Calibrate Your Palate Like a Professional To an engineer, data is everything. In the specialty coffee industry, "cupping" is how we gather data on flavor. It is the universal, standardized method used by roasters, green coffee buyers, and Q-Graders to objectively blind-taste, evaluate, and score coffees from around the world. We are opening up our tasting lab to the Basel community. In this free, guided sensory session, you will learn how to taste coffee like a professional. We will strip away the espresso machines and milk, isolating the pure agricultural product to explore how geography, terroir, and post-harvest engineering (processing) dictate exactly what ends up in your cup. What You Will Experience The Universal Cupping Protocol: Learn the official SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) methodology for breaking the crust, skimming, and slurping to maximize flavor perception. Origin & Terroir: Taste coffees side-by-side to identify the distinct flavor profiles of different growing regions—from the bright, tea-like florals of Ethiopia to the heavy, chocolatey bodies of South America. The Impact of Processing: Experience exactly how a coffee's flavor changes based on how the cherry was processed after picking (comparing crisp Washed coffees, fruity Natural processes, and complex Experimental/Anaerobic lots). Flavor Calibration: Learn how to accurately identify acidity, sweetness, and mouthfeel, and how to map your sensory experience using the Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel. Session Details at a Glance Location: BRÜ₁ (Grenzacherstrasse 97) or BRÜ₂ (Sternengasse 19), Basel — location depends on the session date Duration: 1.5 Hours Price: Free (Online Registration Required) Group Size: Up to 12 participants per session. Booking & Scheduling: Registration for our free cupping sessions is strictly required. Because these community events are highly popular and capped at 12 participants to ensure everyone has access to the tasting bowls, we schedule them dynamically. Secure your spot by "checking out" with this free ticket, and the BRÜ team will contact you directly with our upcoming available dates to find one that works perfectly for you! Frequently Asked Questions What exactly is a "cupping"? Cupping is a simplified brewing method where coarsely ground coffee is steeped directly in hot water in small bowls. We then use special cupping spoons to "slurp" the coffee. The slurping aerates the liquid, spreading it across your entire palate and into your olfactory system so you can taste every hidden note. Do I need a trained palate or prior experience to join? Not at all! This session is designed for everyone—from absolute beginners who just enjoy drinking coffee, to experienced home baristas looking to calibrate their palate. There are no wrong answers in a cupping room. Why is this session free? At BRÜ, we are absolute coffee geeks. We source some of the most exclusive single-origin lots in Europe (via our partners like Dabov), and we simply want to share our passion for the craft with the Basel community. Will the coffees we taste be available for purchase? Yes. If you fall in love with a specific origin or processing method during the cupping, we carry retail bags of the exact beans we taste so you can brew them at home.
