Cupping, what’s it all about?

Part 1 (6th August 2011)

Q. Hey Daimen, I thought our readers might like to get the lowdown on cupping and what’s involved.

A. Cupping is about tasting the coffee and identifying the individual flavour components that make up the overall taste. To understand the taste of coffee let me put it into perspective, all food in made up of flavour molecules; steak for example is made up of around 200 molecules compared to coffee which is made up of upward of 800 flavour molecules.

Q. Wow, so that’s why tasting notes contain descriptions like chocolaty, smoky, and nutty?

A. That right. Coffee combines lots of different flavour molecules to create hundreds of different flavours.

Q. So can you explain how you taste coffee as opposed to just drinking and enjoying the brew?

A. Firstly the roasted coffee beans are coarsely ground, similar to what would be required for plunger coffee, it’s then allowed to infuse in very hot water for 3 to 5mins. Then use a spoon to break the crust that forms on top to release the aromas and identify them. Once you’ve noted the aromas, allow the brew to cool and once again using the spoon, slurp the coffee into your mouth so that you coat your palate with the coffee. Like wine tasting, the coffee is usually not swallowed but disposed of in a container: not very graceful but quite effective when you have a lot of tasting to get through.
From the there you want to indentify the flavours on your palate. Check out the diagram which explains where you taste the different flavours on your tongue.

Q. It seems quite complicated, can anybody do it?

A. It does take quite a bit of practice to master the art but it just a case of continuing to taste and training the taste buds to single out all of the flavours. It really is the best way of sampling single origins mostly as a way of creating the best possible blends.

Q. And how often do you carry out cupping sessions?

A. I cup every day and once a week we all come together to taste and discuss the week to date and bring together every body’s ideas and suggestions on combinations and blends.

Q. Well thanks for that Daimen, i hope our readers are a little more informed on what happens at a cupping sessions. Do you think next edition we could go into more detail about the actual flavours and what to look for in a good and bad coffee?

A. No worries Bear, happy to be sharing the knowledge. See you next month.

Part 2 (8th September 2011)

 I’m back again with our resident coffee geek, Daimen, to continue our discussion on cupping……………read more

Q. Hey Daimen, thanks for coming back for a chat.  Let’s jump straight into it and talk about things like body and acidity.

A. This is where it gets a little more in depth Bear, let’s start with Acidity; this sensation is detected at the back of the tongue.  Acidity creates a bright, lively taste; if coffee didn’t have this brightness it would fall quite flat.

Then there’s Aroma, if you don’t have aroma then you can only taste the sweetness, sourness etc of the coffee.  Aroma enables you to detect those subtle differences like nutty, fruity and floral tones.

Next is the Body; how the coffee feels in your mouth, is it thick, heavy or is it light?  It’s like comparing how milk feels in your mouth opposed to water.

Finally we have Flavour; this is the combination of the acidity, the aroma and the body.  Flavours can be described as full bodied and rich, complex with multiple flavours and balanced where nothing is overpowering.

Tasting coffee is a lot like tasting wines, you often hear wines described as fruity, dry, sweet and like wine, different coffees appeal to different people.  Some people like a softer sweeter flavour while others prefer something more spicy and intense.  That’s why Cre8ive Coffee has an array of blends and origins to satisfy all coffee connoisseurs.

Q. That makes a lot of sense.  So what flavours would be pleasing when tasting coffee?

A. There’s quite a few but some examples would be; Caramel – which has a syrupy taste to it. Fruity – this has a citrus or berry scent. Sweet – this lacks any harshness. There’s also flavours like nutty, winey, chocolaty and so on.

Q. Now I have to ask what flavours would be objectionable when tasting the coffee?

A. Again there’s a few, and they don’t really need any explanation; bitter, bland, muddy, sour, any adverse flavour you can describe really

Thanks again Daimen for taking the time to share more of your coffee knowledge with us.

Any time Bear, thanks.