June 6 was a very exciting day for us, as we were able to organize a cupping with all the coffee samples that were harvested in the current season.
That is, coffees that were hand-picked between November 2022 and April 2023
We had samples from the fincas “William”, “Fran”, “Emilio” and “Juan”.
Most of the coffees on the cupping table were processed as “naturals”, which means that the harvested cherries were dried on African beds without being de-pulped.
So-called “naturals” are less acidic and should have a pronounced sweetness.
Others were de-stemmed immediately after harvest.
Some of these coffees were washed in basins of water to remove the fruit mucilage, others were laid out to dry directly on African beds – generally referred to as “honey” or “semi washed”.
These coffees should be characterized by a more pronounced acidity and less sweetness.
All samples were ground immediately before cupping to preserve the aroma for as long as possible.
Each sample was given 3 cups to prove that the coffee was of consistent quality and to ensure that in the event of a contaminated cup, there would be two more cups without defects.
Each sample was infused with the same amount of hot water at a temperature of 94°C.
After 4 minutes, the crust was broken and the jury was able to get a first impression of the aroma of the different samples.
The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) cupping form distinguishes between dry and wet aroma before and after infusion.
10 minutes after brewing, the temperature is low enough to start cupping by sipping the coffee from a spoon.
The 5-member jury consisted of a team from Langen Kaffee (Medebach/Germany) & moxxa.caffè (Cologne/Germany).
Following the cupping form of the SCA, the samples were evaluated according to the standards of the Specialty Coffee Association.
As we are still in the process of setting up the infrastructure for professional processing and monitoring of the drying process, we were surprised at the good quality we already found in our samples.
This experience motivates us to continue on our path in LaGomera.
The next steps will be the installation of the first roaster on the island of La Gomera, which means that in the near future all Linea la Gomera coffees will be roasted on the island.
This is great news for us!
