Articles from August 2019

The role of cupping in specialty coffee

By Mario R. Fernández-Alduenda, The Coffee Quality Institute
Excerpted from The Sustainable Cultivation of Coffee
Discount available for NCA members

The
popularity of coffee is still growing, but the definition of what makes
a ‘good’ cup of coffee is complex.

It might be tempting to think that it is largely subjective, with so many types of coffee grown around the world, so many processes to consider throughout the value chain, and so many local and national preferences.

However, the sustainability of the industry depends on the value placed on certain types of coffee. Local economies can thrive or fail, depending on the desirability of their crop.

The
growing preference for ‘specialty’ coffee, sold at a premium price, is making the
quality question even more critical. The ability to distinguish specific characteristics
that make some crops more desirable than standard commercial coffee has become
a major consideration over the last 20 years.

Physical characteristics of the bean or cherry are not good indicators of flavor in the cup, so how is this important choice to be made?

Cupping, the process of grading coffee quality based on a tasting protocol, is often the basis of quality decisions.

Is it, however, reliable when the final judgement is made by consumers who have rarely seen roasted beans and almost never the green beans?

The evolution of coffee
tasting

Although instruments have been created to analyze the quality of coffee cherries and beans, our senses remain the only practical test of flavor.

Less
than 20 years ago, each coffee producing country had its own system for grading
coffee. Taste wasn’t always included in the evaluation, so there was widespread
confusion about what ‘quality’ meant.

The
search began for processes that could be adopted for a harmonised world-wide system
to evaluate coffee quality. Alongside our growing passion for specialty coffee
over the last 15 years techniques that use our senses to assess coffee quality
and flavor have developed.

The Specialty Coffee Standard is now widely used to define green coffee that can be considered ‘Specialty Grade.’

The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Cupping Protocol is used to grade specialty coffee. Its ten-point profile is more comprehensive than previous methods and it is used generally for Arabica coffee, rather than focusing on a single country of origin.

Cupping as a
measure of coffee quality

Using a new cupping protocol that focuses on the sensory profile of coffee demands a new generation of coffee professionals who are trained in sensory assessment.

Tools such as the Coffee Wheel and ‘Le Nez du Café’ kit have been developed using a range of reference aromas to standardize the approach. Courses have also been created to develop taste-assessment skills in addition to sensory skills.

All
of this has now been included in a widely-used six-day course and examination
for ‘Q Graders’. Importantly, this has created a recognized language to
describe coffee quality. This terminology has now been grouped in categories
and structured to produce a Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel.

Inevitably
there are now online tools and apps based on these approaches to support
collaborative cupping and to create visual representations.

The cupping
protocol

The standardized approach can be divided into two parts; sample preparation and sensory assessment.

The conditions for roasting, grinding and brewing the coffee beans are set and ten sensory assessments are made.

First, quality scores are given for fragrance/aroma, flavor, after-taste, acidity, body, balance, uniformity, lack of defects (clean-cup), and sweetness. Any defects are identified and an overall assessment is included in a total score.

Second, intensity ratings are given for attributes including fragrance, aroma, acidity and body.

Finally, more subjective descriptive terms are used about fragrance, aroma, flavor, aftertaste, acidity and body.

Cupping as a
tool for decision-making

Cupping is the only approach to quality commonly used throughout the coffee value chain, from tree to cup.

Other measures, such as the number of defects or roast degree, are useful for specific stages along the chain but are only helpful as a quality measure when they are correlated with cup flavor. These measures certainly can’t answer questions about which is the ‘best’ coffee when cost of production is also a consideration.

The
specialty coffee industry increasingly uses the cupping ‘Final Score’ as an
indicator of value. Other than the fermentation method, this approach is only
reliable when other parameters are consistent, on a single farm, for example. Cupping
can therefore be a valid tool for helping to choose the location of a coffee
farm, assessing the quality of coffee from neighbouring plantations.

It is
more typically used to make decisions after harvesting concerning the variables
involved in processing, fermentation and drying. Importers and roasters will
also use tasting to value the beans.

The effectiveness of the method depends on the availability of cupping laboratories and qualified cuppers throughout the value chain. While sensory skills and processes can be developed though the Q Grader training course, it is only through experience that cuppers can develop their own mental reference library of coffee profiles and characteristics.

