cupping
n.— «Terry Sullivan, a certified grader, sits at a round cupping table that rotates with the push of his hand. As each cup of coffee passes his nose, he takes a spoon from the bottom to the top of the cup. This brings out the aroma. Dedicating a few seconds to each cup, he samples the entire table from his seat.…The Coltens take coffee grading so seriously that they always use the same silver spoon. Justin Colten has had his spoon for 50 years. Steve was given his spoon in the will of Justin’s coffee mentor when he died in 1987. “Your cupping spoon becomes part of you,” Steve Colten said» —“Finding the Cream of the Coffee” by Michael S. Schmidt New York Times May 12, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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