Posted on June 25, 2004 - by deCadmus

Tradition in the cup

A romantic glimpse into the tradition of Becharas Brothers Coffee, a family-run coffee company in Detroit, Michigan. This view offers a particularly apt description of professional cupping…

“Dean Becharas Sr., the 69-year-old patriarch of southeast Michigan’s oldest coffee roasting company, leans close to the first of 21 small bowls of coffee ringing the circular table. He dips a gold spoon into the steaming brew and suddenly - shockingly - cuts loose with a slurp so sloppy-sounding that it would earn an instant reprimand for a child at the dining room table.

Just as quickly, he spits the coffee into a spittoon and turns his attention to the next bowl. No need for note-taking. Becharas has been tasting these 1-pound samples every day for more than 55 years. He can give you detailed descriptions of coffees he tasted months ago. He repeats the process over and over again; dip, slurp, spit; dip, slurp, spit. He doesn’t say a word. This is about taste, not conversation.”