Alternative
approaches

The
full cupping protocol can be time-consuming, so large volume green coffee
traders who do not focus on the high-end specialty market will use a ‘rapid’
method. These might be company-specific and won’t give comparable quality
measures.

Dark roast and espresso-based drinks can’t be assessed using the same approach used for green beans, so roasters and retailers have developed their own tasting protocols.

Other
parameters in coffee quality

The
flavor profile must be the ultimate quality parameter for coffee. Physical and
chemical characteristics alone are not reliable indicators of quality.

However,
coffee cherry ripeness is known to be an indicator of quality that can be
assessed using photographs of cherry colour throughout the ripening process,
although this is normally variety-specific.

Sugar content or ‘brix’ (°BX) can also be used to determine
ripeness and suitability.

The
number of beans damaged during the pulping process can also be used as a
measure.

Acidity, or pH, is also a good indicator during the fermentation process in pulped coffees, although this can vary, depending on conditions.

Bean temperature and moisture levels can also affect
the final flavor.

In Conclusion

Sensory
assessment of coffee quality will continue to evolve and more reliable global
tools for consistent cupping results will be developed.

Training cuppers with a revised Flavor Wheel will be a priority for coffee producing countries, ensuring consistency of quality decisions throughout growing and processing.

It will certainly need be extended to apply to Robusta coffee.

Above all, improved understanding between sensory experts, flavor chemists, and other scientists will improve our understanding of the complex business of assessing coffee quality in years to come.

* “Flavor as the common thread for coffee quality along the value chain” by Mario R. Fernández-Alduenda, from the Coffee Quality Institute, USA, is taken from: Lashermes, P. (ed.) Achieving sustainable cultivation of coffee, Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, Cambridge, UK, 2018 (ISBN: 978 1 78676 152 1; http://www.bdspublishing.com)

Discount available for NCA members

It’s more than a logo.

To learn more about coffee branding, NCA members can access the on-demand webinar, “Getting Started in Coffee Branding.”

By Michael Wilson, Creative Director, Made Visible Studio

Branding is not some sort of black magic.

Rather, it is a methodic process by which an organization
defines what makes them unique and how they are different from the competition.

A brand is a promise of an experience. It is up to you, the owner of the company, to decide and control what kind of experience that is going to be.

Imagine your brand as a person who is going to throw a
party. What kind of party is this going to be? How do you want your guest (customers)
to feel? What kind of music is playing? What are you wearing? What do you
expect your guest to be wearing? What kind of room is this party being held in?

Now, how does that apply to the real world?

Well, every time a customer comes into contact with your product or brand they are getting a peak in to a party that you are controlling. It’s how your store is designed. It’s how your packaging looks. It’s how your advertising sounds. It’s what your photography makes you feel. It’s how emotional is your video content. It’s even how your employees look and sound. And, yes, it’s what your logo looks like. (Notice I put that one last).

Your logo is NOT the most important part of your branding, but simply a part of a larger system, which all must work together to make your customers have a consistent experience.

So how do you go about crafting and honing this beautiful world for your customers to experience? It’s actually a simple process, but it does take thought, time, and consideration to get it right.

1. Discovery

The first step in any branding project of any size is the discovery survey.

This is sort of like writing a business plan but much more focused on the grand purpose and personality of the business. Like I mentioned before, if your brand is the host of a party, this process determines exactly who that host is.

2. Moodboards

Moodboards are an essential step to bridging the gap from the discovery survey to real-world visual assets. It’s one thing to say your brand looks and feels like Tom Hanks in “TK” it’s another to compile photos, typography, graphics, icons, illustrations, and even songs that also look and feel like Tom Hanks in “Tk”.

The goal of a moodboard is to establish a visual target. At the end of the whole process, the assets that are created for your brand should be able to get pinned to this board and look totally at home.

3. Deliverables list

Now that you have the broad strokes for how you want things to look, you need to decide what you’re actually going to make. You’ll need to think of every single visual element you will need to create both physical and digital. This can include: packaging, signs, a website, social media assets, a set of logos, apparel, menus, stickers, business cards, pitch decks…the list could go on for miles.

But that’s ok. You don’t need to make everything at once, but you do need to know where you are going. You wouldn’t start a road trip without a map, would you?

