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May 22, 2023

So you want to learn how to cup coffee?

Mike Romagnino
Mike Romagnino
Coordinator, The Lab

Written by RNY Guest Instructor Thomas Ameloot

specialty coffee cupping at Royal New York

Do you want to learn how to cup coffee? Are you interested in learning about the sensory analysis of coffees? We have some great classes at the Royal New York Lab taught by Thomas Ameloot of CoLabOps that will teach you how to cup coffee and so much more!

Want to learn how to cup coffee? Join us at the RNY Lab!

The Royal New York Lab is a SCA certified coffee education campus, the perfect location for you to further your coffee education. The Royal New York Lab is located in South Plainfield, NJ, did you know that’s just 35 miles from NYC and 26 miles from the Newark airport?!

While you’re here, we’ll be happy to give you a tour of our two onsite green coffee warehouses and introduce you to team Royal New York!

Check out all of our upcoming classes here!

Intro to CQI Cupping

The Coffee Quality Institute has recently released some new educational courses in addition to their Q Arabica Certification course. One of these courses is the Introduction to CQI Cupping, one of the best ways you can learn how to cup coffee!

In this class, all new cuppers will gain a thorough understanding of the cupping form and the overall process of cupping coffee. While this is a great standalone class to take to learn about cupping, it’s also an excellent prep course if you’re thinking about or planning to take the Q Grader Certification!

Q Grader Prep Class

Two issues people often run into when taking the Q course is the lack of experience using the cupping form and protocol and/or confidence in skills. The physical process of setting up and performing a cupping can be daunting. This course will help you execute this process, so you are more prepared and comfortable when taking the Q.

Note that this class will take place over the course of two days, but students have the option of purchasing /attending one or two days.

Intro to CQI Cupping Day 1

Day one of this class focuses on an introduction to cupping with learning activities for the three key elements of flavor (taste, aroma, and mouthfeel). The class is built by introducing the standard sensory analysis tools of aroma and flavor references and applies them in the context of coffee quality evaluation. We will discuss how to understand each box of the cupping form.

Sign up for Intro to CQI Cupping Day 1!

Intro to CQI Cupping Day 2

Day two of this class is the practical, hands-on application. Day two will focus on conducting quality testing of coffee and simulating an individual calibration with flavor standards. Instructors and students will cup coffees and learn to calibrate with each other.

This course will have you ready to set up cuppings for coworkers and/or customers following the international SCA Cupping Protocol.

Sign up for Intro to CQI Cupping Day 2!

SCA Sensory Skills

In addition to the Intro to CQI Cupping classes, we also have upcoming classes in SCA Sensory Skills! The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Sensory Foundation course will educate you on the sensory analysis of coffees. The Intermediate course will help you to further develop your sensory analysis skills while beginning to lead others in their development.

Sign up for SCA Sensory Skills Foundation

Sign up for SCA Sensory Skills Intermediate

What will be covered in SCA Sensory Skills?

Did you know that specialty coffee is defined as a coffee that scores 80 or more points on a 100-point scale and is free of primary green defects? In this course work, we will define, describe, and differentiate between specialty and non-specialty coffees. We will also explore the difference between the Arabica and Robusta species.

The Foundation course is intended for people new to coffee, interested in starting a career in the industry, and coffee enthusiasts – no sensory experience necessary.

Intermediate is the next step in this pathway for those who have completed Foundation. It can also be taken without Foundation, especially for those with six plus months of experience in the industry.

During the course, we focus on exercises to build our aromatic memory and understanding of tasting. We use tools like Le Nez du Café, the Flavor Wheel, and the Coffee Sensory Lexicon to not only help us build our automatic memory but also to understand the aromatics of coffee in a deeper way.

Understanding how to use these internationally recognized tools also allows us to speak to and share knowledge with other coffee professionals and have a deeper discussion surrounding the coffees we serve, sell and/or buy.

We also focus on the protocol for cupping coffees. Learning a standard for preparation is important for consistency of evaluation around the world.

Ready to learn how to cup coffee?

Sign up for our upcoming classes at the Royal New York Lab!

How to cup coffee: Intro to CQI Cupping Day 1

How to cup coffee: Intro to CQI Cupping Day 2

SCA Sensory Skills Foundation

SCA Sensory Skills Intermediate

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