Cupping is a practice that is done by coffee roasters, green bean buyers, and baristas. The reason we cup coffee is to identify the characteristics of the coffee; the aromas, the body, and the intensity of flavours (acidity). Since cupping coffee is so vital to purchasing our precious beans, Rhino Coffee Gear have designed a cupping bowl which is black on the inside instead of white. But, why?
While many of us like to believe that we are not easily deceived, our sense of taste is often fooled by our sense of sight. This is because humans have certain expectations of how food should look. When a food's colour is off or is different to what we expect, our brain tells us that it tastes different too. Long supported by scientific studies, we use visual cues from colours to identify and judge the quality and taste of what we eat.
Your taste buds play an important role in determining the four basic groups of taste: sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. When your taste buds come into contact with food, they send signals to your brain to interpret flavour. As humans we look at our food before eating, and our eyes send signals to our brain. This all occurs well before our taste buds get the chance to taste. This process can pre-determine how we will perceive the taste and flavour of what we're about to eat.
Colour is often the first element noticed in the appearance of a food product. Humans begin to associate certain colours with various types of foods from birth and equate these colours to certain tastes and flavours throughout life. For example, we may expect yellow pudding to have a banana or lemon flavour and red jelly beans to have a cherry or cinnamon flavour. In fresh foods, such as fruits and vegetables, we rely on the colour to determine their level of ripeness and freshness. If the colour of a food product does not match our expectations, we may perceive its flavour differently.
Having the internal colour as black rather than the traditional white will help you focus less on the colour and clarity, eliminating any preconceived ideas and allowing for the people cupping to rate the cup purely by the taste and smell.
To ensure that the bowls can be used in all aspects (from introductory cupping through to competition cupping) Rhino Coffee Gear Cupping Bowls have been specifically designed to meet all SCAA standards. The thick walls made from high quality ceramic guarantees heat retention, allowing for coffee to remain at optimum temperature levels for longer.
Click here to shop Rhino Coffee Gear Cupping Bowls and Spoons.
Originally published by Joe le Mura on RhinoCoffeeGear.com.
