With the current discussion on under-developed roast taste, I had a realization: I have never cupped green coffee before. Seriously, green.
Given that as a roast develops, original compounds in the coffees are converted into intermediate ones that might not even exist in the final roasted coffee, that acidsMany acids contribute to coffee flavor: acetic, malic, citric, quinic, tartaric, phosphoric, etc.: Many acids contribute to coffee flavor; malic, citric, quinic, tartaric, phosphoric, etc. See Acidity or... ...more are diminished from the % content in the green, and the bittering trigonellineTrigonelline is a bittering compound that is reduced as the roast gets progressively darker. Trigonelline is 100% soluble in water and therefore will end up in the cup.... ...more is reduced in roasting, I realized how interesting it would be to cup a coffee all the way through the roast.
The under-roasted cups were very astringentAstringency is a harsh flavor sensation, acrid flavor, that provokes a physical reaction on the toungue, the tactile feeling of papery dryness. It can have saltiness, sourness and... ...more and it takes time to process the tightening flavor and effect on the palate. The most challenging one was actually the pre-first 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... ...more roast (roughly 370 f – temperatures are approximate because I failed to record them at the time of roast).
The coffee is 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... ...more Boquete, FincaSpanish 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.... ...more Camiseta. I will repeat this experiment with a group of cuppers later this month. -Tom
Here’s the images from my Roast Development Cupping Test:
9 Responses
Cool experiment. Interesting to see the difference in color. I’ll bet that green bean tasted nasty.
It is interesting how astringent and bittering raw green coffee is, as a beverage. I think it was surprising how some of the middle stages were even more acrid than unroasted green coffee!
Can you educate me on the amount of coffee and water that you used to cup?
We use 150 to 165 ML water and 12 grams of coffee. It seems to work best for us … I was just in Kenya and they cupped with 14 grams in a similar size bowl. Too strong for me! A few places I have been use 10 grams for 150 ml, which is the coffee:water ratio I use for pour over brewing at home. But in cupping, I don’t feel you get the same level of extraction as brewing. Your really dont stir the mixture, you just let the coffee infuse and drop, and using the spoon, you only “break” the crust on top, no agitation of the grounds. I think thats why 12 grams seems right for me. I think current SCA spec is 10g/150g
Thanks for the info on cupping. That really helps!
SCA Cupping Protocol: 1:18. // 8.25g to 150ml of H20
True. You are correct. I don’t think anyone uses that ration tho
I use it religiously. I’m a roaster. I work with a Michelin starred restaurant locally and quality and repeatable protocol are critical for us. So the SCA standards are upheld because I can’t have different outcomes coming from different parties and ‘randomness’ introduced into our supply or production chain. There’s a reason SCA exists and is widely supported in the Specialty Coffee space and it’s insanely helpful for so many reasons.
When you say ‘I don’t think anyone uses that ratio tho’, I’m curious of whom you are speaking?
Yes absolutely. Consistency is the most important thing nomatter what the protocol is. As far as who uses 8.25 gr per 150 ml. – I literally have never seen it used by anyone. No cupping lab. No competition etc. it totally may be used by people but I just have never seen it.