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Coffee Cupping Photos

Coffee tours are a fun way to learn about the process and history of coffee in Costa Rica.

Río Jorcó Estate coffee from the Tarrazu region is highly desired by specialty gourmet roasters from all over the world.  Our friend Jim Alfaro recently invited us to spend a few days in the guest villa and observe while two European coffee buyers toured the growing and processing operation and a film crew recorded it for a documentary.  The visit culminated in a tasting called “cupping” where the buyers assigned quality and flavor scores to several small batches of coffee from Río Jorcó and three other local artisan farms.

Ready to cup

At the end the buyers made some large purchases at high prices validating the theory that small batch coffee could command more money if processed separately rather than mixed as was traditionally done.

Cupping was described to us as “coffee tasting” but that’s a huge over simplification of a delightfully complex and ritualistic process.  It involves science and precise measurement as well as a lot of tradition and idiosyncrasy.  The cupping took place in the tasting area of the private coffee museum on the estate.

100 gr samples from the 50 kilo bags stored in the warehouse in the previous step (see photos of coffee processing in Costa Rica) are roasted (always medium roast), ground (always medium grind) and presented for blind testing.  The aroma (and for some tasters the flavor) of the green, roasted, and ground beans is scored first.  Then water precisely six degrees below boiling is added and the brewing characteristics are scored.

The froth full of grounds that rises to the top of the cup is “broken” releasing the first whiff of the liquid coffee’s aroma and finally the coffee is tasted.

The whole process is monitored with a stopwatch and thermometers to ensure consistency and at the end scores are tabulated and announced.  Sue was invited to participate alongside the buyers and comported herself admirably.  She not only correctly identified the highest scoring coffee as her favorite but did so based on the same characteristics the experts found desirable in that bean.

Below are a few of our photos showing the final part of the coffee process – cupping or tasting.   Each of the photos links to a detailed description if you’d like to learn more.

See also the photo albums for growing and picking the coffee and the processing from red cherries to green beans.

Ox cart wheel
Antique mortar and pestle used to grind coffee
Antique mortar and pestle used to grind coffee
Costa Rican passport from 1925
Costa Rican passport from 1925
Antique coffee peeler
Antique coffee peeler
It takes a whole day to prepare a cupping. 100 gr samples from ten different 50 kilo bags are mixed together to give a random sample from each plot of coffee to be judged. The beans are precisely roasted, meticulously ground and presented for the master tasters
Cupping setup – It takes a whole day to prepare a cupping. 100 gr samples from ten different 50 kilo bags are mixed together to give a random sample from each plot of coffee to be judged. The beans are precisely roasted, meticulously ground and presented for the master tasters
The cupping corner lab with (from left to right) burr grinder, cylindrical micro roaster, milligram scale, espresso press, gas burner for heating water, chorreador, sink and the blower section of a mini-roaster
Coffee cupping lab – The cupping corner with (from left to right) burr grinder, cylindrical micro roaster, milligram scale, espresso press, gas burner for heating water, chorreador, sink and the blower section of a mini-roaster
coffee beans
Coffee beans – medium roast is used for all tastings
Ready to cup
Ready for the tasters – green and roasted bean samples plus 4 cups with ground coffee from six farms.
The first step is judging the aroma of the ground coffee.
Ground aroma – The first step is judging the aroma of the ground coffee. A medium roast and a medium grind is always used at cuppings for consistency and because it’s considered the purest measure of flavor
Water added
Water added – Once everyone has judged the ground coffee water is added at 94 degrees C. There is no filtering at a cupping. The timer is used to ensure the entire process is concluded while the coffee is at its peak of flavor
Scores are assigned to each coffee at each step of the process. Three of the four cups in the front each contain samples from the same mix that originated from up to ten different 50 kilo bags in the warehouse
Scoring – Scores are assigned to each coffee at each step of the process. Three of the four cups in the front each contain samples from the same mix that originated from up to ten different 50 kilo bags in the warehouse. The fourth contains an unmixed sample from a single 50 kilo bag. All the different cups are to judge consistency and separate out flaws that may have come from a single defective bean.
Spooning aroma
Spooning aroma – Some use spoons to pull the aroma of the coffee to the nose
Others bring the nose to the aroma
Nosing aroma – Others bring the nose to the aroma
Sue breathing aroma
Sue breathing aroma – They invited Sue to participate in the cupping and she more than held her own. She chose the same number one as the professionals and recognized it for the same qualities. I didn’t participate in the official tasting but did try all of the coffees and ended up choosing one of the middle of the road varieties.
slurping coffee from the spoon
Slurping coffee from the spoon – Everyone has their own technique for getting the coffee from the spoon to their taste buds. Some slurp, some sip and some just pour
Breaking the coffee
Breaking the coffee – “Breaking” the coffee releases a whole different set of aromas. Breaking is when the coffee floating in foam on the top of the cup is disturbed with a spoon
Removing froth
After the froth is broken the grounds sink to the bottom and the remaining foam is deftly removed with a pair of spoons. The grounds are not filtered out. The coffee is tasted with the grounds settled on the bottom of the cup.
Spitting coffee
Spitting – just like at a wine tasting, professional coffee tasters never swallow
Waiting on the verdict
Waiting on the verdict of the coffee cupping at Rio Jorco. All of the samples scored very well and commanded excellent prices.
Coffee cherries
Coffee cherries
Río Jorco bag
Río Jorco bag – Río Jorco estate coffee for 100 years
Cafe Caracolito Santo Domingo de Heredia, coffee coop has served the Rodriguez family for 100 years
Cafe Caracolito – Cafe Caracolito Santo Domingo de Heredia, coffee coop has served the Rodriguez family for 100 years. They sell to the public phone (506) 2244-0876
Mercedez Rodriguez family reserve coffee
Mercedes Rodriguez and her family have been processing and selling their coffee through the Cafe Caracolito Coop in Santo Domingo de Heredia for nearly 100 years
Antique coffee roaster
Antique roaster – The roaster at cafe Caracolito Santo Domingo de Heredia, coffee coop
Coffee grinder
The grinder at cafe Caracolito Santo Domingo de Heredia, coffee coop
Cafe Caracolito
Antique roaster
Chorreador de cafe
Chorreador de cafe – Chorreador de cafe. I made this one for our house in Colorado and mercedes helped us find the old fashioned stainless steel pot in Heredia. Coffee socks are hard to come by in the U.S. so stock up while you’re in Costa Rica if you want to make traditional coffee at home.
Tarrazu Coffee shop
Tarrazu Coffee shop
Coffee garbage
Coffee garbage – All this garbage for two cups of coffee. Britt makes in room coffee service packs that include two artifical creamers, two sugars, two artificial sweeteners, two plastic stir sticks, two plastic bags, two napkins, one foil plastic bag to hold one filter pouch of coffee. We like to have two cups each and if we use the in room packs we end up with twice that much garbage. Instead we carry a pund or two of ground coffee and some large filters that can be cut down to fit most in room makers. Our method = zero non-compostable garbage, Britt in room packs = half a trash can full
Orosi coffee
Orosi coffee – In the past few years private label coffees have multiplied exponentially. Everyone who has a logo seems to be printing up coffee bags and getting them filled down at the processing plant. The quality is generally high, but few are as good as the Orosí lodge’s excellent locally grown organic beans. We were so impressed after sampling it in the room we bought some as a gift for our friends who farm coffee in San Francisco de Heredia.

Ray & Sue

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