Vent: That coffee cupping in Portland made me hate single-origin snobbery

I went to this specialty coffee event at a roastery in Portland last month, and the guy leading it kept going on about how you have to taste the 'terroir' of a single-origin bean to really appreciate coffee. I tried some Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and it just tasted like sour lemon juice to me. After the third cup, I realized I prefer a solid blend from my local shop that costs $12 a bag over these $25 single-origin bags that make me feel like I'm missing something. I get that people love the complexity, but maybe it's just me. Has anyone else walked out of a cupping feeling like you're not cut out for this hobby?

2 comments

2 Comments

wyatt51321d ago

Yeah I read this thing online recently that said half the people at cupping events are just pretending to taste notes like "stone fruit" and "jasmine" because they feel pressured. Your story about the Yirgacheffe being sour lemon juice totally backs that up. I think a lot of the single-origin hype is just people wanting to feel sophisticated, when honestly a good $12 blend hits the spot way more often. Not every bag of coffee needs to be a deep philosophical experience, you know?

barbara_sanchez8821d ago

Right? Half that stuff sounds made up sometimes.