From selecting green coffee to dialling in the perfect roast, coffee professionals rely on one universal language to evaluate quality: cupping.

Cupping is the internationally recognised method of tasting coffee. By brewing every coffee using the same recipe and process, it allows us to assess and compare coffees as objectively as possible.

t's how producers, exporters, importers and roasters around the world communicate quality, identify flavour characteristics, and make purchasing and roasting decisions.

Before a coffee ever reaches our roastery, we cup samples from around the world to decide which coffees deserve a place in our range. We use cupping to build our blends by selecting coffees that complement one another and combine to create a desired taste profile, to choose new single origin releases that showcase premium coffees, and to quality check the coffees we roast to ensure they continues to meet our standards for consistency, flavour and roast quality.

Cupping is a simple but revealing process. Freshly ground coffee is first added to the cupping bowl and assessed by its aroma before hot water is added. Once brewed, the crust is broken to release the coffee's most intense aromas before tasting. By slurping the coffee across the palate from a spoon, we evaluate characteristics in the cup, including sweetness, acidity, body, clarity, and balance.

One of the most rewarding parts of cupping is comparison. Tasting several coffees side by side makes it much easier to identify what makes each one unique.

As you cup more often, you begin to recognise the significant influence that factors like processing method have on flavour. You'll also start to recognise the classic flavour characteristics associated with different coffee-growing regions, from rich chocolate and nutty notes often found from Brazilian coffees, through to vibrant citrus, delicate florals and tropical fruit found in coffees produced in Ethiopia or Kenya.

We've always loved bringing people together over great coffee, and now we're excited to invite you behind the scenes with our new Public Coffee Cupping.

Join us on the last Friday of every month at our Portsmith Barista School to taste, compare, and explore coffee like an industry professional.