What is a cup test? Why the cup test? Cup test technical term?

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What is a cup test? Why the cup test? Cup test technical term?

For people in the industry, cup testing is undoubtedly a science, which requires long-term training to master it, but in fact, even lovers who have just come into contact with coffee can understand coffee better through cup testing. The cup test method is actually very simple, and the method and conclusion are not right or wrong, the taste of each character may be different, the purpose of the cup test is to show your real experience of coffee.

What is a cup test?

A cup test is a method used to determine the characteristics and taste of a particular cup of coffee. It allows us to compare different varieties of coffee and better understand the characteristics of each type of coffee.

Since the key to cup testing lies in comparison, the method of each cup test must be completely unified, so as not to affect your perception of the taste of coffee.

Why the cup test?

The purpose of the cup test is to taste the taste of coffee. Cup testing can help people decide how to mix coffee, or whether coffee should be used to make espresso or hand-brewed coffee. Cup testing can also help people tap the potential of coffee and identify the tiniest taste features. Through the cup test, we can compare the flavor of different plantations, different producing areas, different countries and different batches of coffee, and then better understand the characteristics of each type of coffee.

How to measure the cup

As I just said, there is no difference between right and wrong. Today, I would like to introduce to you the standard method of textbooks. I personally suggest that beginners should strictly follow the standard method to test the cup, so as to avoid errors in the taste of coffee, making it impossible for you to taste the original flavor of coffee.

1. Cup test procedure

I personally like to use lightly roasted sample coffee during the cup test, which makes the quality or poor taste of the coffee more obvious, and the taste will not be greatly affected by the baking process. For professionals, the most ideal cup test should be to roast and grind raw beans with fresh samples, so that they can better understand the grade of coffee, test the dry aroma of coffee, and judge the quality of raw beans.

Of course, for enthusiasts, we only need to buy a kind of freshly roasted coffee that we like. I suggest you only use the soaking method for brewing. First grind the coffee beans to a rough degree, pour the coffee powder into a small bowl, pour into boiling hot water (95 °) and soak for 3-4 minutes.

I think the most critical moment for cup testing is to "break the shell." this step can fully release the aroma of the coffee. You must calm down and smell the aroma emitted by the coffee after the "broken shell", and then start tasting it. After breaking the shell, you need to gently stir the coffee to let the remaining coffee grounds sink to the bottom, and the coffee grounds floating on the surface must be skimmed off.

Once the coffee grounds on the surface are all cleaned up, you can start tasting. Don't be afraid that the sound of smoking coffee is not standard, because everyone's voice is different. Personally, I will try to keep my voice down when drinking coffee, but others may tell you that the louder the better. Scoop a spoonful of coffee with a deeper spoon, close to the lips, suck the coffee into the mouth and spray it fully into the mouth. The inhalation will form a stream of coffee "steam", making it easier to detect the various tastes and aromas of the coffee.

The next step is to use words to describe the taste and aroma you perceive. Here I want to tell you: really don't be afraid to make mistakes! I have personally experienced numerous cup tests, and each time I will taste some taste that others do not perceive, and I will not be able to taste the taste described by others, and sometimes the cup test is a dozen cups, our taste buds will also be tired, the sense of taste will become slow, at this time must have a rest, so that your sense of taste is zero. By the way, you'd better not drink coffee. You can't drink so much coffee!

Whether you are a beginner or an expert, you must record your true feelings at any time during the cup test. you can download the standard "coffee flavor wheel" online and compare it with the "flavor wheel" after the cup test. check to see if your description is accurate.

two。 Taste description

1) dry aroma: does the coffee smell fresh enough? Or has it gone bad? Is the baking too deep or too shallow? The following are several common words to describe the aroma of dried coffee: sweet, spicy, roasted, nutty, malt, carbon, rotten, fresh, etc.

2) Wet fragrance: after mixing with water, the aroma of coffee becomes stronger. Here are several common words to describe the wet smell of coffee: silky, fresh, vibrant, creamy, sharp, etc.

3) sour taste: sour taste is good and bad, it can make coffee fresh, it can also make coffee too sour. Technology, although the sour taste is good, but too strong will also affect the overall balance of coffee. The following are several common words to describe the sour taste of coffee: sharp, neutral, soft, sharp, sour, strong, mild, delicate, silky, red wine and so on.

4) palate: the taste is the fullness and mellowness of coffee in the mouth. The following are several common words to describe the taste of coffee: plump, round, thick, thin and so on.

5) Taste: this is the most interesting part. Did you taste chocolate? And fruit? The following are several common words to describe the taste of coffee: fruit, red wine, butter, caramel, chocolate, blackcurrant, wood, grass, honey, licorice, malt, nutty, spice (which spice, exactly? ), etc.

6) aftertaste: how does the coffee taste in the mouth after tasting? The aftertaste is also one of the important criteria to judge the quality of coffee. The following are several common words to describe the aftertaste of coffee: sweet, sour, bitter, sharp, smooth, full, silky, charred, dry and so on.