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Coffee professionals attend ‘coffee cuppings’ so they can essentially ‘try before they buy’. They look for certain characteristics in a good cup of coffee, as well as defining tastes that set a coffee apart from the rest, before they decide to buy a lot of coffee from a coffee harvester. The cuppings are held after a fresh harvest, and after the crop has been washed and roasted.

Nowadays, you’ll find that many coffee companies and micro-roasters are offering public coffee cuppings. They’ve discovered that this is a great way for potential customers to ‘try before they buy’ and for current customers to possibly discover something new that they love. However, so many people find themselves confused in the cupping world – mainly because of the terminology that’s used to describe the flavors within the coffee.

To help you navigate your way into the world of coffee cupping, here’s some flavor profile terms that will certainly come in handy:

Acidy 

nippy-piquant

Bitter

slight-harsh

Bland

soft-neutral

Fruity

soury-fermented

Harsh

caustic-medicinal

Mellow

delicate-mild

Pungent

creosoty-phenolic

Salty

briny-brackish

Sharp

astringent-rough

Soury

acrid-hard

Sweet

acidy-mellow

Winey

tangy-tart