Cupping 101

One of the questions I am asked most often is: “How do you cup coffee?”

“Cup” is another word for “taste,” and as I will explain, cupping coffee is always done under the same circumstances regardless of bean type or blend elements. The beans are purchased and shipped to us here in Gävle, Sweden, the home of Gevalia, located two hours outside of Stockholm. When the beans arrive, they are checked for color and roasted in our factory. A note here: beans are green before they are roasted, at which time they become the rich brown color we are used to and grind to enjoy our morning coffee.

Once the beans have been ground, we’re ready to cup. Here at Gevalia, we cup at one of several cupping tables in our laboratory, which is a round table about four feet in diameter and can be spun, much like a Lazy Susan. A low stool is placed next to the table for the Master Taster, and there are two sinks on either side to emit the coffee from the mouth after the taste has been determined. All the way around the edge of the table, we place glasses (about 35 to 50, depending on the bean or blend being tasted) with six grams of roasted, ground coffee at the bottom. Hot water between 92-96°C (198°F-205°F) is poured over the grounds and we wait 14 minutes for the mixture to cool to 60-65°C (140°F-149°F). This is the optimal temperature at which to cup coffee.



One may start cupping with any of the glasses on the table. I always use the same approach, with the table on my right side and my spoon in my right hand. My cupping spoon is round, like a soup spoon, but a bit smaller and about twice as deep. My spoon is my treasure and I have used it for over thirty years. It bears a silver engraving that lets the rest of the lab know which spoon is mine. With my spoon in hand and seated with the cupping table on my right, I am ready to taste.

First, I inhale the coffee’s aroma and then dip my spoon about halfway into the glass. I slurp the coffee from the spoon, swishing the coffee around my mouth to ensure that it hits the back of my tongue, where bitterness is best detected. Even though my mother always told me not to slurp my soup when I was young, slurping is an essential part of cupping and the best way to get the coffee to all of the regions of the tongue and to saturate as many nerve-endings as possible. I then swirl the coffee around my mouth to assess the coffee’s acidity and body – something we call “mouth feel.” This helps me evaluate the texture and consistency of the coffee, and also permits me to detect any defects in taste, such as rancidity or murkiness. After considering the mouthful, I spit the coffee into a small sink secured below the cupping table. And I move on to the next glass, until the entire table has been tasted.

I note my observations and provide a final analysis of the samples. It’s through this process that we at Gevalia fulfill our commitment to providing only the best-tasting coffee. I repeat this process several times a day and usually cup up to 300 cups of coffee every day.

Willy Pettersson: "The Man with the Golden Tongue"

From the moment I cupped my first cup of coffee 40 years ago, I knew I was meant to be a Master Taster. Over the years, I have had the pleasure of working with extraordinary colleagues and growers, traveling the globe searching for the best beans, and tasting the most extraordinary coffees available. I am preparing for my journey this November to the Gevalia Kona Coffee Cupping Competition in Kona, Hawaii, where I will select this year’s winning Kona bean on behalf of Gevalia. I am delighted to share my thoughts and preparations for my trip to Kona with you over the coming months.


My coffee journey began in Stockholm, where I worked as a laboratory assistant to Master Taster Arne Roslund. Arne was a wonderful teacher and extraordinary mentor to me, and it was under his guidance that I began to appreciate and determine the intricate nuances of coffee. My training included a challenge called “The Triangle Test,” during which I was given three cups of coffee – two that came from the same batch; one that did not. Under Arne’s tutelage, I learned to smell and taste the coffee with such precision that I was able to tell the “odd cup out” in every Triangle Test without exception.


Within seven years, I earned the title of Master Taster and was appointed Master Taster at Gevalia, a position that I still hold. It was during my early years in coffee that I was first called “The Man with the Golden Tongue,” a title of which I am most proud. Beyond a passion for beans and the art of tasting, the most important quality a Master Taster can hope to have is acute senses of taste and smell. Although it takes only a few seconds to cup a single glass of coffee, all of my senses are heightened during that time, and I must be able to savor and describe all characteristics of that glass, even as I move on to the next one. And the best part? I am always amazed that there are endless, subtle nuances to every bean and blend, and I delight in arriving to work each day to discover them.

As we move through the coming months toward the Kona Coffee Cupping Competition, I look forward to sharing the intricacies of coffee growing, roasting and tasting with you, so that you might also discover new ways to enjoy one of my favorite beans.