Coffee Liqouring

Coffee liquoring simply means coffee tasting. It is comparable to wine tasting. Coffee cupping is the most widely used method of tasting coffee to evaluate the flavor profile and aroma of a coffee. Coffee cupping enables coffee cuppers to detect coffee defects and create coffee blends.

What you need to become a true coffee cupper:

It is important to set up your coffee cupping area in a clean room free of any strong flagrance. Assuming you will be cupping several coffees (as a way to compare), you need the following items:

Light roasted coffee is best for cupping because it allows you to evaluate the slightest differences in aroma, acidity, body, and flavor. Some of these characteristics are burned off when the coffee is roasted to a darker roast. The ideal light roasted coffee should be roasted for only about 30 seconds in to the first crack.

Cupping Procedure:

What to look for in cupping:

The purpose of cupping is to evaluate the coffee. Though you can tell the differences in taste, it is important to know the four major characteristics that define any coffee. It takes practice to be able to taste and analyze these characteristics, but once you get a feel for what to look for, you can easily assess each coffee you taste.

Acidity – This is a bright and dry sensation that adds zing to each coffee. When cupping, it is typically felt in the back and under the edges of your mouth. Coffee acidity is akin to the dry bright sensation you feel when you drink red wine. Kenya coffee has one of the most distinct and remarkable acidity profiles.

Aftertaste- This is the taste that you experience after tasting the coffee. This lingering taste changes over time and it is important to “listen” for the changes and to note how long the taste lingers for.

Body – This refers to the weight or viscosity of coffee. How heavy does the coffee feel in your mouth? It is surprising how distinct the weight of different coffees feel. A good example is the difference between milk and water – milk feels heavier. The best way to assess the body is by allowing the coffee to rest on your tongue and by rubbing your tongue against the roof of the mouth.

Taste/Flavor – This represents how you would describe the combination of the three characteristics above. There are many ways to describe a flavor.