The Coffee Cupping
Cupping is a method of tasting coffee by steeping grounds in separate cups for discrete amounts of ground coffee, to reveal good flavors and defects to their fullest.... Reviews for our green coffees usually recommend how long you should roast a particular coffee relative to the sounds of the roast; thefirst crackAn audible popping sound heard during roasting. In coffee, one refers to "first crack" and "second crack," which come from two different classes of chemical reactions.: An audible... and the second crackAfter First Crack, a roast reaction around 440 to 450 degrees that is distinguished by a snapping sound. Second Crack is the second audible clue the roaster-operator receives.... While it’s an imperfect way to talk about the “degree of roastDegree of Roast simply means the roast level of a coffee, how dark it has been roasted.: Degree of Roast simply means the roast level of a coffee,...,” let me explain why we chose cracks as reference points for how dark the roast is, and the alternatives.
There are several ways to determine the degree of roast. Most professional roasters rely on temperature readings, as well as smell, sight and sound. But temperature readings are relative to how the thermometer is mounted in the roaster, and the quality of the device itself. Good thermometers cost a small fortune, and even among professional roasters there are large differences in readings. Most pros learn to read temperatures relative to their own roaster, and based on experience. I see first crackFirst crack in one of two distinct heat-induced pyrolytic reactions in coffee. It is distinguished by a cracking or popping sound in the coffee, and occurs between 390... occur around 335 f in my 12 kilo Diedrich roaster (which is fairly normal) but second occurs between 350 and 370. That is far too low to indicate the actual bean temperature of second crack, but I have learned to adjust my expectations to these readings.
Mounting a thermometer in your roaster might offer you the same advantage: temperature readings relative to your own roaster. But most home roast appliances have the advantage of having the roast occur right in front of you. You can see it, hear it and smell it quite well!
So why don’t I talk about degree of roast in terms of color? Isn’t that what the Agtron
A machine and a color matching system used for quality analysis generally in the food industry, and specifically in coffee: Agtron spectrophotometers are used in the coffee industry... number system that pros use all about? Yes it is, but it requires either an Agtron photospectrometer to automatically read the color of the roaster, ground coffee. Or you need the $200 SCAA-Agtron Roast Color Tile Kit. I have this kit, and I also have experience in digital color correction …so let me tell you that there’s a lot more involved with “eyeballing” the color of the coffee and the color of the disks. You need balanced white light, no glare, and the ability to offset for textures and light absorption. What I am saying is …it’s so difficult to accurately judge that is barely worth the effort. Ken Davids provides 4 color tiles in the back of Home Coffee Roasting
The application of heat to green coffee seeds (beans) to create palatable material for brewing a great cup!: Coffee roasting is a chemical process induced by heat, by... that help establish some basis of reference, and I think that’s about as far as color analysis by the naked eye should go in terms of coffee roasting!
Smell would be a great way to communicate the degree of roast (there’s a very particular shift in the aroma
Aroma refers to sensations perceived by the olfactory bulb and conveyed to the brain; whether through the nose or "retro-nasally": The aromatics of a coffee greatly influence its... as the coffee nears the verge of 2nd crack) …or surface texture of the bean too. But those involve too many intangibles to fully explain.
So we are left with the cracks: the first crack which signals the beginning of true pyrolysisA type of thermolytic reaction of organic materials. In coffee roasting it results in caramelization, and a host of other chemical and physical changes in the coffee.: Pyrolysis...* (see Davids book) and the second crack that signals the coffee is entering the darker roast categories. These can be difficult to hear over the sound of the fan in the air roasters. But experience will help you to distinguish the sound of the cracks and to relate it to the bean appearance and aromas.
