The Art of Cupping
Part I: Whats and wherefores of cupping coffee
Much like wine tasting, coffee cupping is a developed skill which requires patience, practice, participation and just a little bit of imagination. Some people have a knack for applying appropriate adjectives to the coffee drinking experience, but I would hazard to say that anyone who takes a moment to reflect on what they are tasting can be an excellent interpreter of the characteristics of coffee.
Is cupping an essential component to the enjoyment of coffee? Absolutely not. But cupping can be a great way to not only expose yourself to new flavors, it can also help the coffee enthusiast find other coffees that they might enjoy, based on how well they are able to describe a cup to another person. You may be reading this and say to me, “Just give me a cup of rocket fuel, please. As long as my coffee is black and bitter, I don’t give a damn. This cupping business is for coffee snobs.” Already, you’ve participated in the art of cupping by saying this in response to my suggestion that you consider learning about cupping: you’ve told me that your preference is for coffee that is darkly roasted, full in body and doesn’t readily present the subtler flavors because of the choice in dark roasts. If you asked me to recommend a similar coffee as to what you are used to drinking, I could probably find a coffee that was to your liking.
Taking time to bother learning different adjectives for the aroma (smell), taste and mouth-feel (or body) is not only useful for expanding your horizons with respect to the variety of coffees you introduce into your life, the process of cupping can also be an entertaining and pleasurable experience that can be shared with friends and family. While there are a few people out there that prefer to stick to one type of flavor when they eat or drink a particular foodstuff, the majority of us would like to know how we can have a similar experience without risking an unpleasant one.
Also, like wine, it is not difficult to find a good number of self-proclaimed connoisseurs and aficionados who preach about the acidity of this or that region versus the body of another region and the tartness of a particular blend found only in the high mountains of Kathmandu. These people are rarely interested in the spirit of cupping and are much more interested in the social pecking order in which they are the experts and anyone who disagrees with their assessment of a particular coffee is mistaken, misguided and somehow less cultured. Cupping should not be a competition, but a method by which two people can share a sensory experience.
Learning to describe tastes, aroma and body is a skill that takes time to develop for most of us. While not necessary, it can be helpful to participate in informal coffee cupping with a friend or a group of friends. Not only does it spread out the monetary cost of trying new coffees, but group cupping events are probably the best way to develop your own adjectives for a particular aspect of coffee in a language that someone else will understand. As I’ve already stated, cupping can also be an entertaining experience when presented as a social function. Think of cupping as you might a private wine-tasting. Invite a few friends over with a coffee theme in mind (whether it be South American coffees, different roasts of the same coffee region, etc.), brew up a couple of batches and start comparing perceptions in-between normal party conversations.
We’ll explore why coffees have different characteristics in later articles in this series. Suffice it to say for the time being that the characteristics we are trying to put names on are some product of the following :
- roast
- growing region/conditions
- brewing method
- quality of the water used
…just to name just a few.
As already mentioned previously in the article, the main characteristics people attempt to capture in cupping are some aspect of aroma, taste and mouth-feel.
Next: The Art of Cupping, Part II: Aroma
Related Articles:
The Art of Cupping, Part II: Aroma
The Art of Cupping, Part III: Taste
The Art of Cupping, Part IV: Mouthfeel and Body / Conclusion
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