From Cupping to Dialing In with Dustin Ryan Yu, Director of Coffee

Brewing Tips

From Cupping to Dialing In

with Dustin Ryan Yu, Director of Coffee at The Roasters Pack

Cupping is easier than you may think!

Cupping can sound intimidating, but is pretty straightforward and could help guide you on how to brew coffee to your liking! Cupping is a standardized industry method to do quality control and analysis.

One of the best benefits of cupping at home is that you can learn so much about coffee over time. You probably already have most of these items, and the key here is needing several identical cups or bowls that hold somewhere between 150ml to 300ml. Here’s how to cup at home...

WHAT YOU'LL NEED.

Identical cupping bowls/cups

Grinder

Scale

Cupping spoons

Water at ~205ºF or 95ºC

Coffee(s), about 8-16 grams of coffee per cup, depending on the volume)

Note: The perfect ratio of coffee to water is 8.25 grams of coffee per 150 ml of water. An easy formula is volume of water (in g) multiplied by 0.055. For example, if my cup holds 260g of water to the brim, you’d need 14.3g of coffee.

HOW TO CUP.

Dose and grind your coffees to be medium to medium-fine.

Assess the dry aroma of coffee.

Start your timer and pour hot water into each cup.

Smell the wet aroma.

After four minutes, while smelling close to the cup, use one cupping spoon to break the crust by pushing the coffee grounds away from you.

Using two spoons, skim and discard the floating grounds and foam.

Around the 12 minute mark, the coffee becomes cool enough to taste.

Use your cupping spoon to slurp up the coffee (loudly!).

Note: While it might feel silly to slurp the coffee, this process aspirates the coffee and spreads it across your palate, and you can taste more of the flavour!

Dialing In for Espresso

Once you’ve got the hang of cupping, you’re ready to cup to help dial in your espresso.

During a cupping, you might notice that some coffees differ in strength, roastiness, body, acidity, and so on. Dialing in a coffee can be quite personal, and over time you’ll find what you prefer. For example, I typically prefer espresso to be closer to a 1:2.5 ratio, as it brings out more clarity. So, I might apply these general adjustments if the cupped coffees taste too...

“Roasty” > Grind coarser, and reduce extraction time by a few seconds.
"Acidic” > Grind finer, or increase extraction time by a few seconds.
"Light” > Grind finer, increase extraction time, or use harder water.
"Bitter” > Grind coarser, and reduce extraction time by a few seconds.

And lastly, as you get better at dialing in, you’ll waste fewer shots! Score!

Dialing In for Filter

As mentioned earlier, dialing in coffee all comes down to personal preference. I often prefer my pour overs to have a slightly lower strength for more clarity (1:16.5 or 1:17). So, I might apply these adjustments to the brewing process if the cupped coffees taste too...

“Roasty” > Brew using a lower temperature, e.g. 90-92ºC.
"Acidic” > Brew with a finer grind, hotter water, or more pulse pours.
"Funky” > Brew using more water e.g. 1:16.5 or 1:17.5, or add bypass.
"Light” > Brew with a finer grind, hotter water, or use harder water.
"Bitter” > Brew faster by grinding coarser, or use cooler water.

Dustin Yu

Director of Coffee. Works with the best Canadian roasters to curate our subscription boxes. Creates brew guides as a coffee education super nerd. Has a terrible habit of always ordering a washed Colombian or Ethiopian pour over. Loves making ceramic coffee cups, and is also a cooking enthusiast!

Dustin Yu

Director of Coffee. Works with the best Canadian roasters to curate our subscription boxes. Creates brew guides as a coffee education super nerd. Has a terrible habit of always ordering a washed Colombian or Ethiopian pour over. Loves making ceramic coffee cups, and is also a cooking enthusiast!