Cupping at the Commons
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived last Thursday, this was my first ever cupping event, first time putting names to faces, and all in a new environment. It had every right to be an overwhelming experience, and yet despite all that it was a wonderful evening. I’ve always maintained that it’s the social aspect of coffee that can make it so special, so I shouldn’t have been surprised that being in a room of like minded people, experiencing great quality coffee, and learning about the story that brought about the cup in front of me into existence, would only bring joy. We arrived at the Commons, a coffee shop in Old Street, London, and were met by an island counter filled with small cups of coffee beans, roasted but not ground. People buzzing around trying to set up the perfect environment for the tasting. Cupping is exactly this, sharing the experience of trying new coffees surrounded by other enthusiasts, and people in the industry. Taking small slurps of many a coffees, trying to identify the aromas, tastes, and textures, that make up the flavour of what you’re drinking. This is how roasters arrive at their tasting notes of their coffee. However, open cupping sessions can also be a wonderful experience for the beginner tasters, allowing you to begin to understand how to describe the complex combination of flavours present in coffee.
The people behind the coffee
I want to try and take you on that journey today, recalling the event, and sharing some amazing stories. First we’ll start with Skylark. Where to start here, I’ve admired what the folks over there have been doing for a while, being potentially the only non-profit specialty coffee roaster I was immediately rooting for their success. All proceeds they make with sales goes directly back into the coffee ecosystem, whether that’s supporting farmers to get a livable wage, training young adults with autism spectrum disorder, or backing environmental projects. To top all that off they roast some genuinely incredible coffees, a Java Halu natural and a Wilder Lazo Gesha will always stay with me as some of the most memorable coffees I’ve been able to experience.
Skylark aims to support people that match their values, and today we learned exactly why they hitched their wagon to Bette Buna. An Ethiopian coffee company with a strong motive to improve the standard of living, and sustainability of Ethiopian coffee, as well as crafting high quality coffees. Starting out life as a tiny 2 hectare farm in the poorest coffee growing district of Ethiopia. Hester and her husband Dawit, with zero background in coffee, agreed to take over their grandparents family’s business. With the plea to keep their house and beliefs alive. Hester’s family had been living to survive like everyone else in the area, but they never closed their doors to another person.
They became an open haven for the community, despite having barely anything. It would seem their faith was well placed in the couple, who’s backgrounds were both in business, and more importantly community growth. Now the project dubbed Bette Buna, meaning “House of Coffee”, owns two farms, increasing the original farm to 50 hectares, and the newest being in the Guji region of Ethiopia. But perhaps more importantly buy from around 3500 small farms around the country, supporting the local economy, and giving people the opportunity to improve their own quality of both coffee and life.
On top of this they work with people with disabilities, and single mothers, who are a very vulnerable group of people in Ethiopia without many good chances of work. Teaching them how to improve their current work, as well as investing in their futures, creating training centres for tasters, and giving away seedlings of high quality coffee plants at the cost of their own profitability. On top of this they work hard to use a completely transparent supply chain, something that can be an issue in Ethiopian coffee. It’s been all too common in the past to taste a coffee, buy a bag, and then end up with a completely different lot. It’s hard to tell when the general level of quality of Ethiopian coffee is so high, and there’s always someone looking to exploit this. After hearing all of this it was so easy to see why Skylark were so keen to work with them, especially with the quality of their coffees improving each year. It really made you appreciate the journey of the coffee, not just the taste.
The event
After a small presentation on the above it was time to get into the meat and bones of the evening, coffee. As we entered cups filled with coffee beans teased us: a blind line-up of coffee, no names, no varieties, just an allotted number, adding to the intrigue. But the feast really began once they had been ground. The aroma of coffee filling the room, we collectively went from one cup to another, taking a deep breath of each, some smelling of the rich scent synonymous with coffee, but some offering that little bit more, floral, fruity, and tea-like, the lineup had it all.
Once we’d made our way around the brewing began, a simple process of pouring hot water into the cups and waiting a few minutes. Thankfully those minutes passed quickly and we got to experience the taste of what was promised. A symphony of slurps filled the room, a method of enhancing the taste by ensuring you’re adding the aroma of the coffee, as a large portion of flavour is derived from our sense of smell. Remembering this was my first time I honestly wasn’t sure how they created such a powerful noise, but I acted confident and did my best. We were even handed spit cups, but as if I was going to give up free coffee! I was rewarded with some truly beautiful drinks. We had full bodied, washed lots. Florally naturals, and even some offering fruity goodness, with more experimental processes. I would love to be able to tell you exactly where you can try these for yourself, but unfortunately they’ll be slowly rolled out, likely over the next year. Surprisingly, my favourite of the night was actually from their original farm in the Sidamo Taferi Kela region, which is the poorest region in Ethiopia. Don’t let that fool you though, this “kickstart” naturally processed lot was such a memorable coffee to me that it stood out in a list of 18 others.
Enough variation was present between what I would call “steady” coffees (your chocolatey or nutty brews) to build excitement on the future of Bette Buna. I’m confident with more elaborate brewing methods, this will be a very good year, of hopefully many to come for Hester, Dawit, and all of those involved in the project.
Conclusion
I thoroughly encourage everyone that enjoys coffee to try one of these events for themselves, whomever it may be with. Instagram is your best friend here, as many roasters and coffee shops will advertise their sessions here! It will only add to your appreciation of what you’re served, as well as build friendships with some truly incredible people. I spoke a lot with the owner of Skylark, Micah, who is an absolutely lovely person, doing incredible things, as well as Hester, after her presentation. It’s humanising these parts of the coffee’s journey that makes it such a unique experience, and I cannot wait for the next chance to attend one!
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