Coffee Cupping

بواسطة Marid Coffee على Dec 12, 2023

Whether you prefer to visit your favorite coffee shop in the morning and order a wonderful cup of coffee, or you prefer to prepare coffee yourself anywhere, the coffee you taste has a long story that begins as a seed and ends as that shiny brown drink in your cup. The most prominent and important of these stages for us at Mared Al Qahwa as a specialized roastery is the "cupping" stage, where the quality of the crops is evaluated before they reach you.

What is a coffee cupping session?

In a coffee cupping session, the quality of the crop is evaluated through the individual characteristics of the crop, including aromas and flavors of each cup, based on fixed and agreed-upon standards by coffee experts worldwide. Experts consider these standards a unified and consistent communication method among them to unify evaluation and communication to determine coffee quality. Coffee cupping sessions are an integral part of specialty coffee culture and are decisive in purchasing decisions at all scales, whether buying crops in tons or kilograms.

How is coffee evaluated?

In cupping sessions, a system developed by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) is usually followed to provide a unified method for coffee experts to evaluate crop quality and identify potential defects. In this system, the crop is evaluated with a specific score ranging from 1 to 100 points. The crop must be within the range of 80 to 100 points to be called a "specialty crop," and any crop below 80 points is not considered specialty. Therefore, the coffee cupping session is considered the basis for differentiating between the quality of crops and classifying them into specific categories.
During a coffee cupping session, participants fill out a form that includes a number of main points and categories such as aroma, flavor, taste, acidity, body, balance, and overall impression. You can view the form we use at Mared Al Qahwa roastery here.

It is also important to know that coffee evaluation is a personal matter that largely depends on the preferences of the taster. One may prefer a certain type of coffee over another, and it is not necessary for everyone to agree with their choice. Anyone can build their own system by tasting many crops to determine the pattern that suits them and that they prefer.

How are cupping samples prepared?

In a cupping session, all influencing factors in the preparation process must be constant, except for the variable we want to evaluate. For example, if we want to evaluate the quality of several different green coffee samples, we fix the water temperature, grinding degree, roasting degree, preparation time, and preparation method, and the only variable is the type of coffee. This way, the focus is on the individual characteristics of each crop. And often, we may need to evaluate other variables, such as different roasting degrees for a single crop, for instance!

Usually, during coffee cupping sessions, samples are prepared in a number of cups, and each sample in a cup is marked with a specific sign or number to distinguish between the different samples and evaluate them individually without mixing them. The cupping process proceeds as follows:

Preparation Method: Cupping sessions rely on the immersion preparation method exclusively, unlike other common preparation methods such as dripping, pressing, and so on.
Coffee Quantity: Usually, 12 grams of coffee are used per cup.
Grind Size: The coffee is ground to a medium grind, and after grinding, the aroma of the ground coffee is smelled to evaluate its dry aroma.
Water: The water should be between 93-96 degrees Celsius and consistent for all cups. Each cup is filled until full, or by measuring the added water quantity and applying it to all cups, allowing each cup to steep for 4 minutes. During these minutes, the aroma of the steeped coffee is evaluated.
Breaking the Crust: After four minutes, stir the crust with a spoon three times. This breaking allows for a better evaluation of the steeped coffee's aroma. Remember to dip the spoon in water between cups to prevent the transfer of aromas and flavors between cups.
Removing the Crust: After breaking the crust for all cups, the crust should be removed using two spoons. Remember to dip them in water between each cup.
Tasting the Coffee: Let the coffee cool for 9-10 minutes after pouring the water so you can taste it better without burning your tongue. To taste the coffee better, slurp it. Slurping allows you to spread the coffee mist over all areas of your tongue. Remember to dip the spoon in water between cups.