Cupping is easy! There's plenty of legend surrounding the art of cupping. What is important is the repetition of actually cupping, and building an index of tastes. There is no 'bad' way to cup. You won't learn bad habits, it doesn't have to be a long and involved process.

Cupping is a wonderful tool on all levels of our business. There is no right or wrong answer with cupping. You are setting up standards to objectively identify your personal preferences. Simply follow these guidelines, and enjoy!

What is cupping?

A set of two or more coffees enjoyed in their simplest form; black with no filtration. By using a set of standards to rate each cup, you can begin to build your vocabulary of taste and aroma terms, and setup standards to objectivley identify your personal preferences.

Yes, you can cup a single coffee. However, by comparing two or more coffees, you have the opportunity to enjoy the subtle nuances of each variety moreso than by trying to compare coffees drank at different times. What I want to introduce to you is the idea of 'methodical cupping': comparing multiple coffees purely for their flavor characteristics, and not necessarily for their origin, roaster, packaging, or 'lore'.

How do I cup?

By definition: Place 7.25 grams of drip ground coffee in 5 ounces of fresh 195-200 degree water. However, if these proportions aren't accessible, simply setup your own proportional standards and brew each coffee accordingly.

When we 'drink' coffee, we inhale as the liquid enters our mouth, the liquid passes over the front area and back area of our tongues, then we swallow. The normal 'drink' involves a curved tongue so that little or no liquid passes over the middle or edges of the tongue, and by nature, we don't exhale through our nose directly after the swallow.

To 'cup' coffee:

Inhale powerful, short bursts of air, 'snorts' basically of the freshly ground coffee. This is called the 'fragrance'. Take note of the characteristics you enjoy.

Pour the hot water over the coffee grounds and take the same snorts of the new smells that develop with the hot water. These smells are called the 'aroma'.

Let your coffee steep for 3 minutes, during which time a crust of grounds will form on top of your cup.

Break the crust using a spoon, and remove all the grounds possible (without becoming OCD). Again inhale the aroma of the coffee.

Rather than 'drinking', now the art of 'cupping' comes into play. Take a small 'slurp' of coffee quickly into your mouth. What you are doing is 'aerating' the coffee in order to 'mist' the liquid. This will intensify all of the flavor characteristics. The noisier you are the better you are doing. Roll the liquid all around your mouth letting it pass over each area of your tongue; the front, sweet sensations, the middle, salty sensations, the edges, sour sensations, and the back, bitter sensations. Feel the 'weight' of the coffee on your tongue, sliding your tongue along the roof of your mouth. Swallow a small amount of the liquid and immediately exhale through your nose, to enjoy the nasal sensations. Commonly, the majority of the liquid is spit out, as even if you are a coffee fanatic, you'll get a strong caffeine buzz which will prove distracting.

Take notes of the sensations you just enjoyed!