Cravens Coffee: Simon Says, Cupping & Tasting


	Try Cravens Adam's Northwest Blend, and celebrate spring with this dark, earthy roast with a mellow flavor and a hint of spice.

You've seen those wine tasters making funny faces and spitting, right? We do that around here, too.

In the coffee roasting business, it's called cupping and tasting - and the people at Cravens take it seriously, funny faces notwithstanding.

We cup and taste because it's the surest way to judge a bean's quality. Different kinds of beans produce distinctive flavors and aromas, and to find the best we have to do our homework. That's why you'll find us cupping and tasting every time you turn around.

Here's how it's done:

roast a sample
grind it fine
add boiling water
remove the crust of grounds that forms on top as the coffee cools
use a spoon to slurp up a taste
run the coffee across your tongue
identify its characteristics
spit (in a container, not on your neighbor)

Like winemakers, coffee roasters use a specific vocabulary to describe their products. Click here to learn what we mean by "lively," "smoky," and "buttery."

The Coffee Chronicles

Cupping & Tasting

Brewing the Perfect Cup