Coffee Cupping Guide: How to Evaluate Coffee Like a Pro

Last updated: 11 May 2026

Behind every phenomenal cup of coffee is an evaluation process that ensures both quality and consistency. Farmers might use it to assess the quality of their crop, roasters to select new offerings and dial in roast profiles, and baristas to further their understanding of process, origin, and varietals. So whether you are a seasoned professional or enthusiastic hobbyist, learning how to “cup” coffee is an important skill that you can use to sharpen your palate and more effectively assess coffee.

So What is ‘Coffee Cupping’ and Why is it Useful

Coffee cupping is the name of the industry-standard method for tasting and evaluating coffee in the purest possible way. We ‘cup’ coffee to strip away variables. Instead of brewing as a pour-over or espresso, cupping involves steeping the grounds in hot water with minimal external influence. This allows for you to taste the acidity, aroma, body, and flavour with limited interference.

Cupping is a process that happens in stages. You first smell the dry fragrance of the coffee grounds before adding hot water, breaking the crust that forms on top, then using a spoon to taste the coffee, usually by slurping, to coat your palate and experience the flavour. As the coffee cools, the flavours evolve and new characteristics emerge. It is a very transparent and revealing process, which is what makes it so valuable across the supply chain.

Getting the ‘Cupping’ Grind Size Right

Getting the grind-size wrong can throw off your evaluation of the coffees. A medium to medium-coarse grind is widely accepted to be the standard for coffee cupping, think a roughly sea salt-sized grind. This would be around 24-26 clicks on a Comandante C40.

• Too fine: the coffee might overextract. It is likely the coffee will be too harsh, strong, and muddied for you to make a proper assessment
• Too coarse: the coffee may be too weak and flat. It may be thin and sour and miss some of the sweetness and complexity. Subtleties in the coffee might be lost altogether

Coffee Cupping Methodology

• Ratio: 12g Coffee per 200g Water
• Grind size: Medium to medium coarse (24-26 comandante clicks)
• Water temperature: 95 Celsius+ (just off boil)

Method

1. Grind coffee into a cupping bowl. This is a great time to assess the ‘dry aroma’ of the coffee grounds
2. Add all of your hot water & start a timer
3. At 4:00, use a cupping spoon to stir the ‘crust’ of coffee grounds that have formed on the surface. This is another good time to assess the aroma, as breaking the crust releases a lot of aromatics. The grounds will sink to the bottom of the bowl
4. Use two spoons to skim the foam and any remaining particles that are left floating
5. After 8:00 the coffee will have cooled enough for you to taste. Use a cupping spoon to take a small sample from the bowl, which you will slurp directly from the spoon to taste

Slurping the coffee aerates it and sprays it across your palate, allowing you to taste fully.

The Benefits and Limitations

Cupping excels when you want to taste coffee comparatively and consistently. It is far easier to cup a large quantity of coffees together than it is to manually brew each one individually, and because the coffee cupping process is so simple and easy to replicate you can taste many coffees side-by-side without any of the biases that might come with manually brewing – the coffee's natural characteristics can shine, without as much external influence.

While cupping is undeniably great at comparative tasting, it isn’t without its shortcomings as a quality control method. For starters it doesn’t represent how most people will be experiencing the coffee. It is analytical and not intended for an enjoyable sensory experience. Many roasters will brew their coffees conventionally such as using a V60 as part of their quality control protocol as well as cupping them.

Cupping excels at:

• Comparison: tasting multiple lots or profiles side-by-side
• Consistency: standardised and easily replicable
• Transparency: removes irregularities that come with certain brew methods
• Skill improvement: a fantastic way to develop sensory skills

But is limited:

• Analytical, not enjoyable: It doesn’t represent the sensory experience of conventional brewing
• Intimidating for beginners
• A steep learning curve as you develop your sensory capabilities

Best Practices and Top Tips

• Keep your variables consistent across each sample - grind size, water temp, steep time, brew ratio
• Use coffee within its peak freshness. 2-8 weeks for our coffees will be optimal for most
• Use clean equipment. Use a few beans from each sample to ‘purge’ the grinder between grinding different coffees
• Use a cup of hot water to clean your spoon in between tasting different samples, and use some kitchen towel to dab excess moisture off as to avoid contaminating your cupping bowls
• Taste at different temperatures, you might be surprised how the coffee’s character changes as it cools
• Take notes. If you can’t pin a specific tasting note, simplify it and describe it broadly first
• Cup different coffees together- it is easier to taste things comparatively. Think about how Coffee A’s acidity/aroma/flavour/body compares to Coffee B’s etc.
• Don’t do it alone–try cupping with peers. Independently take notes then compare afterwards. Maybe you come to a consensus, maybe you disagree. Either way, there is so much to be learned by cupping as a group

Expressive varieties such as Pink Bourbon coffee can be especially interesting to cup, as the format helps highlight acidity, florality, body and sweetness without too much brew-method influence.

Some Final Thoughts…

Coffee cupping is a powerful tool, important for deepening your understanding of coffee and honing your sensory skills by removing the distractions and flair that comes with regular coffee brewing. As a beginner it seems very technical, but cupping is ultimately about exploring and curiosity. The more you cup and taste, the more it becomes intuitive; and slowly you’ll find yourself discovering more and more about coffee

FAQs

Do I need special equipment?

Not at all! You can use any basic mugs and soup spoons if you don’t have the dedicated cupping bowls & cupping spoons. Aside from that, you just need a kettle and a grinder

Is coffee cupping ideal for beginners, or just for professionals?

Absolutely. It’s actually a great way for a beginner to get acquainted with different types of coffees, especially because there’s no brewing skills required. I actually wish I started cupping sooner!

I’ve heard people slurp loudly when they cup. Is that really necessary?

Slurping coffee aerates it and sprays it evenly across your palate. While not completely necessary, it does enhance flavour perception

How many coffees should I cup?

There’s no right answer, but 4 is a great place for beginners to start. It’s not too many, while still allowing you to taste comparatively

What if I can’t cup coffees at home?

Keep an eye out on local coffee shop & roastery instagram pages. Many businesses hold regular public cuppings. They are a great place to get started and a good opportunity to try a lot of different coffees

Additional Reading

Book: How to Make the Best Coffee at Home by James Hoffmann

Document: SCA-102 Coffee Value Assessment: Sample Preparation and Tasting Mechanics (https://sca.coffee/research/coffee-standards)

Take your brewing game to the next level?

Espresso lovers can find our guide on the Best Coffee Tampers here.

Filter coffee lovers can find our guide on the Best Pourover Filter Coffee Recipes here.

Find some of the best free tools to accompany your brews.

Find your perfect coffee from Harmony's selection of coffee beans here.

Check out our guide on resting coffee to get the most out of your brews.

Find the Best Filter Coffee Grinders For Home here.

Learn about why RDT reduces static in coffee grinding.

Learn how to make the world's most incredible iced pourover.

Love what we do here?

Consider a Harmony coffee subscription for your home or office!

↑ Back to top