What is Coffee Cupping? A Detailed Guide to Cupping Process and Parameters with Visual Examples! Why Can't Pour-Over Replace Cupping?

Why Cupping Instead of Pour-Over?

Many places use cupping to test the quality and characteristics of coffee beans. But many coffee enthusiasts wonder why cupping is used instead of pour-over, which can better extract coffee flavors.

The reason is quite simple—the difference between pour-over and cupping lies in the degree of human intervention and convenience. The answer can be found in the origins of cupping. Cupping originated in the United States in 1980 and was first applied to coffee bean trading! Coffee merchants developed this method to prevent purchasing coffee beans with major defect flavors by sampling and extracting them for evaluation. However, given the large volume of samples needed, using pour-over or other extraction methods would be extremely time-consuming, and it would be difficult to ensure that brewing personnel could consistently perform at the same level to reveal the beans' true characteristics. Therefore, a fast, convenient method with minimal human influence was needed to extract coffee. Thus, cupping was born under these circumstances.

By directly steeping coffee grounds with water, not only can the time for batch operations be reduced, but the influence of manual technique can also be eliminated, allowing for better appreciation of the beans' original flavors—this was the initial purpose of choosing cupping. As time progressed, the application of cupping expanded beyond trade between merchants. Various coffee-related competitions, evaluations, and research all began using cupping to test coffee beans. For everyone involved, cupping is indeed the best way to evaluate bean quality and formulate various plans (brewing, roasting, blending, etc.).

Home Cupping Guide

Of course, you can also try cupping at home. Cupping not only helps us better appreciate the inherent flavors of coffee beans but also improves our coffee tasting abilities. So next, FrontStreet Coffee will share the specific parameters and procedures for cupping!

Cupping Parameters

Cupping extraction parameters follow a unified standard, and all cupping sessions use the following parameters:

• Coffee amount: Determined by the size of your cupping bowl
• Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:18.18
• Grind size: 75% pass-through rate with a #20 sieve
• Water temperature: 94°C
• Water quality: TDS 75-250ppm
• Steeping time: 4 minutes
• Tasting method: Slurping

In addition to the cupping bowl and spoon, we need to prepare two extra glasses of water and paper towels. The water is for rinsing the spoon, and paper towels are for absorbing moisture!

Cupping Procedure

1. Grinding Coffee

The first step in cupping is grinding the coffee beans, then pouring the ground coffee into the cupping bowl. However, since we need to smell the dry aroma of the coffee grounds, we cannot immediately add water for steeping after grinding. Instead, we first appreciate the aroma it emits, then add water.

It's important to note that coffee aroma is volatile, so when smelling the dry fragrance during cupping, it's best to control the time within ten minutes. When not actively smelling, it's recommended to cover the bowl with any object to minimize air exposure.

2. Adding Hot Water

After confirming the dry aroma, we can proceed with adding water. If you have a professional cupping bowl, you don't need an electronic scale to measure the water amount—simply pour in the recommended amount of coffee and fill with hot water! (Remember to start the timer simultaneously when pouring water). During the 4-minute waiting period, we can smell the wet aroma of the coffee.

3. Breaking the Crust

When the 4 minutes are up, we can start breaking the crust! Use the cupping spoon to push through the surface three times (pushing from back to front). This action helps concentrate the coffee grounds in the corner, preparing for the next step of removing the grounds.

4. Removing the Crust

Breaking the crust and removing it are continuous actions! After breaking the crust, take out another cupping spoon and "surround" the coffee grounds to remove them. After removing the grounds once, we need to rinse the cupping spoon with water and use paper towels to absorb the moisture attached to the spoon, preventing cross-contamination and dilution.

5. Tasting

After removing the grounds, wait just one minute before beginning our tasting! Use the cupping spoon to scoop a spoonful of coffee liquid and bring it to your mouth, slurping it in. (Slurping can quickly cool and atomize the coffee liquid in your mouth, allowing us to better perceive the coffee flavors~) Similarly, after tasting, remember to rinse the spoon with water and absorb the moisture with paper towels to prevent cross-contamination!

- END -

FrontStreet Coffee
No. 10, Bao'an Qianjie, Yandun Road, Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province