Cupping Coffee, The Kelby Way

 

Cupping coffee is one of the neat things about roasting coffee. This is when you get your first real impression of what your coffee will actually taste like. It's a simple process of creating a concentrated cup of coffee in order to bring out all the little nuances of the natural flavor of your roast. Once the concentrate is made, you scoop a spoon full of coffee from the top, then slurp the coffee into your mouth. This aerates the coffee, spraying a mist that coats your pallet. The mix of air and moisture allows you to have a full tasting experience. Google tells me that 80%-90% of our taste comes from the sense of smell. There may be science to back the slurping, but all in all, we all want to feel like kids again so making slurping noises in the name of science is a huge bonus.

I learned how to cup from online sources, specifically the "how to cup (taste) coffee at home" video by James Hoffman, so I by no means am a professional. I don't even believe that my pallet is all that refined. My wife, on the other hand, can taste a variety of flavors in our coffee that pass me by completely. I do, however, have enough sense to know if it will be a good cup or not. Will this coffee drink well? Will people like it? Would I be proud to tell someone about this roast? Does it excite me? These are my criteria for our coffee.

What Do I Need To Cup?

In order to taste your coffee properly, you will simply need a scale that measures in grams. You need cupping cups, two spoons, coffee (coarsely ground), a kettle or something to make hot water, an extra bowl for clean water, and a notepad for taking notes. (duh) 

The cups I use are these pretty glass tea cup we found at a thrift store. They are all the same size and weight and they will hold the proper amount of water, which is important. The best part is, they did not explode when I poured the hot water in them. Cupping cups are not a specialized tool. You can use whatever cups you have lying around. The important thing is for them to be the same size and weight.  Having different shaped vessels would change the aroma, altering your tasting from cup to cup. Don't believe me? Ask a wine aficionado, they will swear by this. You also don't want cups of varying weight, because the transfer of heat will be different, causing cooling at different rates, again altering the flavor as you taste. 

As far as the tasting spoon, I prefer a soup spoon. They have a wider surface, meant to hold liquids with less trouble. Again, nothing fancy necessary, unless you decide you need a magic tasting spoon. If that's the case, get two because that helps with the cleaning up part.

How do I cup?

I start with 18 grams of coffee and grind them on a coarse setting. I want a coarse grind because the coffee will steep like tea. The longer exposure to water will allow for a longer and fuller extraction, but you will want half of the water than a regular pour over. 150 grams of water in the cup, directly over the grounds and we let it steep for at least twenty minutes before tasting.

Why twenty minutes before tasting? One, you dont want to burn your tung, so it allows for cooling. Two you want a long extraction time to really bring out the coffee flavors. Three, the coffee will change over time.

I usually go three rounds with ten minute breaks in between. This helps me think about the flavors, drink some water to cleanse the pallet and then taste again. Sometimes, flavors will appear more boldly while the coffee is freshly brewed, like a smokey or earthy element, which may mute or vanish all together when it cools off. I also find that thte fruityier notes sing louder as the coffee cools, letting me really taste which berries or cherries I'm tasting in the final cup. A brief reminder that my pallet is not as sensitive, so your mileage may vary.

Weighing out the coffee, labeling which cup has which coffee in them, and then pouring the water, we sit and wait for ten minutes. The coffee will rise to the top and form a crust. Just break the crust and let it sink to the bottom and a froth will appear. Using two spoons, you clear away the foam and let set for another ten minutes. The extra bowl of water is for cleaning the spoons and discarding the foam and floating grains in your cup. You do not have to have a perfectly clean surface, but you want enough debris and foam out of the way to get just coffee in the spoon. If you have ever had the last sip of coffee in a cup, only to be met with a mouth full of grounds, you'll understand why this matters. Yuck.

What Am I looking for?

