Upcoming coffee cuppings & tastings

Both The Coffee Ethic and the Mudhouse in downtown Springfield will be offering opportunities to try out coffees in coming weeks.  If you’re not familiar with a “cupping” or a tasting, it’s simply an event, much like a wine tasting party, where you sample different coffees to get a feel for their aromas and flavors and to gain a better understanding of coffee and the difference between different coffee varieties and roasts.  Some people have very developed palates and have been doing this for a while and can really pull out all kinds of distinct flavors and aromas, but for the common coffee drinker, it’s more of an opportunity to taste what’s available and see the differences between the different coffees served by a roaster or coffee house.  At a traditional cupping or tasting, instead of drinking directly out of cups, you will slurp coffee using a rounded spoon, much like you’d slurp soup, because it helps the coffee spread out around your tongue better than drinking from a cup.

On November 14, the Mudhouse will be hosting their coffee tasting.  My understanding is that their intend to serve up some of their coffee beans that they roast in house.  Their event will be at noon at the downtown Mudhouse location.  Space is limited, so you should let them know if you plan to attend.  For more information, you can email Rob Weislocher at rob@mudhousecoffee.com.

On November 21, at 11 a.m., the Coffee Ethic will be hosting their cupping.  The word I’m hearing is that some of the personalities from P.T.’s Coffee out of Topeka, Kansas, which roasts for The Coffee Ethic, will be coming to the event and will be bringing P.T.’s coffee beans offerings in addition to what The Coffee Ethic has on hand.  Again, space will be limited, so let them know if you want to attend.  For more information, you can email Tom Billionis at tom@thecoffeeethic.com.

If you like coffee and want to learn more about it, take part in either or both of these events.  I’m glad they’re on separate weekends, so you can experience both if you’d like.