Coffee Knowledge | International Judges' Cupping Notes

Cupping was originally a sampling survey technique used by coffee merchants to monitor coffee quality and avoid buying bad coffee. However, it is now a regular coffee activity that allows coffee merchants or other people who need to taste coffee beans to taste a large number of coffee samples in a short period of time and evaluate them in various aspects.

Today I would like to share with you some useful information about coffee cupping that I found in the book "The Bean Hunter".

"There's something wrong with the taste of this coffee!"

When we encounter bad coffee, we often have this reaction. What is wrong with the cup of coffee that causes it to taste bad? As a coffee lover, do you know the reason and the reason?

Coffee is an industry that goes from "coffee tree to coffee table". From the processing of raw beans to the people who drink coffee, every link is closely related to quality. The entire process is the "specialty coffee industry chain". If there is a problem in any link, the coffee is no longer special.

The original name of specialty coffee is Specialty Coffee. When it is translated into boutique coffee in China, it actually cannot accurately explain its meaning. Many people are misled by the literal meaning and think that "specialty coffee" should be as expensive as famous brands. In fact, specialty refers to "high quality", that is, exquisite quality, not price.

Professional coffee appreciation refers to cupping, and with cupping there are naturally ratings. There are two common rating systems in the specialty coffee industry, namely the SCAA rating table of the Specialty Coffee Association of America and the CoE rating system designed by the Organization for Excellence (ACE). Both systems are from the same school, but the difference is that the CoE system focuses more on in-depth exploration of the representative flavor of a single coffee and detailed descriptions of each evaluation item. The CoE rating table can produce the annual winner of the competing country by comparing the high and low scores after scoring. The evaluation process of each round takes a long time. The results of the evaluation test are not only the scores, but also include positive flavor descriptions and explanations of the shortcomings of why the coffee cannot reach the level of a boutique.

The meaning of the scores of the two cupping systems is that samples that score above 84 points on the SCAA scoring table and above 80 points on the CoE scoring table are both confirmed to be of premium grade.

The SCAA and CoE rating tables are easily available on the Internet. It is difficult for people without professional training to fully understand the rating items and rating methods, especially since the rating methods of the two systems are different. The SCAA rating table is limited in the rating methods of clean cup and sweetness, which are very important to Chinese people; the CoE rating table has a very in-depth interpretation of "clean cup", and this rating item is very practical and useful for finding fine beans. Despite this, the two rating systems are quality identification systems used by coffee farmers, roasters, and baristas, and are too difficult for consumers to understand.

I would recommend coffee lovers to start with the following four points as an entry point to observe and distinguish specialty coffee:

1. No taint, fault or other smells, no tightness or astringency

and astringency).

2. Sweet and with pleasant flavor.

3. Coffee traceability: The production information of coffee must be sufficient, that is, the “production history” must be clear and traceable to the coffee farmers who produced it.

4. The cupping result of the Excellence Cup competition is 80 points (the cupping result is for reference of coffee professionals).

When consumers find that there is something wrong with the cup of coffee in their hands, it usually means that "the coffee is astringent", "not fragrant enough", "the taste has changed, and it doesn't taste right", etc. It may be a problem with the beans or the brewing technology. I have developed a simple "aroma and taste method" and "simple cupping method" for ordinary consumers, which can identify the problems of coffee quality without the complicated scoring table of professional cupping.

Steps of smelling and judging flavor:

1. Smell the fragrance

As long as the roasted coffee is fresh, you can smell its natural aroma. When it is ground into powder, the powder is coarser than fine sugar. Pour the powder into a clean cup and pick it up to smell the aroma. What do you smell? The aroma at this time will be more obvious than smelling the beans. It doesn't matter if you can't remember or describe it. Ask yourself: "Does the coffee smell good? Do you like this aroma?"

2. Taste

Pour freshly boiled hot water into the cup with the coffee powder. After about four minutes, filter the coffee grounds with a simple filter. If you don't have a filter, take a spoon and stir the cup three times, then remove the coffee grounds floating on the surface. Then you can start tasting at your favorite temperature. (Please refer to the instructions of the six photos of "Simple Cupping Method" below to practice smelling and judging the taste)

When drinking, try it in three temperature ranges: high temperature (feeling that the coffee is hot but not scalding), medium temperature (feeling like the temperature of American coffee), and room temperature.

