Cupping is a structured way to compare coffees. Instead of deciding from one espresso or a single hot sip, tasters prepare samples consistently and return to them as they cool. The method helps separate observations about the coffee from a particular brewing recipe.

At Nordico, tasting connects producer selection, roast development and the experience we want to offer customers. A process label or an attractive roast curve is useful information, but neither replaces the cup.

What are you trying to learn?

Start with a question: how do two origins differ, what changed between roast trials, or which coffee do you prefer? Keep the preparation comparable so differences in dose, water or timing do not dominate the result.

A descriptive observation is not the same as a quality judgment. One coffee may have more fruit aroma, another a creamier texture. Describing that difference does not require everybody to prefer the same sample.

Cupping and the Coffee Value Assessment

The Specialty Coffee Association’s Coffee Value Assessment considers several kinds of information. Descriptive assessment records sensory attributes; affective assessment concerns impressions of quality or preference. Physical and extrinsic information add context about the coffee and its production.

The SCA publishes separate standards for preparation and assessment. Formal evaluation should follow the relevant current protocol. A home exercise or a public tasting is not automatically an SCA examination, certification or official score.

A simple comparison at home

Choose two or three coffees and use identical heat-safe cups. For this informal exercise, use 12 g of coffee with 200 g of water per cup, the same medium-coarse grind and the same water. This is a practical comparison recipe, not a claim to reproduce a professional standard.

1. Label each cup, or use numbers for a blind comparison. Smell the dry grounds and note a few words.
2. Add 200 g of water at approximately 93°C to each sample, starting a timer and keeping the pouring sequence consistent.
3. At about four minutes, gently break the surface crust with a spoon and smell the released aroma. Avoid splashing hot liquid.
4. Remove floating grounds and foam. Let the liquid cool until it is comfortable to taste; do not force a very hot sip.
5. Compare the coffees repeatedly as they cool. Use clean spoons and separate cups where hygiene requires it.

What to observe

Aroma: describe what the smell reminds you of, without needing an exact fruit name. Sweetness and acidity: notice their balance and whether acidity feels bright, soft or sharp. Body: compare texture, such as light, silky or creamy.

Clarity: can you distinguish different impressions? Finish: what remains after swallowing? Cleanliness: are there distracting musty, moldy or other unpleasant impressions? Strong fermentation aroma is not automatically either a defect or a sign of superior quality; context and balance matter.

Write observations before preferences

Record short comparisons before looking at the coffee labels. Then write what you enjoyed and what you would change. A very aromatic sample may lose balance as it cools, while a quiet first impression can become sweeter and more complex.

Repeat the comparison when practical. One tasting can be affected by water, grinding, storage, preparation and your own perception. A useful result is a pattern you can investigate, not an unsupported universal ranking.

Connect tasting to your next coffee

Try a Washed coffee beside a Natural or Honey coffee, while remembering that varieties, farms and roast profiles also differ. You are comparing complete coffees, not isolating processing as the only cause.

Choose Costa Rican coffees to compare at home, or explore Nordico’s guided Coffee Tasting. The goal is to build your attention and find coffees you genuinely enjoy.