4. First pass

Now your designer can get down to doing what they do best, designing stuff.

For the first pass of designed assets, I suggest picking 4-5 things from you big list that you want to see created. They don’t even have to be the most important items, but they should be a little different from each other.

Your designer should work up a variety of logo ideas (we
usually do 3 options) and apply that along with colors, type, illustration,
icons, copy, and photography to the 4-5 items from the big list.

A logo almost never lives alone. This is your first chance
to see not only your potential logo, but how it works amongst all the other
things your business is going to need in the visual system.

This is also your first peek at your copy. These items should include some language that fit in with what you decided in your discovery survey. You can write up taglines, menu descriptions, copy about the company, and all sorts of other copy pieces to start developing your voice.

5. Review

Once the design team compiles all of these logo designs and comps into a presentation its time to review. As with every step of the process, the details matter. You should go over every component of every system and start to whittle it down from multiple options to “the one.”

Its time-consuming and counter-productive to have your
designer develop two systems all the way through. So try to settle on one
visual language and system to go forward with.

Once you have decided on the system, make a concise and
clear list of revisions. If the copy isn’t working, say so. If the type is hard
to read, say so. If the colors are a little off, say so. The more little things
you can check off the list at this stage the better.

This is also a good point to set up whatever photoshoots might be necessary if your big list is heavy on custom photography. It’s ok to use stock photography for comps, but you really want to own your photo style when you launch your brand. Photo shoots take time to produce and often a designer needs that final art to do their job. So get those photoshoots scheduled while your designer is working on other things.

6. Revisions, revisions, revisions

The next step is to revise and perfect that original list of
4-5 assets. It’s up to you and the designer how many rounds of revisions you
want to do, but it’s important to stick to it. I have been part of many
projects that went over budget due to hours and hours of revisions that could
have been condensed and organized better.

No matter how many rounds you ultimately decided to do, be sure you are happy with the state of those assets when you are done. The branding process from here is like building a house. Each brick is laid on the previous one so if they start going sideways, you’ll end up with an ugly house.

7. Build out

The next phase should be pretty straightforward if you got the first few steps correct. You simply need to take the big list of deliverables, put it on a schedule, and start designing them. Make sure this doesn’t turn in to a copy and paste job. You want each element to be slightly unique and surprising.

Think of them like tracks on an album, you wouldn’t want every song to be the same would you?

For the bigger ticket items, like your website, you want to build in rounds of revisions. There will be a variety of items that you might think are of higher importance, so be sure to pinpoint those and build in the time to design, review, and revise.

8. Final files and brand guidelines

Congratulations! You’ve made it to the end, sort of. Now
that your entire system is designed and is all meshing and syncing beautifully
you might have to have some physical objects to make. Maybe you need a sign
painted or stickers printed or shirts embroidered. Whatever it may be, there is
going to be lead time.

Your designer should prep and deliver files to each vendor
per their specs to that your physical objects end up looking as good as your
comps.

You should also create a brand guidelines book. Even if you are small organization, this little book will help keep your brand in-line well in to the future. It will also help if you have to hand off smaller marketing tasks to your internal team. Everyone who makes anything for your brand should have this brand book at their fingertips. These are the rules of the road that will allow your brand to remain consistent. And consistency is key when it comes to building brand awareness and trust.

So there you go.

That’s a very brief overview of you go from an idea to a living breathing brand. There are a million and one ways to modify this process depending on your organization’s needs, but this should get you started.

I hope that this helps you see you brand as not just a logo, but as a collection of visual elements and ideas that all represent the same basic core values. Every interaction a customer has with your brand is a chance to surprise, delight, and entice them. The better you get at that, the more loyal your customers will be.

About the Author

Over the past 15 years, Michael has navigated a career in publishing, creating award-winning design work for Philadelphia magazine, Esquire, and Airbnb magazine. Along the way he developed his branding chops working with freelance clients. He noticed that his favorite projects and magazine layouts focused on food, whether it was “Best Restaurants” for Philadelphia magazine or an “Insider’s Guide to International Food in Queens” for Airbnb. So, in December of 2018 he decided to leave the comforts of his full-time job to pursue his passion for all-things food. He now focuses on branding and design for coffee roasters, coffee shops, restaurants, breweries, and distilleries.