The basic wisdom is this: no coffee is palatable until it has completed the first crack, or pyrolysis. The period between the completion of first crack and the beginning of second is a Medium, or City roastCity roast is what we define as the earliest palatable stage that the roast process can be stopped and result in good quality coffee. City roast occurs roughly.... Roasting until the verge of second crack, or until the first few snaps of second are heard, or just a bit more is considered Full City. This roast has more bittersweetBittersweet is from the language of chocolate, and describes the co-presence of positive bittering compounds balanced by sweetness. It is directly related to caramelization, but has inputs from... roast flavors and might already have begun to mask some of the more delicate “originIn coffee talk, it refers to a coffee-producing region or country; such as, "I was just at origin." Of course "Origin" for most product we use is not... flavors”. Vienna comes after the coffee has experienced a decent amount of the 2nd crack and My idea of French is just after the coffee reaches its most rapidly-cracking point, but has not began to slow. There is a point where the sugars still retain some sweetnessSweetness is an important positive quality in fine coffees, and is one of five basic tastes: Sour, Sweet, Salty, Bitter, Savory (Umami). In coffee, sweetness is a highly..., and the carbony
A roast-related flavor term, referring to burnt flavors from dark roast levels. For some this is a pleasant flavor if residual sweetness is present, but plain carbon flavor... flavor has not completely overtaken the coffee: the cup has bodyAssociated with and sensed by mouthfeel, body is sense of weight and thickness of the brew, caused by the percentage of soluble solids in the cup, including all... and origin tastes are still possible. Italian is at the end of 2nd crack, where coffee only has extreme carbon tastes.
The actual time between cracks varies with different coffees and different roasters. And some coffees will sound differently, and even sound off a bit later due to their densityThe density of a coffee bean is often taken as a sign of quality, as a more dense bean will roast more with a better dynamic. The density... and chemistry. Once again, it takes he experience tasting the coffee from a particular roast to know if the roast should b ….and that’s true for any coffee roasterA machine for roasting coffee. Or the person operating it! The basic requirements for a coffee roaster are a heating element that gets suitably hot and a mechanism..., from those who roast 3 oz to those with a 4 bag, 600 lb Jabez Burns.
*Pyrolysis means a process of physical and chemical changes created by heat, just as Hydrolysis would be the same but with water. So the entire roast process is Pyrolysis but it’s the massive chemical changes that occur in the temperature window of 330-430 degrees that are key to coffee roasting.
This is reprinted from 7/00 Tiny Joy, which was not widely circulated at the time
New CropRefers to fresh shipments of green coffee within the first month or two of the earliest arrivals ... not quite the same as Current Crop, which means the... Central American Update
We are finally getting into the season where new crop coffees from MexicoMexican coffee originates from South-central to Southern regions of the country. For that reason, coffees from Coatepec and Veracruz are much different from Oaxacan Plumas, which are in... down to PanamaPanama coffee ranges from medium quality lower altitude farms to those at 1600 - 1800 meters centered in the area of Boquete in the Chirqui district near the... (and all points in between) arrive. Sure, they are available as early as February (there were some great early arrivals, such as the Costa Rican Orosi and the GuatemalaGuatemalan coffee is considered a top quality coffee producer in Central America. Due to our proximity to Guatemala, some of the nicest coffees from this origin come to... San Rafael). But the higher-altitude coffee cherryOriginally coffee literature referred to the fruit of the tree as a "berry" but in time it became a cherry. It is of course neither. Nor is the... matures later, and the mid-crop pickings represent these coffees.
Unfortunately, the selection of coffees arriving in the U.S. this year has been poor and the cup quality low. The terrible market condition for coffee is the main culprit. With coffees that are fixed against the New York C Market (trading at record lows), many farmers find that it’s simply not worth it to pick and process the coffee. They are even defaulting on contracts because they would actually lose money to sell the coffee.
The quality coffee is trickling in … and we are getting a few great samples as you can see in the recent additions to our offering sheet. In fact it was a great year in terms of climate … all indications are that this is a record crop, and quality is high. But in very general terms, only some of the lower-altitude, large farms …those who can keep cost low because they have great volume … are shipping their crop.
