Coffee Cupping & Tasting Terms

Coffee Cupping

Coffee cupping is a procedure for evaluating coffee at the various stages of preparation to assess its overall characteristics.  It is a useful tool for coffee professionals and enthusiasts alike as it makes it easier to identify and describe each facet of the coffee's flavour by breaking down the 'tasting' into different stages.  These 3 stages are olfaction (smell), gustation (taste) and mouthfeel (body).

Smell

The bouquet of the coffee is a combination of smells detected at different stages of brewing.  This is comprised of fragrance - the smells released upon grinding the coffee, aroma - the smells released upon adding water to the grounds, nose - the vapours detected when the coffee is slurped and aftertaste - the remaining sensation when the coffee is swallowed.

Taste

Body