Coffee Cupping

As awkward as the title might sound, it is what it's called. Coffee Cupping. I walked into Rococo today to meet a potential roommate but was an hour early since I got of work and didn't want to go all the way home. This is what I walked into. It was the employees doing it so they get to know the coffee better, but they opened it up to anyone interested in doing it. I'm not a pro, but this is an outsiders first time perspective of what cupping is.

What is coffee cupping:
It is a way to observe the tastes and aromas of brewed coffee. It is typically a professional practice (used when deciding between buyers for coffee or among those creating the coffee), but anyone can do it. 

How it's done:

There were 5 different origins of Rococo coffee. Lined up in a row, there were three cups full of fresh ground coffee of each origin (totaling 15 cups). To start, you quickly went down the row hitting the side of the cup with your hand then smelling the coffee. You move quickly so you can easily tell the difference between each origin.

Next, hot water was poured over the fresh ground coffee. You then "break the crust" - use a spoon and press it flat against the coffee grounds that sit at the top, smelling the coffee aroma. The grounds are agitated to release trapped vapors allowing you to smell the unique characteristics of the coffee.


The crust (ground coffee on top) is the scooped out with a spoon before tasting.

Next, you take a spoon, again moving quickly down the row of cups, and slurp the coffee from each cup so it spreads to the back of the tongue. This allows you to measure different aspects of the coffee that you might not get by just tasting it with part of your tongue. You can recognize the texture, the sweetness, acidity, flavor, and aftertaste.

It was really fascinating and I'm glad I joined in on it!

As far as the rest of my day, a flower bloomed in my Trader Joe's flowers! Found out I can increase hours for work this summer, allowing me to save more. Purchased several Ramekin dishes from Sur La Table so I can make the desert we made in our French cooking class the other day.

Just a buying tip - apparently you want them to have the indented edges with the gloss finish, but having no gloss finishing on the bottom. This helps it cook more evenly!

Time for bed! Goodnight!

LizRose