust. This action releases all of the aromas that have been extracted in the brewing process. Lean in close to the cup, to waft the aroma. Aroma is analyzed in the same fashion as Fragrance. Once finished the assessment of Aroma and the coffee grinds have settled, it is now time to skim off the remaining grinds and foam from the cup of coffee. Discard.
3. Taste
As coffee is such a richly complex beverage, it is important to analyze every flavor you may find. High quality cups of coffee may contain herbal and floral tones, just as they may contain hints of chocolate, nuts, and oak. To best release all of these aromatic properties, aerate the coffee with a forceful slurp, mixing air with the fluid as it enters your mouth. Allow yourself three to five seconds to taste the coffee. This should be sufficient time to assess all of the wonderful flavor characteristics in a cup of coffee. When cupping a lot of coffee, the cupper may wish to discard the coffee into the spittoon to avoid consuming more coffee than desired.
4. Aftertaste
Once the coffee has left your mouth, it is important to continue focusing on your palate. A coffee that you have determined to have a high quality aroma and taste may end up having a bland or otherwise unpleasant finish. The finish may last for an extended period of time, or it may be completely absent altogether. Sweet or pungent aftertastes may be indicative of a defect.
5. Body
In order to determine the body of a coffee, one must take into account the feel of the coffee in the mouth (be it creamy, smooth, oily, or light), the complexity of the coffee, and the finish. A high quality coffee should have a full-bodied taste, meaning that the flavors pique the taste buds throughout the mouth and provide a lasting and pleasant finish.
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