We have a fantastic Guatemala Huehuetenango, and perhaps this region in particular will be one of the standout, as it was last year. We also have a Guatemala Atitlan in transit that was wonderfully fruityIn some coffee taster’s lexicon, “fruity” means the coffee is tainted with fruit, and “fruited” means a coffee is graced by positive fruit notes. We don't exactly see.../winey. From Costa RicaCosta Rican coffee is typically very clean, sweet, with lots of floral accents. hey are prized for their high notes: bright citrus or berry-like flavors in the acidity,... we have a blended Tarrazu – Tres Rios that I believe is vastly better than any straight Tarrazu offering yet to come across our cupping table. We are still waiting for a qualified Nicaragua
Nicaraguan coffees from the Segovia, Jinotega, Ocotal and Matagalpa regions are nice balanced cups. They often possess interesting cup character along with body and balance, outperforming many other..., Panama or El SalvadorEl Salvador coffee had an undeservingly poor reputation for years, marred mostly by the inability to deliver coffee of high quality in an unstable political climate. Unfortunately, agriculture....
We’ll be closed April 19-23 during the SCAA Conference in Miami April 19-23. My presentation on Friday of “Coffee on the Web” will be a total bore…
Sweet Maria’s Coffee
9 E. 2nd Ave Columbus Ohio 43201
web: www.sweetmarias.com
email: [email protected]
Sweet Marias Green Coffee
Green coffee refers to the processed seed of the coffee tree fruit. Coffee is a flowering shrub that produces fruit. The seeds of the fruit are processed, roasted,... Offerings on 2/25/01:
This list is always superceded by the current list on our web page! http://sweetmarias.com/prod.greencoffee.shtml
Central American 1 lb 2 lb 5 lb 20 lb
Costa Rican OrganicGrown without the use of artificial fertilizers, herbicides, etc.: Organic coffee has been grown according to organic farming techniques, typically without the use of artificial fertilizers. Some farms... La Amistad $5.30 $10.07 $23.06 $81.62
Costa Rican Tarrazu-Tres Rios $4.80 $9.12 $20.88 $73.92
Guat.Fraijanes Org.-La Montana EstateA "coffee estate" is used to imply a farm that has its own processing facility, a wet-mill. In Spanish this is called an Hacienda. A Finca (farm) does... $5.20 $9.88 $22.62 $80.08
Guatemalan Org. Finca
Spanish 101: Finca is the Spanish word for farm. Sometimes the term Hacienda is used to imply an Estate, which would mean the farm has its own wet-mill.... San Rafael ’01 $4.80 $9.12 $20.88 $73.92
Guatemalan Organic Huehuetenango ’01 $5.00 $9.50 $21.75 $77.00
Mexican Organic -Finca Las Chiapas $4.90 $9.31 $21.32 $75.46
Mexican Organic Putla Mixteca $5.10 $9.69 $22.19 $78.54
Mexican San Pablo Tres Flechas $4.70 $8.93 $20.45 $72.38
South American 1 lb 2 lb 5 lb 20 lb
BrazilBrazil is a coffee giant . As Frank Sinatra sang, "they grow an awful lot of coffee in Brazil".: Brazil is a coffee giant . As Frank Sinatra... Auction Winner-Faz. Bom Jardim $5.40 $10.26 $23.49 —
Brazil Auction Winner-Sitio Sao Joao $5.20 $9.88 $22.62 —
Brazil Cerrado-Monte Carmelo $4.40 $8.36 $19.14 $67.76
Brazil Natural Oberon 17/18 $4.50 $8.55 $19.58 $69.30
Colombian Popayan SupremoA Colombian coffee grade referring to screen size of 17-18 screen. In the traditional bulk Arabica business, Supremo was the top grade Colombia, with Excelso one step below... $4.50 $8.55 $19.58 $69.30
Colombian MaragogypeMaragogype is a mutation of Typica coffee and was discovered in Brazil. The Maragogype is a large plant with big leaves, low production and very large fruits (and... – Alto Gigante $5.50 $10.45 $23.93 $84.70
