Columbia Street Roastery has come up with a way to participate in their popular cupping classes, typically held on Saturday mornings, from the comfort of your own home. I had the opportunity to test it out yesterday, and it was fun and informative, and yet another way to stay connected to our community and support a local business.
Photo by Julie McClure.
The Coffee Cupping Kit can be purchased on their website for $10 and shipped to your door. It contains five one-cup samples from various coffee growing regions, as well as instructions and “flavor wheel” of sorts to help you put words to what you are smelling and tasting.
You can absolutely just do this on your own using the detailed instructions, but I would recommend participing in a class led by CSR’s John Herriott, where you can experience it with others in the community. You can also contact him to arrange private cupping classes, if you have a group you’d like to connect with in this way. Once you purchase your kit, you’ll get an email with the opportunity to sign up for a class. The classes will remain small, so there’s more opportunity to discuss.
With a group the session will probably take about an hour, as Herriott leads you through experiencing each coffee in stages. For someone like me who is barely knowledgeable about the differences between regions and varieties, it was fascinating to be able compare and contrast in this way.
Photo by Julie McClure.
Also, I hope you enjoyed my random assortment of coffee mugs.
Top photo by Julie McClure.
