Cafecert, an independent coffee auditor, examined the disputed results, and while it could have deployed near-infrared spectrometry to differentiate between the chemical makeup of Caturra and Castillo, the auditors opted instead to visit the finca and count coffee trees. At which point the truth emerged: The Finca La Loma blend was about 30 percent Castillo—not the PR coup Fedecafé was hoping for, but not totally embarrassing either. The international scandal fizzled into a low-grade brew-haha, but it illustrated just how much the Cup of Excellence has come to matter to the growers, buyers, and comandantes who inhabit this new universe of coffee. Caturra and Castillo comprise but two of the 100 or so varietals that crowd the genus Coffea, but genetics is hardly the sole determinant of flavor. While the high-altitude volcanic soils of South America shape the terroir, the quality of a cup depends on a host of other critical factors: A grower must choose the moment of optimum ripeness to harvest his cherries, then select among various methods of washing, drying, pulping, polishing, and sorting. At the end of the line comes roasting, more art than science, a job reserved for masters such as those gathered here in the tropics on this humid morning. As a matter of course, Cup of Excellence competitions begin early, before a judge’s palate can be contaminated by the daily fusillade of pollutants that assault taste buds and nose hairs. So at 8 am, the cuppers are already bent over their cups, executing a truculent series of snorts, as though they are sampling Colombia’s other famed export. It’s a blind tasting: The judges do not know
The Fine Art of Cupping How to evaluate coffee like a licensed grader.
CUP
A 5- or 6-ounce cup is recommended. It should be clean with no apparent fragrance.
ROASTING
The roast profile should be light to light-medium. (Ideally, you’d use a colorimeter to measure darkness level.) The sample should be roasted within 24 hours of cupping and then allowed to “rest” for at least 8 hours in airtight containers.
GRINDING
The beans should be ground immediately prior to cupping - no more than 15 minutes before infusion with water. Particle size should be somewhat coarse, with 70 to 75 percent of the particles passing through a US standard size-20 mesh sieve. Before infusion, cuppers should evaluate the dry fragrance by sniffing the grounds.
POURING
BREAKING THE CRUST
After steeping, floating grounds will form a “crust” on the surface of the brew. Break it by stirring three times with a special evaluation spoon. The Fragrance / Aroma score is based on the earlier dry evaluation and this wet evaluation.
TASTING
Generally 8.25 grams of coffee per 150 ml of water, within at least a quarter of a gram.
RATIOS
Water should be clean and odor-free but not distilled or softened. (The ideal level of total dissolved solids is 125 to 175 parts per million.) The water should be 200 degrees Fahrenheit and the brew left to steep undisturbed for three to five minutes.
When the sample has cooled to 160 degrees, the crust can be cleared and coffee can be taken into the mouth, covering as much of the tongue and upper palate as possible. (Expectorate the sample—do not swallow.) Flavor and aftertaste are rated at this point. At around 150 degrees, the acidity and body are graded, as well as the balance. (This is how well the flavor, aftertaste, acidity, and body fit together.) As the brew approaches room temperature, sweetness and uniformity are evaluated. So is “clean cup,” the absence of interfering negative impressions. The points are tallied up, and the overall score is assigned.