Colombian Medellin ExcelsoA Colombian coffee grade referring to screen size of 15-16. In the traditional bulk Arabica business, Excelso is a step below the large bean Supremo grade, which indicates... Bolivar $4.50 $8.55 $19.58 $69.30
Colombian Tuluni Supremo 18+ $4.80 $9.12 $20.88 $73.92
PeruPeruvian coffees have Central American brightness but in a South American coffee flavor package overall. The good organic lots do have more of a "rustic" coffee character.: Organic... Org/FT Chanchamayo La Florida $5.00 $9.50 $21.75 $77.00
Peru Chanchamayo Corona 18+ $4.40 $8.36 $19.14 $67.76
African- Arabian 1 lb 2 lb 5 lb 20 lb
Ethiopian Harar Horse Gr.5 ’01 $5.20 $9.88 $22.62 $80.08
Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Gr.2 $5.50 $10.45 $23.93 $84.70
KenyaKenya is the East African powerhouse of the coffee world. Both in the cup, and the way they run their trade, everything is topnotch.: Kenya is the East... AA Kiungu Estate 99-00 $5.60 $10.64 $24.36 $86.24
Kenya PeaberryA peaberry is a green coffee "bean" that has a rounded form: Coffee is the dried seed from the fruit of a flowering tree - each fruit having... ’00 $5.00 $9.50 $21.75 $77.00
Tanzanian Northern Peaberry
The Spanish-language term for Peaberry is the same for "snail". See Peaberry for more information on the single bean fruit of the coffee tree. A peaberry is the... 00-01 $5.00 $9.50 $21.75 $77.00
Tanzanian AA Flatbean ’01 $4.70 $8.93 $20.45 $72.38
UgandaWhile Arabica was introduced at the beginning of the 1900's, Robusta coffee is indigenous to the country, and has been a part of Ugandan life for centuries. The... Organic Bugisu A $4.80 $9.12 $20.88 $73.92
YemenYemen has a coffee culture like no other place, and perhaps some of what we enjoy in this cup is due to their old style of trade...: Technically,... MokhaThe Yemeni type of coffee, both in terms of the family of cultivars planted there, and the general trade name.: Mokha Yemeni type of coffee, both in terms... Mattari $7.00 $13.30 $30.45 $112.00
Yemen Mokha Raimi $6.90 $13.11 $30.02 $110.40
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe, formerly known as lower Rhodesia until independence in 1980, has produced great coffee since production was introduced in the 1960s. Like Zambian coffees, these coffees are often... AA+ -Lynwood Estate $5.30 $10.07 $23.06 $81.62
Indonesian- Indian 1 lb 2 lb 5 lb 20 lb
Indian Monsooned Malabar AA $5.50 $10.45 $23.93 $84.70
Indian Pearl Mountain Est. Peaberry $5.20 $9.88 $22.62 $80.08
Aged Java
There are several types of Abyssinia variety coffee, but they are not from Ethiopia but rather Indonesia. Abyssinia 3 = AB3. PJS Cramer, a Dutch plant researcher, introduced this variety... – Old Brown ’97 $6.20 $11.78 $26.97 $95.48
Java Govt. Estate Blawan $4.80 $9.12 $20.88 $73.92
Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea (PNG) occupies the eastern half of the island it shares with the Indonesian province of Irian Jaya, part of Indonesia. The two primary areas for... Mile High Estate $4.80 $9.12 $20.88 $73.92
Papua New Guinea Organic AA $5.00 $9.50 $21.75 $77.00
SulawesiSulawesi coffees are low-acid with great body and that deep, brooding cup profile akin to Sumatra. The coffee is sometimes known as Celebes, which was the Dutch colonial... Rantepao -Monsooned $6.00 $11.40 $26.10 $92.40
Sulawesi Toraja Gr.1 00 $4.80 $9.12 $20.88 $73.92
SumatraIndonesians are available as a unique wet-hulled or dry-hulled (washed) coffees. Giling Basah is the name for the wet-hulling process in Bahasa language, and will have more body... MandhelingA trade name used for wet-hulled Sumatra coffees. It is an area and a culture group as well (spelled Mandailing often) but there is not as much coffee... DP Gr.1 ’01 $4.75 $9.03 $20.66 $73.15
