I get it.  I really do.  It’s part ritual, part science.  Coffee cupping really does allow someone who really knows coffee to detect the nuances of a bean.  But, what does the end consumer do?  They usually take your meticulously crafted work, dump in two packs of sugar, maybe some cream, and chug it as they run out the door to work.

So, what’s the point of a snooty cupping session?  Do people really smell bread and other silly words that are overheard when describing coffee?  The same could be said for wine enthusiasts.  As I said, I’m sure it has it’s place, but even most of the self proclaimed coffee snobs that drink it black couldn’t talk intelligently about what they are consuming.  Shouldn’t you evaluate the product on the consumer level?

When I first started making coffee at home with the intent on “crafting” the result, I’m sure I made the mistake everyone makes.  I grabbed a bag of beans that said “espresso” and started in like a rhino trying to help a baby bird back into a nest…pretty ugly picture.  My main goal was to produce a product that was at least as good as Starbucks to save my family money ($3.50 a pop ads up).  It wasn’t hard to do that.  Starbucks really does suck.   It took about a year, but I managed to quickly graduate to seeking out the artisan roasters in my area for the beans, and getting a nice espresso machine, and cranking out a product that people now anticipate when they come over.  I did this all without coffee cupping.

So, why am I attempting to cup coffee now?  I’m curious.  Does it actually enhance my personal experience?  Will it make my product better now that I’m also roasting my own beans?  Really, what coffee cupping does is provide a standardized way for folks in the coffee business to evaluate and talk about coffee.  But, does in benefit the consumer?  If a cupping session reveals a Full City roasted Brazilian bean to have hints of bitter chocolate and black currant, does the person who will be dumping in two packs of Splenda before even tasting the beverage care?  No, no they don’t.  Do people like myself that actually ask for just a single shot of espresso benefit.  Yes, yes I do.  But, can you really educate the entire public on how to really evaluate coffee?  Starbucks is proof that you can’t.

Why am I ranting?  Because I can.  That’s just my opinion.  Of course, I could be wrong.