As I said early, things that are interesting and make me want to tell everyone about it. I want to find flavors I have never had before or that make me crave the coffee afterwards. Whats the point in specialty coffee if it doesnt make you want more? Another, possibly more important thing, I want to identify bad flavors. Things that taste wrong or out of place. It is possible to get burnt rubber flavors or chemical flavors. I have had that happen, it is not fun to drink, so I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

On the first round of tasting, it's all instinct. What was the first thought in my head, what did my gut say? First slurp, then jot down immediate flavors. Usually these are the earthy tones for my pallet. I pick up nutty, molassus, smokey, spicey. Any of these things can be present. I tend to pick up earthy tones best, and I do prefer the earthy side of coffee. Nutty, cholocatey, and a hint of pipe tobacco. Delicious.

Second round is, what did I miss? I check my intuition, then I sip a few more times. Rolling the coffee around my mouth and really searching for flavors. This is were the sweeter, brighter notes find me. I will usually get tart, berry, cherry, sweetness, and sometimes floral. My pallet is not as sensitive to the floral notes, so I always have my wife cup with me. She will also be more sensitive to the bitter, off flavors than I will be, so she is a good balance for things I do like. They can be too potent in the cup, telling me I need to tone things down in the roast process.

Final round, is it good? Do I want to drink a cup of this? What would I tell people about it? What made my ears perk up or sent me dancing around the kitchen? Did something send a wave of yuck down my spine? This is the final test before going into my next round of tests. Round three is where we settle on the base tasting notes of the coffee. That is just what appears on the label for tasting notes. They might change between now and packaging, but most times, we settle pretty firmly one the tasting notes here.

Then What?

If these coffees sing properly, then I will brew a few batches of that particular roast throughout the week to get to know the coffee as a daily cup. One off coffees are nice, something to spice things up, but I would prefer our coffee to be something that people would want to buy and keep on hand. Something worth the effort of finding online or in a local store.

When all things go well, it gets an official name and packaged, along with 2 ounce sample sizes. I hand out these samples to some people I trust, of a variety of coffee preferences, and ask for feedback. Beta testing is the flip side of the proverbial coin called fun, because you get to hear other peoples opinions about your coffee. You get first hand reactions to something you made. It is always gratifying to have someone else tell you how good your coffee is. It is important to like what you make. If you don't like it, then you wont be excited enough to sell it, but when other people like it, that is the affirmation that you are on the right track. When all is said and done, the coffee goes to market and we sell along side of our other roasts. Then, we really get to see how well we do. The public will speak by purchasing or not.

Whats in my cup?

Sometimes, we roast coffees that I am not excited about, or maybe i think could be better. Often times I'll just drink that coffee instead of packaging it.I do like the coffee but it's nothing I feel is worth the price point of our coffee. I would feel guilty selling something I was't one hundred percent confident that someone would enjoy. Most everyone, anyway.

Currently I am experimenting with blends. I roasted a few Bolivian coffees to different medium levels. A unique profile based off our Bee In Nature coffee. Some people may think that blending the same origin is not worth it or not as impressive because they express the similar notes. Typically, you would blend a variety of origins due to their natural flavor differences. (i.e Ethiopian is naturally fruity while Nicaraguan tends to be nutty and chocolatey) I have learned that some coffee's have a variety of flavors that come out at different temperatures. The medium-light Bolivian is fruity and a little tart. It has a bright nutty body and finishes with a little pucker, similar to a walnut husk. The medium-dark roast has a dried fruit, pipe tobacco flavor. I love that deeper, earthier fruit flavor but I want to see if putting them together clashes or compliments. (it made things muddy. Bummer)

I also tried an experimental roast of Ethiopian medium that we roasted for a client, and that is fun but not much different the Beespoke we already roast. Beespoke being a light roast, is very fruity and finishes with a slight bitterness of tannic acid, much like a red wine. The medium is just overall darker. The bright berry becomes more of a reduced compot. The red wine goes from a cabernet to a pinot nior. Deeper, but not much different, which surprised me.

Final Thoughts

Cupping Is an important skill for roasting coffee. This gives you your first look at your coffee as a final product. This process helps you evolve as a roaster and grow as a consumer. Not only do you get to learn about yourself, but you also get to know the coffee and their country of origin. It is a fun, and simple, process that you can do at home for fun, or help you grow as a roaster. Thank you so much for reading, I hope you

have a blessed day!

-Kelby