What is the purpose of a coffee tasting, also known as cupping?

The purpose of a coffee tasting, or cupping, is primarily to evaluate the flavors, aromas, and qualities of different coffees. This practice involves assessing various sensory attributes that contribute to the overall profile of a coffee, including its acidity, body, flavor notes, and aftertaste. During cupping, specific brewing methods are standardized to ensure that tasters can compare coffees on the same basis, focusing on their intrinsic qualities rather than variables introduced by different brewing techniques or equipment.

Other options focus on different aspects of coffee or brewing. While extracting maximum flavor through brewing methods is essential for brewing coffee well, it is not the primary intention of cupping. Similarly, determining caffeine levels or comparing brewing equipment involves different processes and objectives that do not align with the goal of cupping, which is focused on sensory evaluation. Thus, the emphasis on assessing the unique characteristics of different coffees makes the evaluation of flavors, aromas, and qualities the core purpose of cupping.