Kaffeeschule Thomas

Brinkmann Hannover

The Cupping
Handbook
A systematic approach to cup,
evaluate and describe coffee
 Table of Contents
...................................................

..............................................................................................................................
7 Why Coffee Sensory?

13 Aroma & Taste: Our senses for coffee sensory: taste, smell, feel
14 How does smelling work?
18 How does taste work?
24 How do tactile sensations work?

31 The Cupping Set Up

32 Cupping equipment
36 Cupping Codes
38 Types of cupping
40 From association to perception: our memory
43 Practical tips

47 Rating coffee
48 The Coffee Score Sheet
50 The attributes of a coffee in detail
54 The reference coffee
56 The calibration
57 Evaluating coffee objectively - Can it be done?
59 Different Coffee Score Sheets explained
62 Rating Canephora

67 Describing coffee
68 Descriptive Sensory
70 Terms for aroma, flavor, body & co.
92 Describing off-notes and defects
95 Why it is so difficult to describe taste
98 Sensory Claims
107 Sensory claims on coffee packaging
110 Sources & Resources

4 5
 Why
Coffee Sensory?

Chapter
01

.............................................................
There are a number of reasons to train your own sensory
perception or to seek advice from someone with good sensory
........................................................

perception.

The human ability to perceive, sort and evaluate sensory

impressions is unique. To date, it has not been possible to
replicate the complex processes of the human body in sensory
technology.

Our brain plays a major role in this: with its millions of

neuronal networks and ramifications, it forms the control centre
of our sensory system. And it is anything but easy to recreate.
More about our brain later.

Now let's start by exploring why it's important to get to grips

with sensory science in the coffee business. To do this, we have
compiled 10 reasons and will go into each one in more detail.

At the end there is a checklist and everyone can write down

which reasons are most important at the moment.

6 7
Elements of coffee sensory: Aroma These two parts of the brain are important for

.............................................................................................................................
smelling and remembering

Which parts of the brain should we pay particular attention to?

First, there is the amygdala, also called the almond nucleus. It is
part of the limbic system and evaluates flavors emotionally.
From "mega yummy" to "oh my, what is that?" everything
„Hmm, does that coffee smell good“
........................................................

happens here.
Smell plays an important role in coffee sensory perception. We
perceive aromas, search our memory for suitable words to Second, we look at the hippocampus, also part of the limbic
describe them and communicate our perceptions to others. Let's system. It forms the interface between short-term memory and
take a look at what exactly happens and what factors influence long-term memory and decides which information is stored and
our judgement of a coffee. which is not. If we want to learn or recall smells, it is the
hippocampus that links the information with existing
information in our memory.
We smell with tongue and nose
What influences smelling
We smell with our nose, which we call orthonasal, and also with
our mouth, which we call retronasal. If the smell of ground or
brewed coffee flows into our nose, the aroma substances dock When we want to perceive and judge smells, a lot of factors play
directly onto the olfactory mucosa. Just as important is the a role. For example, whether we are hungry or full.
retronasal perception via the connection of the oral cavity to the Furthermore, our perception of aromas is very subjective: This
nasal cavity. We therefore also perceive odors with our mouth. is due to our upbringing and individual situations in which we
have experienced scents.
The olfactory mucosa therefore plays an important role in our
perception of aromas. It is located in the Marcel Proust describes just such an episode as early as 1917 in
nasal roof of the nasal cavity. The olfactory his novel "In Search of Lost Time", long before we have
mucosa contains olfactory cells that are scientifically investigated the effect of personal experience and
symmetrically distributed over both nasal smells. As a keyword, let us just mention "madeleines", the
cavities. If the receptor of an olfactory cell is smell of which was still long associated in the author's memory
activated by a scent molecule, the sensory with the visit of his aunt.
cell is independently able to convert this
chemical stimulus into an electrical
stimulus and pass it on directly. Active smokers have a poorer perception of coffee aromas and
smells overall. If they stop smoking, the sense of smell returns to
normal after a while.
The electrical stimuli are passed on bundled
in larger filaments before reaching their
next station, namely the olfactory bulb. The How we recognize and store coffee aromas also depends on our
olfactory bulb represents the connection age. Younger people recognize aromas better and can also
between the nasal cavity and the remember them better. As we get older, this ability diminishes.
Brain. It is located in the front part of the This is because the sensory cells in the olfactory mucosa recover
brain, the prefrontal cortex, directly above more slowly with age. Also, our preference for aromas changes
the nose. From the olfactory bulb, with age: while strawberry declines, vanilla or orange rise in our
information about aromas travels on to favor.
different parts of the brain.

