Newbe's low end machine?

nzroaster

Spot on Matty, i cup my roasts and drink espresso everyday at work, and on my day off I still prefer a good plunger/vacpot to going out for an average espresso based drink. Going completely off topic, with cupping you shouldn't get a mouthful of grounds, they should all sit on the bottom after you take the crust off. And you brew until the cup is cold bringing out all the faults of the bean as well as all the flavours.

mattyj

yeah well, I only tried home cupping twice ... flying blind, wasn't exactly sure of what I was doing. I tried scooping the crust off, but there was still a few grinds at the top. I struggled to clear my mind and really focus on what was in my mouth - even if my unit was silent, there was still the ticking clocks and other things like that to distract me. Maybe i was trying too hard! Hazel De los Reyes mentioned a cupping day to me once, I'd love to see some pro's do it, and learn from them. Hey Gary, you could even just get a good grinder and just have your coffee like cupping! That would be interesting!

nunu

I approach cupping from a different angle.  I pull my normal doppio ristretto.  I swirl and smell, to see what sort of nose I get.  Not a lot of swirling, because my next task is to actually taste the crema.  Some coffee has a pleasant tasting, approachable crema.  Others are a bit plain, down to those which really should not even be bothered with.  You often get the earthy, musty, herbaceous notes in the crema.  Next, I progress through the whole glass, taking tiny tastes each time.  From there I compare to what flavours I've had before.  Is it like dried apricots, semi-dried figs, blood orange, blackberry, currant, etc.  Where is the flavour concentrated, how does it progress as it moves along the palate?  How is the mouthfeel?  Is it cloying and rich, or light to medium.  Sometimes it can be compared to a certain type of wine (often reds).  How is the finish, abrupt or lingering, crisp or on the bittersweet side?  Is there a definite flavour profile as you go down into the glass?  Each mouthful is different than the previous.  That is complexity.  Is it the same throughout the glass, then it's more well-balanced. I'm no professional, I just call it as I see it.  I don't need a tasting wheel, I simply compare it to flavours I've had before.  In a nutshell, that's really what cupping is.

mattyj

I've got some questions about cupping, but I might start a new thread...