Explore coffee cupping and why it is so important in Bristol Twenty's Roastery

What makes us so unique is that we consistently offer new blends of coffee for our customers. We are able to adapt and grow with customers tastes and needs. This means the Bristol Twenty Team is constantly making and testing new products from coffee beans grown around the world. Coffee cupping is a huge part of maintaining a high-quality experience from our coffees for our customers. We are also able to thoroughly analyse new blends through coffee cupping.

What Is Coffee Cupping And Why We Do It As An Industry?

As an independent coffee roaster, we have a promise to our customers to produce some of the best quality coffee. Our incredible partners around the world provide us with sustainably grown coffee beans. 

In order to do this, we have to regularly taste our coffee blends to compare the different characteristics. Essentially, cupping is comparing different coffee blends side by side, analysing the taste, flavour characteristics and quality. This can then be compared and assessments can be made on price. 

Just like any products, you have to make sure they are tried and tested before being available to consumers. ‘Cupping’ is a standard industry process for taste testing coffee blends. The coffee that is being tested will be brewed simply so that the full flavour profile can be identified. 

Not only does it let us evaluate the quality of the coffee beans but we must also keep analysing the quality of our roast and the consistency in flavour.  

Cupping is all about taste and smell, being an effective way to get the best out of a speciality blend as well as our everyday blends. It also refers to the entire process of the experience of each blend, from the way the texture of the coffee feels in your mouth, to the taste and the flavour notes. 

The Process Of Coffee Cupping

Without giving away secrets . . . here is how we go through the process here at Bristol Twenty. 

We grind out coffee to a coarse, cafetiere style grind and place in a cup. We then pour, close to booking water over the coffee grinds. Once it has infused for a few minutes you can then break away the crust of the cup from the grinds, whilst closely taking the time to smell the blend.

We then stir the coffee and any grinds that are left on the top can be removed with the spoon. We then use cupping spoons and fill it with the blend so that we can slurp away and create an array of sensations to fully embrace each part of the blend. 

This is where the magic happens and the Bristol Twenty Team can get to work analysing each blend.

Here at Bristol Twenty, we use coffee beans from a variety of growers. We choose farms not only for their great coffees but also for their responsibility to the community around them and the environment. Things that we should all be doing now more than ever.

Each roast is visually inspected to ensure quality and uniformity before cupping happens the following day to check the taste is perfect.

We also think that another great importance to a good quality coffee is knowing that it has been sourced ethically. Fairtrade’s standards are designed to tackle poverty and empower producers in the world’s poorest countries, giving them a guaranteed price for their products.

That is why we make it our highest priority to use as many certified farms as possible and if not possible we make sure that the standards implemented by these certifications are still upheld. You can make a difference by choosing environmentally sustainable brands. Look for certifications like Rainforest Alliance, UTZ or Fairtrade which all hold some of the highest environmental and ethical standards.

Currently, our flagship blend at Bristol Twenty Coffee is Formula 442 and our Machu Picchu Single Origin are both Fair Trade international certified. We also have a range of Rainforest Alliance certified coffees from Colombia, El Salvador and Brazil.