Image 1: Illustration by Patrick J. Lynch &

Jaffe, Carl C./ Own caption

14 15
 Elements of coffee sensory: Body
Hardness Mechanical textural attribute relating to the force required to
achieve a given deformation or penetration of a product.

In the mouth, it is perceived by compressing the product between

the teeth (solids) or between the tongue and palate (semi-solids).
These are tactile sensations, also called trigeminal perceptions.
..........................................................................................................

Viscosity Mechanical textural attribute relating to resistance to flow.

There are three categories of trigeminal perceptions: It corresponds to the force required to draw a liquid from a
Spoon over the tongue, or to spread it over a substrate.
-touch, pressure or vibration (also called mechanoception,
because mechanical influences on the surface are
perceived) Granularity Geometrical textural attribute relating to the perception of the size
and shape of particles in a product.
-temperature sense (thermoreception)

-sense of pain (nociception) Adhesiveness Mechanical textural attribute relating to the force required to
remove material that adheres to the mouth or to the substrate.

The weight of the sipped coffee activates our tactile stimuli,

triggered by touch or pressure.
Source: ISO 5492, 2008, selected terms
Our sense of temperature varies when we taste coffee while
cupping at different times and therefore different temperatures.

.............................................................
Pain can be triggered by coffee that is too hot. The tongue is very
sensitive to things that are too hot: drinks hotter than 50°C
activate our pain receptors. Temperature between pleasure and pain

We are more likely to perceive the temperature of coffee on the

Texture we know as "body front part of the tongue, because the tongue is more sensitive
here than in the back area. The heat receptors react in a corridor
What happens in the mouth when we feel what we call the of 30°C to 50°C. At temperatures above 50°C, pain receptors are
"body" of a coffee? We know that our tongue has different types activated.
of papillae ready to detect taste.
When cupping, we usually test the temperature by taking a
sample before we start tasting. Intuitively, we know: The coffee
But one type is not for taste, but for texture sensation: These are is still very hot even after infusion and removal of the crust and
the filiform papillae. They are somewhat rough and sit on the tasting it would burn our tongues.
surface of the tongue. The ISO 5492 standard lists and precisely
defines the individual texture characteristics (for a selection, see
box). Drinking coffee hurts - The role of the trigeminal
nerve
Naming and evaluating the texture of a coffee often proves
difficult. This is also due to the inconsistent vocabulary we have The trigeminal nerve plays a special role. As the fifth cranial
at our disposal. Coffee professionals most often refer to "body" nerve, it transmits our pain sensations to the brain. Now, it is
as viscosity, heaviness, or coating. There's more about good to know that the trigeminal nerve is not a single nerve that
mouthfeel and body in Chapter 5. has a beginning and an end. Rather, it has three main branches
24 25
 The role of the Coffee Score Sheet There are two options for coffee

.............................................................................................................................
rating sheets:

You can use a coffee rating sheet

that already exists, or a company
can create their own.

The assessment of coffee takes place at various levels: Green Coffee rating sheets can be found
...........................................................................................................

coffee is examined for the number and severity of its defects and primarily in the international arena,
classified into different quality grades according to its size. The for example at the Specialty Coffee
cup profile is also a criterion for dividing coffee into quality Association, the Coffee Quality
grades. Institute, and the Alliance for Coffee The Coffee Score Sheet of the Specialty Coffee Association.
Excellence (links to these
Possible criteria to classify or grade coffee are: organizations can be found in
Chapter 5, "Resources").

Cultivation altitude
Growing region Coffee rating sheets usually contain
Variety/Cultivar 10 different categories that are
Method of preparation used to rate the characteristics of a
Size of the green coffee bean ("screen size") coffee:
Shape and color of the green coffee bean
Number of defects Aroma
Permissible defects Flavor
Specific gravity ("Density") Acidity
Cup profile Sweetness
Body/Mouthfeel ("mouthfeel"/
The Coffee Score Sheet of the Kaffeeschule Hannover.
"body")
For all these criteria, there are different systems to measure them. Clean Cup
The cultivation altitude is measured in meters above sea level Aftertaste ("Aftertaste")
("m.a.s.l. " = meters above see level), the coffee variety is Uniformity
determined botanically and the size of a green coffee bean, for Balance ("equilibrium")
example, is determined by the so-called screen size. These are Overall ("Total")
grids with holes of different sizes. Beans fall through this grid
until the hole is too small and they stop at that level. This step
determines their screen size, for example 15 or 18. A screen is 1/64 We refer to the coffee score sheet
of an inch. This corresponds to a diameter of 0.4 mm. hereafter as the Coffee Score Sheet.

