The most common comparison that the Delter Coffee Press receives is to the retro Aerobie Aeropress. Recently, though, the Delter is taking on a very different brewing method: cupping, the professional standard for evaluating coffee, used in coffee labs around the world by coffee growers, traders, roasters and brewers.
For those familiar with the ritual of cupping, this may not seem so strange as the key to cupping is not so much in the cupping equipment itself, but in the rigorous control of variables and in the tasting process. Every single brewing variable has to be controlled precisely (take a look at the Specialty Coffee Association’s exhaustive guidelines on cupping to see what we mean), which is exactly what the Delter was designed to do. With its one-way Jet Seal, the brewer receives full control of infusion and agitation, making the whole process easier and more approachable for cuppers.
To cup with the Delter, you can try the following recipe. Remember to take notes as you go on the coffee’s aroma and flavors.
YOU WILL NEED:
- Delter Coffee Press
- Scales
- Thermometer
- 12 grams of freshly roasted coffee (ground to medium-coarse)
- Clean, hot water (220°F / 93°C)
METHOD:
- After grinding the coffee, assess the ground coffee’s aroma.
- Add 12g of coffee to the Delter.
- Add 50g of water for the bloom and wait 45 seconds
- Add 100g of water, plunge slowly.
- Raise the plunger back up and add 70g of water and plunge slowly.
NOTES:
- Your total brew time should be 2-3 minutes.
- The most important thing in cupping is to make sure you brew each coffee the same way, so any differences you taste are differences in the coffees you cup, not the method.
- Cuppers traditionally taste continually as the coffee cools down and look for different characteristics at different temperatures:
~ At 160°F / 71°C (approx. 12 minutes after brewing) focus on the flavor and aftertaste.
~ From 160°F-140°F focus on the acidity, body, and balance of your coffee.
~ As the coffee approaches room temperature (below 100°F) taste for sweetness, uniformity, and clarity.
- In cupping, to accommodate multiple cuppers tasting the same coffees, it’s traditional for each person to use a small spoon to collect coffee from the cup, and then ‘slurp’ it – loud is good! – to taste, rinsing their spoon between takes. For the full experience, try it this way! Though, if you prefer to sip from your cup like a normal person, we won’t tell anyone…
The cupping process is an interesting exercise in itself, but it’s especially useful at drawing out the fine distinctions between similar coffees, so try it with two (or more) samples for the most interesting results.
Happy brewing!
