Coffee is a crop and crops change from year to year due to climate changes and growing condition changes. So, City Bean purchases its raw coffee based on crop year. The process for evaluating coffee is called “cupping,” which is similar in nature to wine tasting. If we are looking for a coffee to purchase, for example a Guatemala Antigua, we will request samples from the top farms in that region. It is not uncommon to have ten farms represented from the same basic geographic region side-by-side at our cupping table.
Before purchasing any raw coffee, City Bean attains samples of the raw coffee. We evaluate the coffee first based upon visual flaws and bean consistency. Then the sample is roasted and the cupping process begins. Cupping is scientific in nature with the constants being roast profiles, amount of coffee used, the grind of the coffee, the amount of water used, and the temperature of the water.
The first step in the cupping process is evaluating fragrance and aroma. We note the aromatics when the coffee is first ground. When cupping the coffee, a crust of grounds forms at the top of the cup and when the crust is broken, a strong essence of the coffee’s fragrance is released. This is an important step in the fragrance evaluation. City Bean believes that a quality nose is paramount to a quality cup. We give each coffee a score and add notes on the coffee.
The second step in the cupping process is evaluating taste and feel. The coffee is slurped, shooting the liquid to all the sensory areas in our mouths. This allows us to evaluate the many complexities of coffee. Body is the thickness of the coffee, acidity is the brightness, and flavor is simply what the coffee tastes like. We also consider the feel of the coffee in our mouths and the way the coffee lingers in the back of our mouths.
Once we have completed the evaluation with the coffee hot, we duplicate the process when it is lukewarm, as coffee’s properties change when it cools. During the whole process, we never know which farm’s coffee is which to eliminate any subconscious prejudices. Only after the cupping is finished do we reveal the source of each coffee. Price is another factor we eliminate at the cupping table. Only quality is considered.
