Selecting The Roast

The coffee is only as good as it tastes and you pick the roast during a cupping session. 

Before the session, the roaster will ask you how you want the coffee to taste so they can have some samples ready. This is when you tell them if you want a dark, medium, or light roast. You can also get specific by telling them if you want a full-body coffee, if you want it to taste smooth, etc. 

The cupping session for our coffee was documented in the video above. You start by smelling the coffee beans. You shake the ground beans and make a triangle with your hands to get a good smell of the coffee. Then add hot water and wait for it to cool. After that, you want to break the foam off the top with a spoon. While you’re breaking the foam you can put your nose close to the cup so you can smell the coffee. Once it cools you can drink it. When you taste the coffee you’re trying to see what flavors stick out in your mouth and also keep an eye out for any aftertaste. After this, you give the roaster any notes you have so they can refine the roast if needed.