Coffee cupping: What is it?

Buying and roasting coffee is a fascinating and complex chain of processes. It involves sampling and selecting a natural product from farms around the world, transporting tonnes of beans thousands of miles, and fine-tuned roasting techniques that use sophisticated machinery and software.

And yet, at the heart of all this complexity is a simple but crucial tasting method called ‘cupping’, which requires little more than ground beans, hot water, and trained taste buds.