Coffee Cupping
A practical introduction to professional-style coffee cupping, sample preparation, observation and structured tasting.
What cupping is
Cupping is a controlled tasting practice used to evaluate coffee. It is common in green coffee assessment, quality control, education and buying.
Consistency
Cupping works best when samples are prepared consistently so differences in the coffee are easier to distinguish from differences in preparation.
Observe before judging
Tasters can record fragrance, aroma, flavour, acidity, sweetness, body, aftertaste and other attributes before deciding how much they personally value the cup.
Modern assessment
The Specialty Coffee Association has been evolving its assessment framework toward separate descriptive, affective and extrinsic information. This reflects broader sensory-science practice and recognises that describing a coffee and liking it are different tasks.
Continue exploring
Green coffee
Follow coffee from plant and cherry through processing, drying, milling and storage.
Green coffee →Coffee chemistry
Explore the compounds and reactions that shape roasted coffee.
Coffee chemistry →Coffee extraction
Connect grind, water, temperature, time, concentration and extraction.
Coffee extraction →Coffee Knowledge presents technical subjects as an educational reference. Terminology, grading systems and production practices can vary by country, producer, equipment and commercial context.