# How to run a proper coffee cupping at home

> Cupping is the exact method professionals use to evaluate coffee, and the actual protocol is simple enough to run in your own kitchen.

By Joey Krosch. Published 2024-05-30, updated 2026-08-17.

Cupping is the standardised method professionals use to evaluate coffee,
comparing beans on equal footing rather than relying on a one-off cup made
however you happen to brew that day. It sounds technical, but the actual
protocol is straightforward enough to run at home with basic equipment.

## What you need

- A burr grinder, for uniform particle size
- A digital scale with gram precision
- Uniform cupping vessels, 6 to 8oz capacity, the same for every sample
- A dedicated spoon for tasting
- A temperature-controlled kettle
- A timer

None of this needs to be expensive. A decent home setup covering all of
the above is achievable well under $100 if you don't already own most of
it.

## The standard protocol

**Ratio**: 8.25 grams of coffee to 150ml of water per cup, kept consistent
across every sample you're comparing. Consistency between cups is the
entire point of cupping, an uneven ratio undermines the comparison before
you've even tasted anything.

**Water**: heated to 93°C.

**Steep**: pour the water directly over the grounds and let it steep,
undisturbed, for four minutes.

> **Why cupping uses the same crust-break every time:**
> After the steep, a crust of grounds forms on top. Breaking it with your
> spoon and taking a deep smell at that exact moment is one of the most
> information-dense steps in the whole process, that's when a coffee's
> aroma is at its most concentrated.

## Tasting properly

Break the crust with your spoon, four passes, pushing the grounds back and
smelling deeply as you do. Skim off the floating grounds and any foam.
Then taste by slurping a spoonful, the aeration spreads the coffee across
your palate and up into your retronasal passage, which is where a
surprising amount of flavour perception actually happens, not just on the
tongue.

Taste each sample multiple times as it cools, coffee shows different
characteristics at different temperatures, a coffee that tastes flat
piping hot can open up considerably once it's dropped closer to room
temperature.

## Comparing multiple coffees

The real value of cupping is comparative: brewing several coffees side by
side, using identical ratios and timing, makes differences between them
far more obvious than tasting them individually on separate days ever
would. Take notes as you go, specific descriptors rather than just "good"
or "not good," your own vocabulary for this improves quickly with
practice.

## The takeaway

Cupping isn't a specialised skill reserved for professionals, it's a
protocol anyone can run with basic equipment and a bit of patience. If
you're trying to genuinely compare a few bags of coffee rather than just
brewing them one at a time and half-remembering the difference, this is
the method that actually gets you a fair comparison.