In coffee there are many different degrees of
excellence. They present themselves when you pull your first perfect
espresso shot, cup an Ethiopian Moka Harrar that just blasts blueberry
or when you simply enjoy a cup of coffee so much you just have to have
another. These experiences are what drive coffee lovers to have them
over and over again. It’s not really an addiction, just a striving for
perfection.
No matter how many times I analyze coffee, I hold to the adage that
coffee preparation is a personal thing. Everyone has his or her
"method" of brewing a perceived perfect cup. When I was eight, I was
taught to brew four scoops of Maxwell House for five minutes in a
Corning-Ware stovetop percolator. Of course, the farming community of
Trenton, North Carolina isn’t known as a coffee mecca so I attribute
that experience as part of my coffee survival training. My early
instruction not withstanding, it is usually the case that there is no
accounting for taste especially in the coffee world without a provable
method to justify an organileptic response. Really. This is why coffee
professionals, enthusiasts and generally people in the know rely on the
time-honored standard known as The Golden Cup.
More than an award given once per year for
excellence in brewed coffee to foodservice operators, it is the
standard that all coffee preparation within the SCAA is based. Indeed,
the proper coffee to water ratio, proper grind, brew water temperature
and quality and contact time established by the Golden Cup standard are
now the rules of thumb throughout the Specialty Coffee Industry rather
than the practices of purists and scientists. One can see the
reflection of this standard from the types of machinery that brewer
manufacturers are producing to espresso extraction and coffee cupping.
It is the Award Program, however, that has propelled the standard into
the public arena and helped to raise the quality bar on brewed coffee.
What’s it all about?
In short, excellence in brewed coffee. The Golden
Cup Award Program recognizes an attention to detail that foodservice
operations are paying to their coffee program. It is a fair statement
to say that if you are serving coffee and are not seeking the Golden
Cup standard, then the coffee you’re serving is not nearly as good as
it could be. Golden Cup coffee blooms in the cup, so to speak. The
aroma greets the customer before they take their first sip. Coffee that
is prepared in this way tastes like it was intended. Bright acidities
stand out, sweet caramels and chocolates dance around your tongue and
French roasts hang on your palate like the smoke from an evening
campfire. (We are talking about Specialty Coffee here).
Restaurants that follow this standard strive to have their coffee
quality match their food quality, and it pays off. If the last thing a
customer tastes in the dining experience is the coffee, then ensuring
the coffee is fantastic compliments the whole meal.
What does it take?
A desire to have a great coffee program and a
commitment to excellence. The rules for the operator are simple,
really. First, select a reputable coffee roaster so the coffee being
served is as fresh as possible. This roaster should have an SCAA
Certified Brewing Technician on staff that can help the operator become
certified. If not, an application can be obtained by contacting the
SCAA through its website or by phone. After receiving the completed
application, a Certified Brewing Technician will be dispatched to
perform an on-site survey of the operator’s coffee program. Third, an
operator needs to ensure that the following criteria are met:
1. Clean Coffee Brewing and Handling Equipment
This includes coffee grinders, brew baskets, sprayheads, seatcups in
faucets and of course, containers and dispensers. Coffee oils form a
residue over time on the surfaces of these components that will
influence each and every batch of coffee it comes into contact with.
2. Proper Grind
Grind particle size is one of the determining factors of extraction.
The roaster or coffee provider should be able to discern which grind is
correct.
3. Correct Water Temperature
Brew water temperature should be within 195-205F.
No exceptions.
4. Good Water Quality
Basically, if it tastes good and doesn’t form calcium deposits it’s good to go.
Water analysis by a reputable filtration company is strongly recommended.
Reverse Osmosis(unless it’s re-mineralized) and distilled water are unacceptable.
5. Contact Time
The amount of time water is in contact with the coffee varies with the
type of brewer. Newer and more efficient brewing technologies are
pushing the envelope but around five minutes of contact time is the
norm.
The roaster or coffee provider should be able to help in this regard.
6. Coffee to Water Ratio
3.25 – 4.25 oz. by weight to make 64 fluid oz. of coffee
The reason there is a range is because different coffees extract
differently. The coffee will taste wonderful somewhere in this range of
3.25-4.25 oz.
Logically, the amounts of coffee to use increases as the batch size or
amount of water increases. Again, the range of coffee comes into play
according to taste.
How is a Golden Cup Award determined?
The certified brewing technician, when performing
the on-site survey, will use testing devices and techniques learned in
SCAA taught Brewing Fundamentals and Golden Cup certification classes.
He or she will test and evaluate the brewed coffee and observe
adherence to the above criteria by the applicant. The technician will
then take both a coffee and a water sample for submission to the SCAA
headquarters in Long Beach, California for further analysis and
certification.
The brewing technician will test to see if the coffee’s soluble
concentration or “Strength” and soluble yield or “Extraction”, when
correlated with the weight of dry coffee used and plotted on this
chart converge in the “Optimum Balance Box”
When the samples reach Long Beach the SCAA’s Research and Training
Associate, Lorenzo Brown, places a portion of the sample into a
specialized microwave oven. The Labwave 9000 is a combination
microwave, scale and computer that can determine actual dissolved
solids to within 0.01% resolution. When the sample passes this final
test, certification of the Golden Cup Award is approved.
The applicant will then be notified of the award and will receive in
the mail a Golden Cup Certificate, a press release from the SCAA to
distribute to local media, an order form to purchase a beautiful Golden
Cup Award plaque and will be listed in the quarterly SCAA Chronicle’s
roster of GC Award recipients. Upon its completion in late February
2005, the Consumer Map on the SCAA website will feature members that
have won the Golden Cup Award and their information by city and state
in a 2D software map. It’ll be a good way to find actual coffee while
traveling.
And Then What?
Times have changed somewhat since Dr. Lockhart
started the Coffee Brewing Institute in 1952. The over 6000 Golden Cup
Awards that hung on the walls of establishments around the country and
the world signified something great about the coffee of that time.
These days with so much communication and so many coffee chains
competing for the same market, anything that calls attention to better
quality and sets an operation apart from the herd is crucial marketing.
So, as we say at Bellissimo, “Have a Party!”
As you can see, achieving the Golden Cup Award is no small matter
for a foodservice operation or coffee shop. Why not celebrate that fact
and have what is becoming known as a Golden Cup Party. There are any
number of food, wine and cigar awards that are given throughout the
year. An organization’s coffee program is no less important. A national
award for excellence in coffee says a lot about that company or shop’s
desire to be the best. I encourage the operators that have won to set a
date for a plaque presentation party and because they are either
restauranteurs or shop owners, they usually know local media people,
celebrities and others to invite for this particular celebration. The
goal is to have that perfect coffee experience and then sell thousands
of cups of that experience. Excellence in brewed coffee is achievable
and is something to trumpet because when coffee is good, business is
good.
The Golden Cup Award is the perfect marketing tool to promote an
operator’s coffee program. The GC parties I’ve been involved with have
music, art, a presentation and coffee; what more could you want? An
after-effect of such a public display is that all too critical word of
mouth advertising. Coffee sales in shops that have won the Golden Cup
and promoted it in the above fashion have risen on average, 20%. Not
bad for a little ole brewing standard, huh?
For more info on assistance on becoming Golden Cup Certified and having
a Coffee Education Day in your store contact