Just as there are objective ways to measure the condition of a

bean and thus classify it for the above criteria, there is also an
objective way to determine the cup profile. Namely, with a coffee
evaluation sheet that assigns a score to the coffee at the end of an The Coffee Score Sheet of the Cup of Excellence.
evaluation and thus measures its sensory value.

48 49
 Describing aroma and flavor

Let's start with a definition of Belco Olfactorium

.........................................................................................................

.........................................................................................................
aroma according to ISO 5492:
The Belco Olfactorium includes 48 flavors in eight categories. The
“Organoleptic characteristic set was created in cooperation with the French company
perceived by the olfactory organ Cinquième Sens. Three scientists from Cinquième Sens and three
inside the nose when tasting”. Belco employees blindly and separately tasted 50 different coffees,
each in three roasting types. If four of the six participants
Also valid is this definition: identified a flavor, it made the list. Belco is a green coffee trader
Olfactorium von Belco “fragrance with a pleasant based in Bordeaux, France.
association”.

CC-FLAVOURPROFILFÜR KAFFEE
Below we present various flavors Group Citrus:
Deutsch

OLFAKTORIK(AROMA)

Lemon, Lime, Grapefruit

DATUM

and aromas that come from

TASTER
GRUPPEN UNTERGRUPPEN GERUCHSBEISPIELE (ORTHONASAL) INTENSITÄT
LEITWAHRNEHMUNG

RÖSTTIEFE Kaffee: Espresso:

ROHKAFFEE
Bergamotte, Grapefruit, Kumquat, Limette, Mandarine,
Zitrus 4 3 2 1 0
Orange, Zitrone
Farm: Lot /Parzelle:
Blaubeere, Brombeere, Erdbeere, Himbeere, Holunder,
Varietät: Aufbereitung: Beeren 4 3 2 1 0
Preiselbeere, Rote Johannisb. ,Schw. Johannisb., Stachelbeere

different sources.
Anbauhöhe: Screen: Frucht Steinobst Apfel, Aprikose, Birne, Feige, Kirsche, Pfirsich, Pflaume, Quitte 4 3 2 1 0
©2012Coffee Consulate,Mannheim /Abdruck undVervielfältigung auch in Auszügennur mit schriftlicher Genehmigung durch Coffee Consulate.

Erntemenge: Erntejahr: Banane, Granatapfel, Mango,Melone, Papaya, Passionsfrucht,

Tropisch 4 3 2 1 0
Rhabarber
Defekte: Feuchtigkeit:
Getr. Aprikose,Getr. Banane, Getr. Dattel, Getr. Feige, Getr.
Röstdatum: Einwaage: Auswaage: Dörrobst 4 3 2 1 0
Pflaume, Rosine
T1(Einwurftemp.): T3(max.aktive Heiztemp.):
Blumen Geranie, Lavendel, Rose,Veilchen 4 3 2 1 0

Woody Group:
Floral Akazienblüte,Holunderblüte, Jasmin, Kastanienblüte,
Blüten 4 3 2 1 0
Orangenblüte
GUSTATORIK(GESCHMACK/TASTE) UND HAPTIK (MUNDGEFÜHL /MOUTHFEEL)
Basilikum, Koriander, Minze, Rosmarin,Salbei, Thymian,
Kräuter 4 3 2 1 0
Zitronengras, Zitronenmelisse
SEHRSTARK STARK WENIG KEINE
Säure Fenchel, Gras,Grüne Bohne, Grüne Erbse,Grüne Olive, Grüner
4 ,5
3 ,5
2 ,5
1 ,5
0 Grün 4 3 2 1 0
Apfel, Salat-Gurke,Staudensellerie
SEHRSTARK STARK WENIG KEINE Vegetal
Trocken Hanf, Heu, Hopfen, Schwarzer Tee,Stroh, Tabak,Vanille 4 3 2 1 0
GUSTATORIK

