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1. The first thing a
professional cupper will do
is inspect the green (unroasted)
beans, noting the color,
shape, size, cleanliness,
fragility, and density.
Often the cupper is secretly
comparing the beans to
others he has seen in the
past.
2. Next the samples are
roasted. This is the step
where you can set up for a
testing at home. The roasted
beans are examined once
again. How does their color
compare? Are there "quakers"
or "stinkers" that are
discolored? This can
indicate a blighted or
underdeveloped bean.
3. The coffees are ground to
a standard fineness, and a
small, uniform amount is
placed in china cups
(exactly 10 grams, which is
approximately the weight of
a nickel). Weight is more
important than volume,
because different coffees
have different densities.
However, for simplicity's
sake, use a level
teaspoonful of each of your
sample coffees in each cup.
Be sure to keep the samples
in the same order for
everyone tasting. Pour
boiling water over the
coffee, filling each cup to
the brim.
4. Examine each cup. Observe
how the grounds rise to the
top, forming a froth-like
crust. It is now time to
test the "wet-smell" of the
coffee. Bend and place your
nose close to the surface of
the cup, and using a spoon,
break the crust of the
coffee. Use a gentle back
and forth motion to waft the
aromatic steam toward your
nose. How does the aroma
vary from cup to cup? A
professional cupper can
determine the origin of a
particular coffee in part
from its aromatic profile
5. Allow the coffee to cool
a bit, before beginning to
taste the coffee samples.
Sampling coffee that is too
hot can scald your taste
buds, and inhibit the
ability to accurately taste.
Be sure to have a cup of
warm water on hand, to rinse
the spoon out between
samples. An actual cupper
would spit out the samples
to avoid becoming bloated
with coffee as the day
progresses; it may be more
enjoyable for you and your
friends to actually drink
the brewed beverages.
The coffees will be tasted
in the order in which they
were brewed. Take up about
one half a teaspoonful, and
slurp it vigorously into
your mouth, spraying the
various "taste zones". By
spraying the coffee in this
manner, all regions of the
tongue are affected, and the
aroma reaches the nasal
passages. Only in this
manner can the full
structure of fragrance and
flavor be assessed. As you
move from sample to sample,
slurp once to remove the
taste of the previous cup,
then again to actually
assess the flavor.
As the coffee cools, repeat
the tasting, to see how the
flavor profile changes.
6. As you cup the coffees,
take notes on your
impressions. Use specific
terms, such as "spicy",
"nutty", or "winey",
and avoid "fluffy" terms
like "great"! Compare notes
with your friends. Pay
special attention to the
acidity (or snap) of the
coffee, the body of the
coffee as it washes over
your palate, and the overall
flavor of the coffee. You
will find that relatively
small differences between
coffees are more noticeable
with a direct comparison.
Not only will you feel more
capable of determining a
good coffee, but you will be
able to isolate your
favorite coffee.
7. After all of the coffees
have been compared, brew up
a pot of your universal
favorite, and enjoy dessert!
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