I drink a lot of coffee. On my commute, at my desk, on weekends, and sometimes just because it sounds good. But beyond my personal love for coffee, part of my role at Parisi is about experiencing it in a whole new way-through cupping.
What is Cupping?
Cupping is the professional process we use to evaluate coffee, and it's not just about tasting-it's about experiencing every aspect of what the cup has to offer. It's a carefully orchestrated process that includes the fragrance, the flavor, and the aftertaste. Here's how it works:
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Grind & Smell: We start by grinding the coffee and smelling it. This first step gives us an impression of the "fragrance" of the coffee and sets the stage for the rest of the evaluation.
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Brewing & Smelling the Crust: Next, we pour water just off boiling over the grounds and let them steep for 4 minutes. During this time, we smell the crust of grounds, a process we use to see if any particular scents stand out.
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Breaking the Crust: At the 4-minute mark, we break the crust with a spoon. The aroma released as the grounds sink to the bottom is one of the most exciting parts of the process. This is when we really start to capture the "fragrance" of the coffee and set the tone for how we'll evaluate its overall flavor.
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Tasting: After skimming off the remaining floating grounds, we let the coffee cool for 10-12 minutes-tasting it while it's still too hot can obscure the more delicate flavors. Once cooled, we take a spoonful and vigorously slurp the coffee! The slurping helps spread the coffee across our palate, engaging all of our taste buds.
What We Look For
When cupping, we evaluate a few key characteristics of the coffee:
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Acidity (the brightness or liveliness of the coffee)
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Sweetness (the balance of sugar tones in the coffee)
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Body (how the coffee feels in your mouth, like creaminess or weight)
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Aftertaste (how the coffee lingers after you sip)
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Overall Impression (our final take on the coffee)
We also explore the flavors hidden within each cup. Is it chocolatey? Citrusy? Melon-like? These flavor profiles are what make cupping so fascinating. Sometimes, we make quirky calls-like Russian Tea Cookies or Sage Stuffing-but that's part of the fun. And, of course, there are also the "interesting" flavors like funky cheese or mushrooms, which we all have a laugh over!
Why Cupping Matters
At Parisi, cupping isn't just a ritual; it's a crucial part of our daily work. We cup constantly to ensure quality at every stage-from green coffee samples to freshly roasted beans. Our team cups all coffee we purchase, whether it's arriving at the port or coming from origin. Once the coffee is roasted, we cup every batch to ensure consistency and quality.
Our quality control team cups every single coffee we roast in a day. With over 50 batches roasted on a typical day, they evaluate dozens of samples, ensuring every cup meets our high standards. A few of our team members are Q-Arabica Graders, certified experts in coffee evaluation. These certifications ensure that we speak the same "language" as other cupping professionals around the world.
Exploring New Coffees
This month's Roaster's Choice is a special one. I've put together a selection of coffees to bring you along on some of my recent cuppings. Inside your box, you'll find two small sample roasts-Offer samples and Pre-shipment samples-from countries of origin. These are coffees that haven't yet arrived in the U.S., but we're tasting them to see if they'll be a good fit for future offerings. They could end up as Single Origin selections, or maybe they'll be perfect for a blend!
I've also included one of our Los Pinos Producers Collection coffees. This coffee came into our lives over a cupping table in Nicaragua. I remember the moment I tasted it; I knew right then that it would be part of Parisi's lineup for years to come.
As a special bonus, I've added a tasting notebook for you to log your coffee experiences. This is your opportunity to evaluate what you taste, note your observations, and truly explore the flavors in each cup. There are no wrong answers, only discoveries!
Join the Coffee Exploration
I'd love to hear about your experience with these coffees! Please connect with us on our social media channels and share what you're tasting. We're always excited to hear your thoughts and feedback. And if you're ready to deepen your coffee journey, join the Explorer's Club to get exclusive coffee selections, tasting notes, and special perks delivered right to your door.
Cheers,
Robin Seitz