A sensory adventure with coffee cupping

From bean to brew

Story by Sheila Paz

Slurping may not be the first thing that comes to mind when tasting coffee, but slurping is a must when participating in a coffee tasting, better known as coffee cupping. Tasting coffee goes beyond brewing a coffee from your Keurig or ordering at your local coffee shop. It is a multi-sensory journey that can teach the average coffee drinker more about coffee profiles and how to be more observant in their daily lives. From a professional standpoint, coffee cupping is how coffee professionals, roasters and tasters evaluate and assess the quality, flavors, and characteristics of coffee beans.

When participating in a coffee cupping, go in with a clear and open mind. The space around you should be calm and quiet so that you can give your full attention as a participant. You will be encouraged to note what you are smelling and taking at each step in the cupping process. Coffee cupping teaches you to be more observant, using all your senses to figure out what you may or may not like.

Rows of cups and beans with baristas smelling various aromas

The java journey

The first part of the cupping adventure begins with smelling each coffee grind sample. After you have gotten a good whiff and noted what you are smelling, hot water is added to each sample where a coffee crust of grinds will form. The coffee aroma starts to change as the coffee begins to brew. After about five minutes you will break the crust of each coffee sample by pushing the crust with a spoon about three to four times. With each pushback you will nose the coffee, inhaling the freshly brewed coffee’s smell and observing the aroma difference between each step. Once it has been eight minutes, it is time to go against your parents’ wishes and start slurping. Slurping, versus sipping, “sprays” the coffee, ensuring it hits all of your mouth’s taste buds.

Barista pouring water into cup of ground coffee on scale — Coffee cupping is essential in the coffee industry, as it provides a universal standardized method to evaluate samples of coffee beans’ aroma, taste and texture characteristics. Cupping also helps detect any defects during the farming and post-harvest processes. In general, cupping can occur anytime, but for roasters or coffee professionals, cupping takes place within 24 hours from when the coffee beans are roasted. This makes it easier to tell if there are any imperfections.

Post sips

Throughout the coffee cupping, take notes during the entire process. Typically, during cupping, you will take note of aroma, flavor notes, acidity and balance, aftertaste and body. This may be challenging at first, but with time, practice and asking your roaster questions, it will become easier. You may even find yourself applying what you have learned to daily life.

Susannah Winters from Hilton Head Coffee Roasters puts it like this “Someone once said to me ‘Find what makes that coffee good,’ and when we look for the good coffees, it honors the work that goes into producing it. How can we apply this to our life? Are we walking through looking for faults, defects and things we don’t like or are we looking for the good and the positive?”

A taste of your own

For those interested in trying a cupping experience, Hilton Head Coffee Roasters will be creating a cupping experience for locals. Head over to its website for more information, hiltonheadcoffee.com