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Coffee cupping
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coffee cupping, or coffee tasting, is the practice of observing
the tastes and aromas of brewed coffee. It is a
professional practise but can be done informally by anyone. A standard coffee
cupping procedure involves deeply sniffing the coffee, then loudly slurping the
coffee so it spreads to the back of the tongue. The coffee taster attempts to
measure aspects of the coffee's taste, specifically the body (the
texture or mouthfeel, such as oiliness),
acidity (a sharp and tangy feeling, like when biting
into an orange), and balance (the harmony
of flavours working together). Since coffee beans embody
telltale flavours from the region where they were grown, cuppers may attempt to
predict the coffee's origin.
Aromas
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Animal-like - This odour descriptor is somewhat reminiscent of the smell of
animals. It is not a fragrant aroma like musk but has the
characteristic odour of wet fur, sweat,
leather, hides or urine.
It is not necessarily considered as a negative attribute but is generally used
to describe strong notes.
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Ashy - This odour descriptor is similar to that of an ashtray,
the odour of smokers' fingers or the smell one
gets when cleaning out a fireplace. It is not used as
a negative attribute. Generally speaking this descriptor is used by the tasters
to indicate the degree of roast.
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Burnt/Smoky - This odour and flavour descriptor is similar to that found in
burnt food. The odour is associated with smoke produced when burning
wood. This descriptor is frequently used to indicate the degree of roast
commonly found by tasters in dark-roasted or oven-roasted coffees.
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Chemical/Medicinal - This odour descriptor is reminiscent of chemicals,
medicines and the smell of hospitals. This term is used to describe coffees
having aromas such as rio flavour, chemical residues or highly aromatic coffees
which produce large amounts of volatiles.
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Chocolate-like - This aroma descriptor is reminiscent of the aroma and flavour
of cocoa powder and chocolate (including
dark chocolate and milk chocolate). It is an aroma that is sometimes referred
to as sweet.
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Caramel - This aroma descriptor is reminiscent of the odour and flavour
produced when caramelizing sugar without burning
it. Tasters should be cautioned not to use this attribute to describe a burning
note.
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Cereal/Malty/Toastlike - This descriptor includes aromas characteristic of
cereal, malt, and toast. It
includes scents such as the aroma and flavour of uncooked or roasted grain
(including roasted corn, barley or wheat), malt extract and the aroma and
flavour of freshly baked bread and freshly made toast.
This descriptor has a common denominator, a grain-type aroma. The aromas in
this descriptor were grouped together since tasters used these terms
interchangeably when evaluating standards of each one.
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Earthy - The characteristic odour of fresh, wet soil or
humus. Sometimes associated with moulds and
reminiscent of raw potato flavour, a common flavournote
in coffees from Asia.
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Floral - This aroma descriptor is similar to the fragrance of flowers.
It is associated with the slight scent of different types of flowers including
honeysuckle, jasmine, dandelion
and nettles. It is mainly found when an intense fruity or
green aroma is perceived but rarely found having a high intensity by itself.
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Fruity/Citrus - This aroma is reminiscent of the odour and taste of
fruit. The natural aroma of berries is highly
associated with this attribute. The perception of high acidity in some coffees
is correlated with the citrus characteristic. Tasters
should be cautioned not to use this attribute to describe the aroma of unripe
or overripe fruit.
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Grassy/Green/Herbal - This aroma descriptor includes three terms which are
associated with odours reminiscent of a freshly mowed lawn,
fresh green grass or herbs, green
foliage, green beans or unripe fruit.
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Nutty - This aroma is reminiscent of the odour and flavour of fresh
nuts (distinct from rancid nuts) and not of bitter
almonds.
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Rancid/Rotten - This aroma descriptor includes two terms which are associated
with odours reminiscent of rancidification and
oxidation of several products. Rancid as the main indicator of fat
oxidation mainly refers to rancid nuts and rotten is used as an indicator of
deteriorated vegetables or non-oily products. Tasters should be cautioned not
to apply these descriptors to coffees that have strong notes but no signs of
deterioration.
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Rubber-like - This odour descriptor is characteristic of the smell of hot
tyres, rubber bands and
rubber stoppers. It is not considered a negative attribute but has a
characteristic strong note highly recognisable in some coffees.
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Tobacco - This aroma descriptor is reminiscent of the odour and taste of
tobacco but should not be used for burnt tobacco.
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Winey - This terms is used to describe the combined sensation of smell, taste
and mouthfeel experiences when drinking wine. It is
generally perceived when a strong acidic or fruity note is found. Tasters
should be cautioned not to apply this term to a sour or
fermented flavour.
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Woody - This aroma descriptor is reminiscent of the smell of dry wood,
an oak barrel, dead wood or cardboard
paper.
Taste
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Acidity - A basic taste characterised by the solution of an
organic acid. A desirable sharp and pleasing taste particularly strong
with certain origins as opposed to an over-fermented sour taste.
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Bitterness - A primary taste characterised by the solution of caffeine,
quinine and certain other alkaloids.
This taste is considered desirable up to a certain level and is affected by the
degree of roast brewing procedures.
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Sweetness - This is a basic taste descriptor characterised by solutions of
sucrose or fructose which are commonly
associated with sweet aroma descriptors such as fruity, chocolate and caramel.
It is generally used for describing coffees which are free from off-flavours.
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Saltiness - A primary taste characterised by a solution of
sodium chloride or other salts.
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Sourness - This basic taste descriptor refers to an excessively sharp, biting
and unpleasant flavour (such as vinegar or acetic acid).
It is sometimes associated with the aroma of fermented coffee. Tasters should
be cautious not to confuse this term with acidity which is generally considered
a pleasant and desirable taste in coffee.
Mouthfeel
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Body - This attribute descriptor is used to describe the physical properties of
the beverage. A strong but pleasant full mouthfeel characteristic as opposed to
being thin.
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To an amateur coffee taster, body can be compared to drinking milk. A heavy
body is comparable to whole milk while a light body can be comparable to skim
milk.
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Astringency - The astringent attribute is
characteristic of an after-taste sensation consistent with a dry feeling in the
mouth, undesirable in coffee.
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