Ask yourself: "What do you taste?" Record the feeling you have when you drink it. It doesn't matter if you are at a loss for words or can't remember it at first. Then ask yourself: "Do you like the taste of this cup of coffee at hot or medium temperature? When the temperature of this cup of coffee drops to room temperature, do you still like it? Or does the taste change?"

The "smell and taste method" is very suitable for coffee lovers to judge whether they like the coffee in hand, and it can also judge the current condition of the beans. Practice more and accumulate more feelings about flavors. If you can record all the flavors you drink, whether you like them or not, and communicate more with professionals, over time, you will also accumulate your own ability to interpret coffee flavors.

Steps of the simple cupping method:

This is a simplified version derived from professional cupping, with the purpose of clarifying the current quality status of the coffee beans. The steps are very simple, please refer to the attached picture for instructions.

Step 1: Smell the aroma to determine freshness.

Before opening the package and grinding the beans into powder, smell the coffee aroma first to determine the freshness. Coffee beans should have a natural aroma. Lightly roasted beans have a relatively refreshing aroma, and the aroma after just roasting is not even obvious, with only the taste of starch or beans; lightly roasted beans after maturity will have their own flavor, such as nutty, berry, citrus, floral, sucrose and other flavors. If it is a dark roasted bean, there will usually be oil on the surface of the bean, and the aroma should be rich in dark fruit, caramel, roasted nuts, cocoa, chocolate and other positive flavors. If the taste is greasy or similar to expired peanuts or nuts, it is not fresh.

Step 2: Start simple cupping.

Take an appropriate amount of coffee powder (the coarseness of the grinding can be compared with the scale of the hand-brewed coffee or refer to the photo), and pour it into a clean and dry cup. The ratio of water to powder can be between 1:10 and 1:15. If it is a coffee cup of about 200 ml, take a tablespoon of powder and pour it directly into the cup with freshly boiled hot water. At this time, the coffee powder will expand and float. After about four minutes, gently stir it three times; then, remove the coffee grounds on the surface. If it is a dark roasted bean, there may still be some coffee grounds or coffee particles floating on the surface of the coffee. Wait a few minutes and the grounds will sink naturally.

Step three: slag removal test.

About three minutes after removing the grounds, you can use a spoon to take a taste of the coffee directly, or use a clean spoon to scoop it into small cups to drink. Drinking in separate cups also makes it easier to cool down, and you can test it with family or friends.

The simple cupping method does not require learning cupping skills or any brewing techniques. Its purpose is to find out the "current" flavor and quality of the coffee, which helps to clarify the freshness and quality of the coffee, and even the gap between brewing technology and coffee quality.

When the aroma and flavor measured are not as expected, it means that there is a problem with the freshness or quality of the coffee beans being tested. If the aroma and flavor measured by the cup are better than the flavor measured by brewing, it means that the coffee is fine, but the brewing technique needs to be improved. In addition, water quality will have a very important impact. Before the simple cupping test, remember to try the water first to make sure that the water has no peculiar smell and is not too astringent. If there is a problem with the water, remember to buy a bottle of water to heat it up first. Although it is a simple cupping test, the water quality must still be taken seriously.

Simple cupping can easily reveal "coffee problems". It can be used to determine whether there are problems with the beans or brewing techniques. After the test, there will usually be a clear answer. If the aroma and flavor measured are both acceptable and comparable to the brewed flavor, it means that the brewing technique accurately reflects the current taste and quality of the coffee. Of course, it also means that the brewing technique cannot enhance the flavor of the coffee and take it to a higher level.

The aroma and flavor from the cupping are both good, but the flavor from the brewing is better? This means that the brewing technique is superb and the essence of the coffee can be brewed. Generally, DIY novices often cannot brew coffee better than the simple cupping, while brewers with excellent techniques are able to brew coffee better than the simple cupping. This is an effective way to identify the brewing ability of a barista. Some coffee competitions often use the same beans to compete, and the purpose is also to discover brewing experts and give them rewards.

After you have acquired the basic appreciation skills, you can move on to professional cupping. When I contacted a "direct relationship" estate in a production area, I used the professional cupping mode, which included understanding the information about the estate's bean varieties and harvesting and processing before cupping, as well as the sample's roasting process, and then conducting a complete cupping.

A complete cupping test consists of three stages, including dry aroma, wet aroma, and cupping , with an overall report left on a cupping form (please refer to the Excellence Cup Competition Cupping System and Excellence Cup Competition Cupping Form for details).

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