Do you consider yourself a coffee drinking professional? Avid and long-time coffee drinkers may consider themselves as such, especially those who are Starbucks regulars.
However, according to the development team of Starbucks, which is made up of legitimate coffee experts, there is a set procedure way to drink coffee like a pro. And yes, this involves a lot of slurping sounds, spitting, and deep sniffing.
This process is called cupping, and is practiced by Starbucks' professional coffee tasters. First, they sniff the coffee deeply, then take a small mouthful and slurp loudly. They then taste it carefully before spitting it into a cup. This process is being done to get them to taste the full flavor of the coffee and determine if it's good enough to sell on the stores. The purpose behind these methods is pretty simple:
- Sniff - they do so simply because the nose can detect hundreds or perhaps thousands of smells, while the tongue can only distinguish several tastes.
- Slurping - this spreads the coffee into your entire palate, letting barely detectable flavors and aromas reach your nose.
- Spit - this is used to determine where you actually "feel" or "taste" the flavors of the coffee inside your mouth.
- Describe - each cup or coffee bean has distinctive flavors. One may have a citrus-y flavor, be more acidic, yet have an unusual aroma.
The team goes through at least 600 to 800 cups a day. Remember though, they don't actually drink all of them - they just taste it. Each blend is tried and tested using the sensitive and rather judgmental tastebuds of these tasters. It also shows how Starbucks' is committed to delivering quality caffeine-laced brews to their millions of customers worldwide.
This process is being done to accomplish three objectives, which are:
- To describe the flavor of the samples
- To differentiate the sensory differences between the samples
- To determine the preference of products
Of course, you can also practice cupping on your own - just be sure it's not being done at a public place, or else you might attract unwanted attention!