Cedar, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Plum, Under-growth

Bitterkeit

They are all based on solid,

4 ,5
3 ,5
2 ,5
1 ,5
0 Zerealie Bambussprosse,Basmati-Reis,Getreide, Mais 4 3 2 1 0
SEHRSTARK STARK WENIG KEINE Anis, Ingwer, Kümmel,Muskatnuss, Nelke, Pfeffer, Süssholz,
Salzigkeit Gewürze 4 3 2 1 0
4 ,5
3 ,5
2 ,5
1 ,5
0 Wacholderbeere, Zimt
SEHRSTARK STARK WENIG KEINE Nadelholz Harz,Kiefer, Pinie, Tanne,Zeder, Zypresse 4 3 2 1 0
Süsse
4 ,5
3 ,5
2 ,5
1 ,5
0 Hölzer Akazie,Buche, Eiche, Esche, Kastanie, Kirsche,Maulbeere,
Laubholz 4 3 2 1 0
FETT/WUCHTIG SCHWER GUT LEICHT/WÄSSRIG Robinie

scientifically collected and

Körper
Erdnuss,Haselnuss,Mandel, Maronen, Nougat, Pinienkerne,
HAPTIK

4 ,5
3 ,5
2 ,5
1 ,5
0 Nüsse 4 3 2 1 0
Pistazien, Sesam,Walnuss
SEHRLANGE LANGE WENIG FLÜCHTIG
Verweildauer Agavensirup, Ahornsirup, Brot, Honig, Kandiszucker,Popcorn,
,5
3 ,5
2 ,5
1 ,5
0 Hell 4 3 2 1 0
Röst- Toast
aromen Mittel Brotkruste, Kakao,Karamel, Malz,Zartbitter-Schokolade 4 3 2 1 0
HAPTIK GUSTATORIK OLFAKTORIK
SÄURE MIKROBIOLOGISCH Dunkel Asche,Kohle, Lakritze,Melasse, Rauch, Sojasauce 4 3 2 1 0

evaluated data. That is, they do not Leather Group:

CHEMISCH 4 FRUCHT
4
Erdig Blumenerde, Karotte, Kartoffel,Wurzeln 4 3 2 1 0
3
3
Minera- Algen, Feuchtes Laub, Moos,Pilze, Rindenmulch, Rio,
VERWEILDAUER BITTERKEIT
Modrig 4 3 2 1 0
2
MINERALISCH
2 lisch Schimmel
FLORAL
1 1 Muffig Kork,Pappe, Torf 4 3 2 1 0

0
Alkoholisch Cognac,Marzipan,Portwein, Sherry, Whisky 4 3 2 1 0
0

Birch, Tobacco leaves, Animal

Chemisch Medizinisch Aceton, Desinfektionsmittel 4 3 2 1 0

appear miraculously. They are a

RÖSTAROMEN KRÄUTER

Schwefel Gummi, Kohl, Schwefeldioxid, Teer 4 3 2 1 0

KÖRPER SALZIGKEIT Fleisch, Grillhähnchen, Katzenurin, Leder,NassesFell,

Animalisch 4 3 2 1 0
VEGETAL Mikrobio- Pferdeschweiss
NÜSSE
logisch Laktisch Blauschimmelkäse, Butter, Cheddar,Joghurt, Rahm,Ranzig 4 3 2 1 0
SÜSSE GEWÜRZE
HÖLZER Hefe Hefe,Sauerteig 4 3 2 1 0

great help to us in putting our

Flavour Profil Coffee Consulate perceptions into words. Of course, Spicy Group:
we can always add our individual Cinnamon, Ginger, Pepper, Clove, Coriander, Cardamom
impressions.
Group Floral:
Jasmine, Iris, Rose, Violet

Group Fruity:
Blackcurrant, Pineapple, Cherry, Raspberry, Apple, Apricot, Passion
fruit

Group Candy:
Almond, Cocoa, Caramel, Praline, Milk, Honey, Hazelnut,
Gingerbread, Vanilla, Tonka bean, Licorice, Rhubarb, Cereal, Toast,
Candied fruit, Butter

Sensory Group Herbal:

Flavor Wheel Flavor Wheel Laurel , Sweet pepper, Blackcurrant bud
Scent One Lexicon von SCA
World Coffee
Research

70 71
 Sensory Claims

Full-bodied", "notes of chocolate and nut", or "balanced acidity and about the regulation in your region or country, check the term

...........................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................

full aroma of South American coffees" - seductive words to “sensory claim” in your language and find out what authorities or
describe coffee and persuade customers to buy. These statements institutions offer.
are known as "sensory claims" and are intended to make coffee
products look good in terms of their sensory qualities. Let's take a
look at what "sensory claims" are, what benefits they offer, what to Influence consumers positively
look out for, and how to protect them.

