The etiquette of cupping when you are recovering from a cold.

Another of my Instagram short post series converted into a full length article, today I like to cover a little about etiquette of cupping when you are recovering from a cold, flu or even a sore throat!



Let's first start off by asking this question,"What is coffee cupping?" Cupping involves evaluating the coffee after roasting by grinding the beans and brewing with hot water. The ground coffee floats to the top forming a crust. By breaking the crust, a cupper can evaluate the aromatics as they are released from the coffee. The brew is then slurped from a spoon over the tongue to obtain the (flavour) profile of each coffee.

Like wine, coffee varies in flavour and aroma due to the soil it is grown in, the amount of rainfall, sunlight and nutrients it receives and the care taken to process the coffee after picking ‐ all of which can be enhanced (or disguised) during roasting. Aroma accounts for about 70%-80% of the taste of coffee. Therefore it's no surprise that there are many words we can use to describe the wonderful smell. Many cuppers look for faults in the cup to determine whether the coffee batch is suitable for buying or serving.

Credits: Atan Chua


Now reading the above will highlight the importance of the full function of our nose in smelling and detecting the aroma, and creating an impression of the flavour we will perceive to taste. As such, please drop the idea of cupping if you have a severe blocked nose because you most probably will not enjoy the cupping anyway. It is a different story altogether if you are recovering from it, probably 5 to 8 days after getting the bug and there is a pressing need to be cupping the coffees for all the valid reasons in the world. Please find my tips below:-

The etiquette of cupping when you are recovering from a cold. (please ignore this if you are still having that cold because you shouldn't be on that cupping table in the 1st place)

1. Let those around the table know that you are recovering. Check for their comfort level.

2. Whatever their response is to (1), ask for a ceramic cup or mug from your host.

3. Nose the dry fragrance and wet aroma as per usual protocol. Make sure you don't sneeze into the bowl!

4. When everyone is ready to slurp, take the same amount you usually will when cupping from the spoon but pour it into that ceramic mug and sip away.

5. Rinse your spoon and repeat for the rest of the coffees. Don't complain of the residue left in the ceramic mug, that shouldn't be too much of it if you are sipping all of them.

6. You will probably be impressed by your ability to being able to smell and locate the flavours but the truth is, you are never at your best as compared to when you are fully healthy. So bring a friend along, a fellow cupping buddy that are as calibrated as you are and discussed the cupping notes.

If it is a smaller group and/or you are the host of the cupping session, it will probably be a good idea to prepare another bowl meant exclusively for your own cupping protocol. That way, you can fully indulge in the full cupping protocol without feeling guilty that you might pass your flu bug to the next cupper. Just make sure a healthy person is not oblivious of the 'extra bowl' and end up dipping his/her spoon in it.

Last but not least, why am I writing this article? Because myself and a few others in the team fall sick after a production cupping last week in our roastery, only to know one of our team member was carrying a nasty flu bug and was cupping normally like everyone else that day. So let's be responsible cuppers shall we?

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