The beginner's secret skill of boutique coffee-- it can be operated at home [simple version of cup test]

Professional coffee knowledge exchange More coffee bean information Please pay attention to coffee workshop (Weixin Official Accounts cafe_style)

Why can't I taste the flavor on the flavor description? Why can't I feel the flavor that everyone says?

The above two questions are probably the most frequently heard novice doubts in Xiaobian. How can we strengthen our sense of smell and taste sensitivity so that we can walk the road of fine coffee with more confidence?

Of course, there are many kinds of methods. Xiaobian today introduces a simple but really super effective method_simple version of the home cup test

First, prepare the relevant equipment.

1. 6 cups for cup testing:

It is best to use a professional cup to measure the cup. It is possible to use an ordinary glass or rice bowl. It is recommended that as long as each one looks the same, the color, size and shape of the cup have some influence. If you can not buy too big, the amount of beans you use each time can be less. The cup of about 150-200ml is perfect.

2. Measuring cups and spoons, at least 2:

You want to buy a professional cup spoon is not expensive, a treasure about twenty or thirty pieces, you can use it for a long time, with ordinary stainless steel spoon really can, the disadvantage is that there may be a little stainless steel taste, but when you can feel the impact of the time and then change the professional is not too late, but no matter what spoon, the basic principle is to let the cup spoon return to the cup spoon, do not really take to drink soup, otherwise yesterday the impression of eating soup will affect your cup test results, tongue is not good, Don't make trouble for yourself.

3. Other:

Commonly used bean grinder, commonly used kettle, commonly used electronic scale, these usually have coffee brewing people should have, do not say more.

Next is the simple version of the cup test process, let's make it a little simpler and simpler, if it's so simple, you can't help it even if you're lazy.

1. Test 4-6 beans per cup

It is difficult for you to brew more than 4 cups of coffee at the same time, so the horizontal comparison of flavor is basically 0. Therefore, the editor suggests that if you want to practice, you should be a little ruthless and buy 4-6 packets of beans (half a pound each). It is best to buy 4-6 packets of beans (half a pound each) within 3-5 days of roasting. Each packet has 227 grams, and each time 10 grams of beans are used for cup testing, which can be tested for 22 days. The best flavor period of normal coffee beans for one month is very reasonable, which means that you can drink a bean for about a month from roasting to curing. Horizontal comparison of 6 kinds of beans every day + 22-day flavor changes of one kind of beans, achieved in one breath!

two。 Degree of grinding, water temperature, ratio of water to powder and soaking time

In the home cup, the requirements of the parameters are relatively loose, in fact, there is no need to be over-rigorous, mainly to facilitate practice, so the data recommended by the editor is close to the data you usually use by hand. For example, if you usually prefer powder to water at 1:15 and grind degree # 4, use this data; the water temperature can be directly used with boiling water (the standard is 93-94 ℃); the soaking time follows the standard: soak for 4 minutes to break the slag + 1 minute to pick up the slag.

3. Actual operation

When you put 4-6 coffee beans and 10 grams of ground powder into a cup at a time, you can first smell the dry aroma of the coffee powder, take boiling water and pour 150ml (g) water into the cup without much effort, normally let the powder absorb evenly into the water. When soaking for 4 minutes, gently press the powder floating on the surface into the water with a cup spoon, smell the wet aroma of the coffee liquid, and soak for another 1 minute. You can pull out the coffee grounds that float on the surface and ignore the coffee grounds that sink at the bottom of the cup.

4. Start cup test + record

Then you can start drinking one cup at a time, from about 70 degrees to room temperature. Remember not to just drink, take a pen and write it down in your notebook, at least write down the date + what you drink, write anything to help you remember. For example: very sour, very bitter, very bad to drink, very delicious, mixed smell, sour fruit, full aroma, sweet sugar. Etc.

Don't underestimate your first impression. over time, you will be able to drink more flavor. Take your time. The key point is to drink and write carefully, and you will certainly make progress.

According to the editor's personal experience, you may still look confused in the first 3-5 days. You can't help looking at the flavor description on the beanbag, but you can't find the flavor, but your body is actually smarter than you. He has silently memorized the flavor for you and adjusted the sensitivity of your tongue.

Cup test for 5-10 days, these 4-6 beans even blind test can clearly know which is which, of which the main flavor you can quickly grasp, will begin to analyze and compare the secondary flavor.

Then 10-22 days, you are so familiar with these 4-6 beans that you are a little bored, but this means you can think about more other problems: sweet and sour ratio, thick taste, sense of balance, complexity, imperfections, changes in bean cultivation. Etc.

Until the end of the cup test, I think it may be difficult for you to forget the flavor of these 4-6 beans for the rest of your life, and they are the basic data for you to compare other coffees in the future. if you have flavor memory, you will not forget a cup of coffee.

The above process, seriously do 3 rounds = 12-18 beans = 3 months, the progress of taste is absolutely amazing: can find the general special flavor, can analyze the structure of flavor, can understand the sense of hierarchy, complexity, sense of balance. . Etc.

If you really want to make progress, you have to practice, and of course, don't work too hard. The simple version of the cup test is actually simple and practical. Really do not feel troublesome, seriously 2-3 months, you can open the door to a new world of boutique coffee!

Finally, in order to prevent some people from abandoning the small, an unprofessional and incomplete version of cup test teaching is written to mislead the children. Make up a Nordic baking master Tim Wendelboe home cup test film, is also very simple, the purpose is to enable everyone to practice more.

Tim Wendelboe's home cup test:

3 same cups x 3 different coffee beans

11g bean

180g water

Degree of grinding: the degree of grinding of general cooking can be done.

First pour water to soak all the coffee powder into the water, soak for 4 minutes, then use the same action to break the dregs on the surface to let the coffee powder into the water, and then wait 1 minute, remove the powder residue floating on the surface and start the cup test. From high temperature to low temperature, feel the flavor changes at different temperatures.

The home cup test introduced by Tim Wendelboe is certainly less rigorous than the commercial cup test. For example, the beans are not washed and polished, and the cup test spoons are not washed when changing the cup. Some people who are used to the commercial cup test may not agree with the details, but this is actually in line with the requirements of the cup test at home in the editor's mind.

The cup test at home is mainly simple and convenient, because it is not easy for everyone to be willing to test the cup at home, and you can not be too harsh on the details, but you can still slowly feel the difference in the flavor of the cup, not to mention that if you are just learning the cup test, a little bit of flavor pollution may not feel much, and when you can already identify it, you will naturally pay more attention to the details of the cup test. So easy and simple to make everyone willing to cup test is the most important!

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