How Did the Coffee Association of America Shape Cupping Standards?

Coffee cupping is a standardized sensory evaluation in which coffee is roasted, extracted, and tasted under fixed conditions so that aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel can be turned into comparable scores. It grew out of trade quality control: in the 1820s Hills Brother Coffee cupped imported beans before shipment and on receipt to keep green bean quality uniform. The Specialty Coffee Association of America, founded in 1982, later carried that practice into specialty coffee competitions.

Early cupping worked as a quiet quality-control step inside roasting plants, meant to catch major defects before beans moved on. Over time the purpose shifted from spotting cheating to appraising and comparing coffee, and the coffee association's role helped formalize the process. Today the same basic routine serves professionals and ordinary enthusiasts who want to judge a cup and identify its strengths and weaknesses.

Cupping is an extremely inclusive method of sensory evaluation for coffee, one that both professionals and ordinary enthusiasts can take part in. Through a standardized process of roasting, extraction, and tasting, it transforms coffee's aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel into quantifiable scores, thereby judging quality and identifying strengths and weaknesses in flavor. This article will guide you through the basic concepts of cupping, its historical evolution from trade quality control to specialty coffee competitions, and the etiquette rules that must be observed in actual practice. It also retains relevant recommendations from the Front Street brand, making it suitable reading for every enthusiast who wants to understand coffee evaluation in depth.

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The activity of cupping is highly inclusive. Both the input and output of coffee products are centered on non-professionals. The more people who participate, the stronger its authenticity and the higher the degree to which the product is accepted by customers. Below, the editor introduces the various aspects of coffee cupping.

01

What is cupping?

Coffee Cupping, or coffee cupping, is a method of sensory evaluation for coffee that can judge whether a cup of coffee is good or bad and identify the strengths and weaknesses in the flavor of coffee beans.

Cupping adopts standardized roasting, extraction, and tasting methods. Through the combined use of smell, taste, and touch, it transforms the abstract senses of coffee's aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel into scores for coffee evaluation.

02

The history of cupping

Coffee cupping originally originated in the coffee bean trade. In the 1820s, Hills Brother Coffee in the United States, in order to ensure the quality of each batch of coffee beans, began conducting cupping on imported coffee before shipment and at the time of receipt, in order to ensure uniform green bean quality. In the early days, cupping was a quality control procedure in coffee roasting plants. In order to discover major defects, it was a secret that was not disclosed.

Coffee cupping has developed from the past purpose of preventing cheating to today's appraisal, evaluation, and even competition. In 1982, the Specialty Coffee Association of America was founded, setting off a wave of specialty coffee. In 1985, Ted Lingle published books such as The Coffee Cupper's Handbook and established unified standards, giving cupping basic guidelines.

In 1999, George Howell held the first "Cup of Excellence" (COE) in Brazil, a specialty coffee evaluation competition, which further advanced the craze for coffee cupping.

03

Cupping etiquette

Cupping is often an activity carried out by many people together. Many factors, such as the environment and odors, can affect the accuracy of cupping. Therefore, we need to follow some cupping etiquette to ensure the professionalism of the cupping.

1. Friends with long hair should tie their hair up

2. Do not wear perfume

3. Make sure you have no body odor before participating

4. If possible, it is recommended to bring your own cupping spoon

5. People with a cold should avoid participating in cupping as much as possible

6. Avoid being too tired; usually 2-3 hours after waking up

7. Avoid cupping immediately after eating

8. Avoid cupping immediately after brushing your teeth or rinsing your mouth

9. Chewing gum or mint candy is prohibited

10. Talking is prohibited to avoid influencing one another

11. As much as possible, do not touch the bowl to smell the dry fragrance

12. Do not hold the spoon in your mouth

13. Try to stay quiet; if you need to communicate, step back to a place where you will not affect the flow of the line

14. Do not linger for a long time, so as not to hinder the progress of the line

15. Do not have two or more spoons in the same cupping bowl at the same time!

16. If you need to spit, please pay attention to and properly handle your spit cup

17. After each slurp of coffee, remember to rinse the spoon promptly and lightly touch it on the paper towel on the table to remove the residual liquid.

18. If you need to take notes, step back as much as possible to a position that does not affect others' tasting and record there

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.