Coffee Cupping 

Coffee cupping is the best and the simple way to learn and understand the different characteristics (acidity, aroma, body and flavor) of how to choose the best coffee beans (hyperlink to Gourmet Coffee Beans Types) is to experience them and the best way to experience them is to participate in a professional coffee cupping, or coffee tasting as it allows us to compare and contrast coffees against each other, and allows us to get a better understanding of each coffee. This is also a great party idea when you have a few friends over on a rainy night.
For your own coffee cupping experience at home, follow these steps…

1. Setup the equipment

For grinding process arrange the following items near the person who will be doing the grinding:
     1. A variety of whole-bean, (hyperlink  single origin coffees)
     2. A (hyperlink  burr coffee grinder)
     3. A kettle of near boiling water
     4. A silver Tablespoon

Place the following items at a table setting for each person:
     1. A small porcelain cup
     2. A second cup, or some place to spit the coffee out
     3. A large silver spoon

Note: be ready to rinse each person's cup and spoon between tasting each coffee variety, or provide separate cups and spoons for each variety of coffee used for tasting.

2. Coffee Cupping tips before you start…

1) Make sure all equipments used during the process of coffee cupping are cleaned and free of rancid coffee oils and detergent residue.
2) To avoid scalding over-  use cold and fresh water to fill the kettle and allow it to cool before coming into contact with the coffee.
3) For efficient cupping use medium-course grind.
4) For each and every coffee variety, use the same amount of coffee for reliable and better comparison.
5) Use 7.25 grams of coffee per 5 oz of water or 2 heaped tablespoons (ground) to 6 oz of water.
6) Using filtered water will surely improve the taste of your coffee and so will give better results.
7) In between while tasting every coffee, you should spit the coffee out and rinse your mouth with water to clear your senses for the next coffee type.

3. Begin

The Coffee Cupping Procedure

Step 1 - Assess the Fragrance

Grind: Grind the first variety of coffee and use a clean tablespoon to place two heaped spoonfuls in each person's cup.

Smell: Bring the spoon up to your mouth, and inhale each person should inhale deeply and assess the fragrance.

Evaluate: Does the coffee smell sweet or fresh or stale? Notice the fragrance - this is an indicator of the freshness of the roast.

Step 2 - Assess the Aroma

Pour & Wait: Onto each sample, pour about 6oz of water covering all the grounds. The water should be just cooler than boiling temperature. The easiest way to do this is to boil the water first and leave it for 1 minute before for cooling before pouring.
Wait for about 3 minutes for the coffee to infuse. During this time the coffee grounds will rise and form a crust on top of the liquid.

Smell: using their spoon, each person should break the crust, pushing back the grounds to see the liquid. At the same time inhale deeply and assess the aroma. Allow the crust grounds to sink.

Evaluate: the aroma that can be smelt makes a significant contribution to the coffee's flavor. You might use words such as chocolaty, caramel, fruity or spicy if you like the aroma. If you find the aroma unpleasant, words such as harsh, grassy or musty might apply.

Step 3 - Assess the Taste (Acidity, Body & Flavor)

Slurp & Swirl: Using their spoon, each person should ladle a spoonful of coffee into their mouths, drawing the coffee to the roof of the mouth to tickle the tongue and then fall into the back of the mouth then forcefully slurp the liquid to the back of the mouth, sucking in air at the same time. The air should mix with the coffee and disperse it evenly, then roll the coffee around the mouth allowing it to touch all of the tongue's taste areas (bitter, sweet, salty and sour). Swirl the coffee around the mouth and feel its consistency and body and begin to look for tastes.

Evaluate: The way the coffee felt in your mouth can be used to describe the coffee's body. What does the coffee leave in your mouth when you have finished it? Aftertaste is a very important part of the cupping. Did you think it was a light or medium or full-bodied coffee? How would you describe the acidity? Was it bright or fruity or metallic or simply flat and lackluster? Now after you have considered both the aroma and taste, how would you describe the overall flavor? Was it positive – fruity or winey or nutty? Or Was it negative – rubbery or chemically or green?

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