Before we gain a deeper look into it, let’s understand what a We always want the consumer to buy our coffee and not that of
"claim" is. A claim is the communication of characteristics of a our competitor. Sensory descriptions therefore bring a multi-
product that is understood by the consumer as a true fact with layered benefit if we want to shed a good light on our coffee.
high credibility. "Sensory claims" are sensory properties of a These four aspects show good reasons:
product communicated by the manufacturer about appearance,
taste, aroma or texture, which aim to better promote the product.
"Sensory Claims" instead of "Health Claims"
Instead of elaborate scientific studies, which are necessary to
Realistic alternative to "Health Claims”? support statements from "health claims", "sensory claims" are easy
to understand and therefore more consumer-friendly. In addition,
every consumer can easily understand and verify the sensory
This offers product developers, PR specialists and sensory experts claims by drinking the coffee.
many opportunities to characterize a coffee product sensory and to
position it in the market.
Pleasure instead of frustration
This is because, unlike "health claims", which are also relevant for Sensory descriptions open up the possibility for consumers to
us in the coffee industry, there is little till no legal regulation for develop their own preferences for a coffee and thereby get to
"sensory claims". Therefore, it seems worthwhile to advertise coffee know their own enjoyment and palate. This adds pleasure to the
with sensory claims instead of being warned off for wrongly used drinking ritual. We generally see a higher demand from consumers
"health claims". These statements, which are subject to warning, for foods of which they can easily understand the origin and
include terms such as "digestible" or "stomach-friendly". processing.

However, we are also well advised to check for "sensory claims" if Nevertheless, the focus is often on other sales arguments such as
these are "(...) technically justified, verifiable and comprehensible, organic or fair trade, and rather less on sensory descriptions. As a
so as not to jeopardize credibility with consumers" (Schneider- result, many consumers are often speechless when it comes to
Häder et.al., p.3). However, we also describe which national and putting their sensory preferences for a coffee into understandable
international standards "sensory claims" dock on to. Before we do words. "Sensory claims” can help consumers find the right words
so, we will explore the benefits that sensory descriptions can have for them.
on the purchasing behavior of consumers.

Please note: What we describe here about “sensory claims” has Trust instead of renunciation
been researched for the German market with links to the EU The right words can turn simple consumers into passionate coffee
regulation and little to the US regulation. If you want to know lovers. The right words to describe a coffee's sensory attributes

98 99
 Authors Coming in 2022 | Próximo a 2022
Signifikant-media.eu

Thomas Brinkmann

Founder and owner of the Kaffeeschule Hannover, Germany.

Authorized SCA trainer (2010 to 2019), first German holder of the SCAE
Coffee Diploma, 1st place in German roasting championchips 2008 and
2009, juror at the "Cup of Excellence" program since 2012 with nine
participations, trainer for coffee sommelier (IHK), roasting of specialty
coffee (IHK), coffee expert (IHK); owner of the coffee brands "Thomas Train your coffee brain El manual de degustación del café
Kaffee" and "Villa Kava" in his own coffee roastery. Edition for coffee professionals Para coffee professionals
Approximately 80 pages Aproximadamente 116 páginas
"Learning is what drives me. So I learn the most when I explain something Language: English Edición digital
to others. This is what makes my job my calling. ” 21 x 21 cm Idioma: Espagnol
Publishing date: Spring/Summer 2022 Fecha de publicación: primavera/
verano de 2022
Nadine Karbach

Publisher Signifikant Media

"I am passionately curious about learning. It's that kind of curiosity that
invites trial and error, experimentation, understanding. ”

Read more about Thomas & Nadine also on Kaffeeschule.com.

114 115
 The Cupping Handbook
Cup, evaluate and describe coffee

Cuppings are a valuable tool for coffee professionals to use for

quality assurance, analysis and evaluation of coffee.

But how often do we wish we had a better understanding of

how sensory works in us and how we can use it better?

How often are we at a loss for words when we want to

accurately describe the quality of a coffee?

How often do we wish we could make better and more confident

decisions about our coffee purchases?

And wouldn't it be nice to be able to explain our coffee to customers

in a way that makes them want to drink the first cup on the spot?