top of page
Feature Style Narrative:
Practicing the Art of Cupping Coffee
05/02/2024
A feature style narrative about my day at Kaldi's Coffee Roastery learning about how to cup coffee, evaluate the flavors present, and articulate what I think makes a good cup of coffee. I've used just first names and in some cases pseudonyms in the interest of confidentiality.
The crust breaks as the sweet and bold aroma of an Ethiopian blend travels to my olfactory bulbs. I close my eyes. Flower petals and vibrant fruits fill my head as a deep breath enters my lungs. I, along with a group of about ten other coffee connoisseurs, stand around a table at the Kaldi's Roastery in St. Louis, anxiously awaiting our educational journey on the art of cupping coffee. The table was set with hard plastic bowls containing different flavors of coffee grounds and large iridescent spoons for tasting.
Coffee Cupping is an art created to evaluate the different tastes within a cup of coffee. To have the strongest flavor for easier detection, the brewing process is a bit different than typical. Coarsely ground beans are placed into different bowls around the table, each with a different blend and a place-mark with its name. Then, the hot water is poured directly over the top of the grounds and left to steep for four minutes. During this time, the chemical reactions that occur while steeping create a foam covering the top called the crust. After the crust forms the first step to cupping is using the back of the spoon to push the foamy layer out of the way to release the aroma beneath. Once the crust is broken, it is then time to scrape away the foam at the top and take a taste.
How to Cup Coffee at Home
Our three guides arrive with steaming pitchers of water, pouring it over each blend around the table. Steam fills the air and fogs the glass walls separating us from the production factory like we’re in a fish tank. The steam floating through the air and the smell of roasting beans made it seem as though we were sitting around the campfire. We were told the story of how the coffee craze began; it all started with a goat. In 6th century Ethiopia there was a goat herder, Kaldi. He stumbled upon his flock sampling berries from bushes around the land. Then, he noticed that the goats were unusually energetic. Kaldi tasted the seeds for himself and discovered that the berries were the cause of the goats' spike in energy. After this discovery, coffee beans traveled throughout the world, providing people with their effects. Kaldi’s story inspired not only the company's name but also their leaping goat logo.
"Kaldi’s story inspired not only the company's name but also their leaping goat logo."
"Café's have always been a place to hatch ideas and connect with others."
Coffee has many connections within history. In 1773 there was an American-led mercantile protest commonly known as the Boston Tea Party in which crates of tea were thrown into the harbor. After this event, it’s said that most Americans switched over to drinking coffee. Mark Pendengrast, author of “Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How it Transformed the World”, disclosed to NPR that this story isn’t far from the truth. Pendengrast cites a letter John Adams wrote to his wife he confesses his love for tea, but after such an event Adams proclaims he will have to “learn to embrace coffee instead, because drinking tea had become unpatriotic” (NPR). Pendengrast reveals that this isn’t the only historical event fueled by coffee, “...the French Revolution and the American Revolution were planned in coffeehouses" (NPR). He believes that this is because coffee houses create “egalitarian places” where people can come together. Café's have always been a place to hatch ideas and connect with others.
After four minutes of steeping, it was time to taste. We were instructed to fill our spoons, pour the coffee into our bowls and sip from the bowl to prevent any cross-contamination. Our main guide Rich, an older man, instructed our group of young coffee enthusiasts to “slurp up our samples like a puppy dawg”, so it makes the same sound as a dog drinking from a bowl. He describes how this "aerates the coffee and spreads it fully over the tongue,” allowing for a heightened taste of the flavors present. Rich, of course, led by example. His slurps echoed throughout the room as the attendees all let out a slight laugh. We traveled around in a circle, tasting each coffee and listening to the song of dramatic slurps.
While drinking one of the blends, I hear a voice whisper over, “What do you think of this one?” I look up and see a girl, with long, slick hair, the same color as the coffee in our cups, asking for my insight. I whisper back how I thought it was more acidic than the others, which I didn’t enjoy quite as much. Her voice rose a bit with confidence. "I agree”.
"A heightened taste of the flavors present"
Evaluating the notes within a blend is subjective and requires both knowledge and practice. Coffee cupping is essentially a fancy term coined to describe the tasting experience. Ted Lingle, the Co-Founder of the Specialty Coffee Association of America describes cupping as “a method used to systematically evaluate the aroma and taste characteristics of a sample of coffee beans” (Origin). Many professionals have broken down this evaluation and created a flavor wheel as a universal way to identify flavors. There are five different tastes that one's receptors can detect. Evaluating coffee includes four out of the five: sour, sweet, salt, and bitter. Another important part of analyzing a cup of coffee for quality is knowing the language to describe the flavors present. Alongside the flavor wheel, there are different elements of coffee tasting. Blue Bottle Coffee Lab lists five essential elements - sweetness, body, acidity, flavors, and finish. Acidity is an important part of a brew and is determined by pH levels, darker roasts have lower acidity while lighter roasts have a higher level of acidity. Learning to detect and articulate these essentials to coffee tasting is “Honing your ability to identify a coffee’s distinct qualities [and] will unlock the “why” behind your preferences” (Blue Bottle), this way one can truly uncover what they desire from a cup of java. For example, knowing your preferred acidity level will determine what roast is fit for you.
"Evaluating the notes within a blend is subjective and requires both knowledge and practice."
While moseying around the room, tasting each cup, the girl and I engaged in a bit of small talk. She introduced herself as Alex. I noticed she seemed close with other members of the group, and then I noticed the tiger logo on a few of those others’ sweatshirts I had recognized to be Mizzou’s. They were business students working on a project together for one of their classes. I was shocked at the coincidence. On the day I attended this event, there were other college students, just like myself, using this opportunity to create an immersive project. For the hour and a half that the class lasted, we bonded.
I walked out of the building with a complimentary bottle of cold brew concentrate and a smile across my face. The spring air blew in my face, the sunlight hit my skin, and the smell of the nearby blossoms now reminded me of that first inhale.
bottom of page