The Art of Coffee Cupping

Coffee cupping found its origins in the United States in the late 1800's and continues to be a recognized and respected method of evaluating the smell and taste of coffee beans.

Whether you aspire to become a Master Taster (that's what this profession is called), are thinking of hosting your own 'coffee cupping' party, or are just curious about the process, read on for all the details.

There are a host of flavors and aromas to study, and the cupping process involves smelling, sipping, slurping, swirling and swishing your way to evaluating various types of coffee beans on six different levels. Sounds like quite the party to me!

• Fragrance The smell of ground coffee before adding water to it.
• Aroma The smell of ground coffee after it has been steeped in water. Fragrance and aroma includes fruity, floral or nutty scents as an example, although there are endless ways to describe these.
• Acidity The is the characteristic that gives coffee its 'sparkle'. Coffees with higher acidity are bright and clean with a short, mild finish. The lower acidity coffees are bolder with a longer finish.

  Some descriptive words might be tangy, smooth, nippy or soft.

• Body
This is also referred to as the 'mouthfeel', which is, well, how the coffee feels in your mouth! Different types of coffee will have a different weight on your tongue. For example, if you have had a cup of coffee made with a french press, you'll know that it has a heavier weight than coffee made with an auto drip coffeemaker.

To determine the body of the coffee, take a sip and then rub your tongue on the roof of your mouth. You might describe the sensation as full, rich, or thin.

• Flavor As you might expect, flavor can be described in a multitude of ways, and you are describing how the coffee tastes in your mouth.

  You might describe a taste that is fruity, nutty, woodsy, buttery or chocolatey, to name just a few.

• Finish This is the taste you are left with after swallowing. Does it linger for ten to fifteen seconds or quickly fade? A clean and refreshing lingering taste is an indicator of a quality cup of coffee.

  Some examples of descriptive words for the finish are sharp, sweet, sour, full or silky.

And there you have it...coffee cupping defined!

If you are considering your own in-house cupping experience, keep things very simple and have some fun with it.

Have on hand:

coffee beans in several varieties - as many as you want to evaluate


a coffee grinder - to grind the beans to a medium coarseness


hot water - about 200 degrees Fahrenheit, almost to boiling


coffee cups


soup spoons


1. Grind your coffee beans just as you are going to use them


2. Put 2 heaping teaspoons of the ground beans into a cup; note the aroma while they are dry. Add 6 ounces of the hot, not quite boiling, water.


3. Let the grounds steep for 2 to 3 minutes (note the aroma...do some more sniffing)


4. Gently stir the mixture, breaking the crust that forms on the top. Let the grounds settle to the bottom of the cup and remove any that are floating on top. Then use a spoon to slurp a sample.


5. Roll, swish and swirl the mixture around in your mouth for several seconds before spitting it out (use a different cup for this). Spitting the sample out is preferred if you are going to be doing a good deal of cupping. Take a sip of water before the next sample.


Write down your responses for each category as you experience them. You can compare your interpretation of each coffee cupping to those around you, and see how your 'taste' may differ (or not) from theirs.

Have fun!