A local roaster in town has been holding cupping events, and I was fortunate enough to get on the list. They are looking to keep the number of participants low, less than 10 at a time, so it was fortunate that only 5 showed, as it would have been a little crowded, once things got started.
After a brief introduction of the establishment and background of the roasters, we were introduced to the coffees: An El Salvador Pacamara, a Flores (Indonesian), a Bolivian, and an unwashed/dry processed Ethiopia Sidamo. The majority of the beans were roasted at City to Full City roast level, however the Flores was a darker Full City+ level, as evident by some oil visible on the beans.
The first step was to smell the grounds dry, which is called the Fragrance. As you know, fresh ground coffee can be strongly aromatic, and the idea is to sample these fragrances before any extraction begins. The Pacamara was slightly sweet scented from the caramelized sugars, with a bright fruit note. The Flores was earthy, with some dark fruit notes, but also had a smoky note. The Bolivia was a little earthy, but also had a note of light toast. The Sidamo definitely was the most aromatic, with light fruit notes, with blueberry springing to mind.
The second step is to wet the grounds with 200 degree water, and let them brew in the cup for 4 minutes. As the grounds are saturated, the Aroma will be released, which is specific to wet grounds. Dry grounds = Fragrance. Wet grounds = Aroma. While the coffee brews in the cupping bowl, a crust will form at the top, made up of grounds. After 4 minutes (~170 degrees), “breaking the crust” is performed, and when the most aroma is released, so don’t be afraid to get your nose in close. With the aid of a cupping spoon, the crust is broken in a small scraping motion, which releases the aromas. Be ready to soak up those aromas, as they can fade quickly. Once this is completed, the remaining grounds are skimmed off the top in preparation for the next step.
The third step is tasting the coffee, however it is more of a “slurping” action. Slurping allows the sample to coat the tongue, while atomizing some of it to get the aromatic elements integrated into the tasting. The sample size is the cupping spoon, so it’s not too hot, and makes it easier to slurp from. At this point, the idea is to identify the Taste, the Body/Mouthfeel, and Finish/Aftertaste. The tastes are pretty much that, what flavors are identifiable? Does it have acidity, sweetness, or specific flavors? The Body or Mouthfeel is more how the coffee feels in the mouth, is it balanced or rich in the flavors? Heavy or thin could be used to describe the viscosity (think syrupy) on the tongue. The Finish/Aftertaste looks at what tastes lingers in the mouth? Does it leave your mouth feeling clean, or does it have lingering notes? It’s possible for additional tastes to emerge at this stage as well, so it is recommended to swallow the sample, rather than spit it out.
Overall, the tastes mirrored the initial fragrances and aromas from the samples. The Pacamara had woody, toast notes with a more acidic finish, which increased as it cooled. The body was light, with a toast note in the aftertaste as well. The Flores was dark fruit, earthy, with an oily taste, which is common for the region. It was a heavy body, with a smoky, oily finish. The Bolivia was the most balanced of the samples, and it was difficult to identify specific flavors. Sweetness was evident, as well a light spice, but the body was light with a clean aftertaste. The Sidamo was the favorite of the group, because it had bright blueberry, spice, and chocolate notes. It was low acidity, but the citrus, blueberry notes lingered in the finish as well. The dry processing of the Sidamo beans means the cherry fruit was allowed to dry around the bean, which infuses bright fruit flavors, as evident by the blueberry.
Overall, as a first experience, this was informal, and very informative. It was interesting to sample the coffee at each stage, especially to note the differences between fragrances and aromas, as well as sampling the coffee at various temperatures, because a hot cup of coffee will highlight different taste notes, than when it has cooled. Additional cupping events are planned, with differing coffee selections, so needless to day, I hope to get more experience in this area soon.