Average Joe? You Be the Judge

By JENNIFER ERICKSON
We're in a sunlit room, the atmosphere is convivial, and, judging by the Laguna Coffee Company owner Paul Ackley preparing a coffee cupping at his shop.
snatches of conversation, it could be a wine tasting. "Bolder and full-bodied," "fruitier, with nutty overtures," "balanced acidity," and "winey aftertaste" are the phrases overheard.

But rather than the fermented fruit of the vine, the succinct judgments arise over roasted seeds from a certain tropical shrub revered by early risers the world over. "Coffee cupping," in the lingo of java aficionados, is now not just a ritual for wholesale buyers pressed into sampling by eager growers.

With the explosive growth of gourmet coffee shops and increasingly sophisticated consumers who discuss the merits of "single origin" coffees over blends, cupping events introduce above average Joe to coffee drinkers stuck in their ways.

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