I could use some help cupping coffee. I have a bunch of experience roasting coffee and extracting via espresso, but while I have started cupping different beans and roasts, I realize I am pretty inexperienced in tasting specific attributes.

Example- yesterday I got greens in the mail and did a small batch roast of each. (Ethiopia, Uganda, Costa Rica and Guatemala.) Today I got all set up and cupped the coffees. While I could make out subtle differences, they all tasted very similar. I don't think I could even put the differences into words.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

CoffeesGud wrote:...

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Find a group of locals. Start with 2-3 if that is all who come forward. Cup frequently and with attentiveness. A good approach would be to grab 3 Sweet Marias greens as he has complete (some might suggest overly done) notes. Try and find the notes he has (you won't find but a few of them as after all these years, I think he is a supertaster).

Grab a Brazil or a Sumatran, a Guat, and an Ethiopian. Just use that as a starting point.

Others might suggest using a flavor wheel. I am not in favor of that. Every time I have seen that done, folks force fit flavors into a stated slot since it is on the wheel, even when that note isn't even there.

Did I say? Cup often and within a group of like minded folks.

Always get someone else's coffee on the table. The more the merrier.

Might seem dead obvious but i will say it... Don't overcaffeinate

One thing I've been taught is to separate similar regions and cup different ones when starting to hone my cupping skills. You've got 2 African's and 2 Central's.

Put 2 cups of the same African on the table and 1 cup of a Central. Put a colored dot on the bottom of 1 of the cups, move them around like a shell game. take notes, try to find odd man out. I was taught to look for acidity, then body, then fruit/florals in that order.

This is called a triangulation and it helps form the basis of a start simple repeatable cupping technique. Hints, rinse spoon after each taste, slurp in air with coffee, spit some out to avoid overcaffeination. Spread it out over time, don't cup too hot.

Since you've got 4 coffee's you can do 4 triangles. See how many you get right.

Talking to a very adept local roaster helped me a lot. See if you can get them to do a tasting session for you.