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Heighten Your Chances in
Coffee Cupping Competitions
© 1992 Stuart Daw
(originally published in Tea & Coffee Trade Journal)
Have you ever "lost" in a coffee
tasting situation, even though you knew you were right? What happened? Your
success depended on a cup test. Your product was perfect, but you lost. Why?
Let's look at the possible reasons.
Because there is no absolute standard of
quality in coffee tasting, judgment is subjective, and rests in the end on the
palate of the beholder, in the sense of taste. Of course there are secondary
considerations beyond taste in evaluating a brew, all part of what might be
called "nature's foreplay," preparing the coffee lover for the
ultimate pleasure of the drink.
One lies in the nose, the sense of smell
that picks up what are actually flavor elements too volatile and unstable to
remain in the liquid state or even in the bean itself while grinding or
brewing.
Another sensory delight is in the visual
appearance of the liquid in the cup, to say nothing of the graphics on the
package containing the coffee, or even the esthetics of the surrounding
area—
i.e. is it a camp in the forest, an elegant dining room, or the ambiance of a
modern Specialty coffee store? And touch gets into the act as you feel the
warmth of the cup in your hands and the exotic pleasure of that soft brown
liquid touching your lips and coursing through the erogenous zone of your
mouth and throat.
Even sound plays a bit part. Have you not
felt a tingle of anticipation from decanter to cup, as you hear the promise of
fulfillment from the telltale trickle of that magic liquid?
Yes, coffee is an art, with the ability to
appeal directly to the emotions, bypassing people's intellectual awareness.
And even lacking absolute standards, like a fine painting a cup of coffee can
be good or bad art. Of course not everyone is an artist. As with a painter,
the coffee artist makes presentations hoping for public approval. But with
coffee, it is done in the form of demonstrations of the product, and the act
of savoring the actual liquid contents.
While the evaluation of flavor in coffee may
be a subjective thing, it is always done by comparison, even if we are unaware
of it at the time. The prospects hold in mind the memory of their particular
standard of excellence, whether or not a sample of it is on the scene of the
demonstration. It is in this presentation of our artwork for comparison, our
cup of excellence, that some of us are too careless in recognizing the need
for objectivity.
There are an infinite number of situations
you can get into while testing coffee with a prospect. One good example of the
need for objectivity is in trying to "match" a new blend to one
that, for whatever reason, the customer wishes to duplicate. There are many
variables in presenting a cup of coffee for this kind of test. There are rules
to follow, some more important than others. After 42 years of doing this kind
of thing, I offer here some tips in making a comparison between
"ours" and "theirs."
First, you have to recognize, in the name of
objectivity, that it is important to have your coffee side by side with the
one being matched. Don't rely on their memory of what you are comparing to. If
you do your chances of success are slim.
People doing the tasting are amateurs. Some
will have a sharper sense of taste than others, but all will have an opinion,
even though some will voice it just because it’s expected of them. And those
with a poor sense of taste whose opinion needs to be recognized, can be
dangerous.
If you are content your coffee is a good
match, and if the test is being done with more than one person, try to
identify those who have at least some talent for tasting. The best way to do
this is by serving each person three cups, asking them to "pick the
pair." But with just a touch of deviousness, have all three cups the same
(this can be done with five cups if you are nervous that they might just beat
the odds and guess correctly). Most people in this test will assume there is a
pair and one single cup, and will "pick the pair" just in the name
of having an opinion. Of course, those who do this, automatically disqualify
themselves from further testing.
When comparing two brews of coffee, make
sure all things are equal. Several rules are worth following, both in brewing
and in serving.
On Brewing
1. Assuming we are dealing with
ground prepackaged coffee, make sure the opposing coffee is not too
stale for proper comparison. If it is to be whole beans ground on the
spot, grind your sample at the same time as the competing one. Otherwise, if
the sample being compared to has been ground in advance, it will get a better
extraction than yours, as the C02 emitted from very fresh coffee repels the
water, and yours will be under-extracted.
You must also beware that, although you have
matched the taste, the green coffees used may not be of the same type, thus
the bulk density of the coffees may be different. From a volumetric system of
dispensing regulated by time, not weight, as in a grinder, the actual weight
of the two samples may be different. Strength relates to weight, not volume.
On the other hand, lower density means higher bulk, slowing the infusion
period of coffee and water contact through the creation of a deeper filter bed
in the brew cone, giving higher extraction and the illusion of greater
strength.
2. Always make the two brews on the same
brewer.
3. Always personally make, or at
least supervise, the brewing. You must know what has gone on in this
process, no matter where you are or how much respect you have for the
integrity and capability of the person doing the brewing.
4. Make the second brew immediately
after the first. As soon as the water temperature has recovered. This
will ensure that there has been no material change in the first brew through
holding too long on a warming plate.
5. Run one pot of water through
before beginning the test. Most brewers have mechanical thermostats, and
the range of temperature loss before the main element kicks in may be 8o
F or more. Thus when you approach any brewer, you do not know the actual
temperature of the water in the tank. By waiting until the temperature has
recovered, you can be sure the coffee is being made at the maximum temperature
of the brewer for both pots.
6. If the brewer is not the modern
type of automatic which is precise in water measurement, make sure you use
the same amount of water for each brew. The decanters used should be of
the same make as they can vary in size, and if used as the water pouring
device, could create differences in brew strength.
On Serving
1. Mix the finished brew by
pouring one or two cups out of and back into the decanters. Fresh brewed
coffee may layer, and eventually, through convection currents, will mix, but
don't take a chance if the test is being done right after brewing, as it
should be.
2. The test must be done blind.
Mark the bottoms of the cups, and switch them around so that no one knows
which is which. Don't make the mark too obvious, so that it can be seen
through a translucent bottom. The psychological effect or knowing which coffee
is which before declaring a decision is devastating. In such a case you will
almost surely lose.
3. Beware of china cups. They
may have been washed with detergent, and there could be a residual effect that
ruins coffee taste or aroma. The cups may be of different weight, absorbing
heat and creating different temperatures. The best containers for testing are
insert cups with holders. They are translucent, enabling the comparison of
coffee color. The coffee in them cools faster than with foam cups, and modern
insert cups are free from any noticeable taste or odor.
4. The coffees being tested must be at
the same temperature. Don't trust to luck on this. Use a
thermometer. Unless you are using a thermal server, one decanter has been
sitting on a burner waiting for the other one to be made, and its temperature
will be higher or lower than the second brew. The specific gravity of liquid
coffee gets heavier as it cools (watch a hydrometer rise in a beaker of
cooling coffee). This means that the cooler the coffee, the thicker (stronger)
it will seem to the taster.
5. Make sure the temperature of coffee in
the cups is no higher than 140o F. I have found peoples' taste
perception to be poor above that level. An experienced taster may slurp from a
spoon, making the liquid cooler entering the mouth, but don't count on that. A
spoon can be cooled by dipping in a glass of cold water before each sip, but
don't count on that either, as the results may be uneven.
6. Most buyers assume that all coffee
should be tasted black. Persuade them that they should prepare the coffee
as they always do, with cream and/or sugar, Otherwise, they are tasting
what to them will be a foreign drink.
7. Don't let the buyer vote too soon.
Most amateurs will sip coffee when hot, holding it in the front of their
mouths. To get a full perception of what the coffee offers, a full swig must
be taken, and washed thoroughly around in the mouth to pick up every nuance of
flavor.
By following simple, objective rules like
these the seller can ensure that a professional approach has been taken, and
the buyer can be insulated against making important mistakes in the value
judgment of the coffee.
© 1992 Stuart Daw
