Cupping at Fiori

I was privileged on Saturday to be a guest at a cupping day at Fiori Coffee in West Perth.

I've only ever done 'cupping' at home, and then haphazardly and I was looking forward to learning a little more about the art of cupping.

One of the amazing things about coffee snobbery practiced the Grendel way is the continuing discovery of how much I DON'T know about coffee. Perversely I consider this to be a good thing because it means that I have lots to learn and up to this point learning what I DO know about coffee has been a lot of fun.

Saturday was another opportunity to indulge my inner snob.

The cupping session was held at the Fiori Coffee roastery which is just off the freeway in West Perth. A colleague from work and her partner were also attending to gain a little more knowledge about coffee.

We started with a tour and Kamran introduced us to Louise, his partner(and boss!).

Both are enthusiastic and passionate about coffee, and Louise also has a passion for tea and hand grinds the spices for the Chai Tea they produce for clients. I tried this at Tiger Tiger the other day and think is is the most authentic Chai Tea I have ever had.

I've seen the business end of Fiori before, but it was great to get another look over the site where in a few weeks we'll be roasting the fundraiser coffee beans.

The cupping session itself was excellent. Kamran had prepared samples of some very interesting and contrasting beans and explained that cupping was as much to highlight the inadequacies of the coffee as much as its qualities.

The changes in aroma from first the dry sample, then just after water was added and at various periods along till we broke the crust was truly a revelation.

We all ended up with coffee circles on the end of our noses from getting close to the coffee which I somehow managed to miss in every single photo op that I had.

One of the stand-out coffees of the day was an organic Honduran coffee that Kamran is checking out for quality. He has a relationship with the grower in Honduras who has a strong social ethic with respect to the employees and their families.

I find it very interesting that the two top roasters in Perth, Fiori and Five Senses, both have a strong ethos towards fair trade (in the real sense rather than just the organisational sense) and sustainability and have developed relationships with growers and their communities to deal directly and equitably with them.

It's not just a salve to social conscience, it is a real commitment that means that the coffee they buy costs a little more for them, but they can be assured that the product they deliver is one that really has added value to the lives of those who grew, picked and processed the coffee.

I think this commitment to social justice goes hand-in-hand with a commitment to quality because it is to be expected that quality coffee production depends on coffee producers who value their product and are valued for their product.

This should be important to everyone who drinks coffee and this really hit home while we sat there talking about the coffee that was in the glass in front of it, the family that grew and picked the coffee and what the crop - and getting a good price for it meant for them, and the community of workers and their families that also relied on the coffee.

We ran an hour over time and no one seemed at all in a rush to leave - we finished up the afternoon with a plunger pot of the Honduran and then a round of affogatos.

Kamran let me drive the La Marzocco - bliss! I even managed four creditable shots (I think) but I'll confess to a little coffee wastage both at the grinder and in having to dump a shot.

Sorry about the extra coffee grounds on the floor Kamran!

The cupping session was an education on so many levels. Even if you know a lot about coffee, I'd recommend it as a way to gain a bit more knowledge and a lot of experience in how to really think about the dynamics of each bean or blend.

Learning a proper technique for cupping was also great and I'll be putting it into practice here with my roasts.

Thank you Kamran and Louise for the invitation and the education!

Cupping session are being run on Saturday mornings every few weeks and if you are interested in giving it a go I'd get in contact with Kamran or Louise at Fiori on 9328 4988.