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The art of coffee cupping: How coffee experts evaluate quality

From the dark, earthy notes to the fruity, floral aromas - each coffee has its own taste and character. Do you remember the comparison with wine? A Riesling and a Pinot Gris taste different. The same is true with coffee. Wine is made up of “only” around 400 different aromas. While more than 800 aromas have been identified in coffee so far. This number makes the multifaceted nature of our favorite hot drink clear. Quite a complex natural product, then. Coffee cupping is a type of coffee tasting in which, among other things, you want to identify these aromas. The coffee beans are also checked and evaluated based on several criteria. Various aspects of the coffee are assessed: taste, aroma, acidity, body and aftertaste. So cupping is also a quality check. The aim is to ensure that the coffee meets the highest standards. But how do you evaluate the quality of a coffee and how does coffee cupping work? Which cupping coffee accessories can you buy to try out for yourself?

What is Coffee Cupping?

There are various points in the specialty coffee value chain where coffees are examined for quality. This is where cupping takes place. Green coffee buyers carry out cuppings to evaluate the quality of the beans and thus be able to assign a price to the coffee. Roasteries do cuppings to try out different roasting profiles on a coffee. You want to find out which roasting profile is best. Some cafés also organize cuppings to enable customers to compare the coffees directly. The process of cupping begins with selecting coffee beans from different regions and different varieties. The selected beans are freshly ground. The ground coffee beans are placed in a cup and poured with hot water. After the coffee has been allowed to steep for a few minutes, a layer of coffee grounds is skimmed off and the coffee is sipped and tasted.

The evaluation of a coffee is based on the following key questions:

  • Aroma: How intense and complex is the aroma of the coffee?
  • Taste: Which flavor notes can be identified? Is the coffee sweet or bitter?
  • Acidity: How acidic is the coffee? Is the acidity pleasant or too dominant?
  • Body: How does the coffee feel in your mouth? Is it light or heavy?
  • Aftertaste: How long does the taste of coffee last in your mouth? Is the aftertaste pleasant or unpleasant? Bitter or sour?

The ratings are then recorded in a protocol to document the results. During cupping, the experts rate the coffee according to a standardized rating system. The criteria are set by organizations such as the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) and the Alliance for Coffee Excellence Inc. (ACE). In the context of specialty coffee and cupping, these two organizations play an extremely important role. The SCAA is a coffee association that has been supporting coffee companies with various services for over 30 years to promote the growth and sustainability of the coffee industry. The association has almost 2,500 members from very different countries. ACE is a non-profit organization that supports coffee farmers and roasters from over 50 countries. It has been running the "Cup of Excellence" competition since 1999, where coffee cupping is used to evaluate the quality of specialty coffee and thus ensure greater transparency and integrity.

Buy the right cupping coffee accessories

Coffee cupping can also be a great way for coffee fans to train their own taste buds at home. With Cupping coffee accessories you can discover, compare and rate different coffees for yourself. What’s really fun is the so-called “blind cupping”. Instead of tying a scarf around your eyes, you give your coffees anonymous numbers. Only afterwards do you figure out which coffees are behind it. This is the most objective way to evaluate the coffees. Do you want to try this yourself? With us you can easily buy cupping coffee accessories online.

Which cupping coffee accessories do you need?

When cupping, it is very important that all coffees are prepared in the same way so that they can be compared with each other. This means that all coffees are brewed with the same amount of water and coffee and all beans are ground the same way. You should even taste each coffee twice to make sure a single bad bean doesn't affect the quality of the cup. Barista accessories such as the right kettle, a barista scale and a coffee grinder are essential. For the coffee cupping process you will also need a soup spoon or a professional cupping spoon. Depending on how many coffees you want to test, you will need different small containers. These can be small bowls, small glasses or cups. Best of all, the material is temperature stable. This means that the vessel should absorb as little heat as possible from your coffee. The manufacturer Barista Hustle offers professional cupping coffee accessories. With the cupping bowls from Barista Hustle you get the 24 cupping bowls for your cupping at home. The bowls are made from recyclable HDPE and are dishwasher safe. They are particularly light and robust. Because they are light, they absorb less temperature from the water than average ceramic bowls.

Buy the right coffee beans for coffee cupping

And of course your favorite specialty coffee. Our sample packages with a variety of countries of origin and very different flavor profiles are suitable here! Would you like to buy different coffee beans from the best roasters in Europe? This way. With our sample packages you can try out a wide variety of high-quality coffees. They come in small sample quantities and give you a variety of different countries of origin and flavor profiles.