Sumatra Organic Gayoland ’01 $5.00 $9.50 $21.75 $77.00
Sumatra Organic Gayo
Gayo is ethnic group from the area of Aceh Sumatra around Lake Takengon. They use the name Gayo Coffee to market their production. The Acehnese are a different... Mountain ’01 $5.10 $9.69 $22.19 $78.54
Aged Sumatra Pwani Mandheling $6.00 $11.40 $26.10 $92.40
TimorTimor-Leste (East Timor) is a tiny island between Australia and Sulawesi, annexed by Indonesia and liberated in a referendum several years ago. Small scale coffee farming was jump-started... Organic Maubese 00-01 $4.80 $9.12 $20.88 $73.92
Islands- Blends -Etc. 1 lb 2 lb 5 lb 20 lb
Dominican Rep.-Montana Verde Estate $4.80 $9.12 $20.88 $73.92
French ChicoryChicory was a popular coffee substitute and economizer for 2 centuries, back when coffee was more prized, and pure coffee was a luxury. : Chicory was a popular... -Roasted/Ground $4.60 $8.74 $20.01 $70.84
HawaiiThe Kona district on the big island of Hawaii produces the best coffee from this state - clean, sweet and mild. : Ah, Hawaii... what a nice place.... KonaKona coffee comes from farms along the Kona Coast on the Big Island of Hawaii: Kona coffee comes from farms along the Kona Coast on the Big Island... XF-Purple Mountain Farm $15.90 $30.53 $73.94 $279.84
Hawaii Kona-Purple Mountain Peaberry $17.40 $- $- $-
Hawaii Molakai Malulani ’01 $6.90 $13.11 $32.09 5 lb limit
Puerto Rican Yauco Selecto AA $10.90 $20.71 $50.69 5 lb limit
SM’s Moka Kadir Blend $5.80 $11.02 $25.23 $89.32
SM’s EspressoA small coffee beverage, about 20 ml, prepared on an espresso machine where pressurized hot water extracted through compressed coffee.: In its most stripped-down, basic form, this is... Monkey Blend $5.00 $9.50 $21.75 $77.00
SM’s Classic Italian Espresso Blend $4.80 $9.12 $20.88 $73.92
SM’s Decaf Espresso Blend $5.70 $10.83 $24.80 $87.78
Sweet Maria’s Fr.RoastBlend $5.50 $10.45 $23.93 $84.70
Malabar Gold Espresso Blend $6.00 $11.40 $26.10 $92.40
Decafs 1 lb 2 lb 5 lb 20 lb
Brazil Santos SWPSWP means Swiss Water Process is a patented water filtration decaf method, not a chemical solvent method. The plant is in Vancouver, Canada. Decaf $5.40 $10.26 $23.49 $83.16
Colombian MC Decaf $5.00 $9.50 $21.75 $77.00
Colombian Natural Decaf $5.20 $9.88 $22.62 $80.08
Colombian CO-2 Decaf $5.50 $10.45 $23.93 $84.70
Costa Rican SHB Natural Decaf $5.10 $9.69 $22.19 $78.54
Ethiopian Yirgacheffe MC Decaf $5.50 $10.45 $23.93 $84.70
Guatemalan SHB Natural Decaf $5.10 $9.69 $22.19 $78.54
Indonesian Komodo Blend Org SWP D $6.10 $11.59 $26.54 $93.94
Kenya MC Decaf -German KVWA decaf plant in Germany specializing in the methylene chloride solvent method. KVW stands for Kaffee Veredelungs Werk: A decaf plant in Germany specializing in the methylene chloride... $5.25 $9.98 $22.84 $80.85
Mexican Esmeralda Natural Decaf $4.70 $8.93 $20.45 $72.38
Sumatra Org.GayoMtn SWP Decaf $6.30 $11.97 $27.41 $97.02
Premium Robustas 1 lb 2 lb 5 lb 20 lb
Indian Kaapi Royale Robusta
Ateng is a common name for Catimor coffees widely planted in Sumatra and other Indonesia isles.: Ateng, with several subtypes, is a common name for Catimor coffees widely... $5.00 $9.50 $21.75 $77.00
Indian Monsooned RobustaRobusta usually refers to Coffea Robusta, responsible for roughly 25% of the world's commercial coffee. Taxonomy of Robusta is debated: some sources use “Robusta” to refer to any... AA $5.20 $9.88 $22.62 $80.08
Mexican Washed Robusta $3.02 $5.74
