With COVID-19 and being more home bound, almost everyone’s routines have been profoundly shaken up. I keep hearing of friends picking up new hobbies and activities. One friend has gotten into daily latte art — I posted one of his nice hearts on our Instagram account the other day.
Do you have any interest in trying to cup coffee? According to Ted Lingle, “Coffee cupping is a method used to systematically evaluate the aroma and taste quality characteristics of a sample of coffee beans.”
I’ve written about cupping a couple of times. We’ve taken a class. Months later we had our coffee professionally cupped, and then tried to cup at home with the leftover beans.
A while back I read “A Beginner’s Guide to Cupping Coffee,” which you might enjoy.
Or maybe this article is a little more approachable, “Coffee Tasting Exercises That Will Improve Your Palate.” The first step seems easy enough: drink coffee, coffee, and more coffee. Step 2 seems pleasant enough: Add fruit and candies to your diet. But what the article asks of you has a steep incline. By step 6, you’re being asked to add malic, tartaric, phosphoric, and lactic acid to different cups!
I’ll share again the coffee descriptors of Bea’s Knees Farm coffee from the two professionals:
Professional #1: (+) Dark Chocolate, Toasted spices, Bittersweet Chocolate, Hint red fruit, Compote, Nutty, Malic Acid
Professional #2: (+) Nutty, Chocolate, Hint red fruit, Dark Chocolate, Sweet cream, Toasted almond, Brown Sugar
What do you taste in our coffee?