Lab
Report
How to Set Up an
In-House Coffee Lab
for QC and Training
by A
Katie
Gilmer
coffee lab should be the crown jewel of a roaster’s
business. It’s a special room where roasters can enjoy
the sensory side of their operations while also validating
and reinforcing quality claims. Roasters use a lab not only
for purchasing decisions and sample evaluation, but also for
confirming that roasting operations are performing as they
should. The lab is a place to experiment with grind analysis,
brewing techniques, roast level and blending—and to train
staff in these areas and more. Some labs also serve as a place
to educate customers and demonstrate just how important
quality is to your business.
With so many uses, building or upgrading a lab can be a
daunting task. But upgrades can be undertaken one by one
as time and budgets allow. If a roasting business plans its
coffee lab in advance, it can build and equip the lab to be
useful for many years.
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Lab Report: How to Build an In-House Coffee Lab for QC and Training
(continued)
Why build a lab?
A coffee lab is a safe haven for a roaster to make buying
decisions without distraction. Just as a scientist measures and
experiments using the scientific method, coffee professionals
should hold themselves to the highest standards of quality and
consistency when evaluating coffee. A lab is a space for roasters
to take ownership of their inner “Type A” personality and
remain firm to standards and rules. A roaster needs to be able to
make consistent decisions from year to year, and using cupping
protocols and the scientific method will reduce variables.
Maybe a roaster gets a report from an importer that a
certain coffee has intense acidity; the roaster needs to try it for
herself, roasted at her altitude and climate, using her specific
profile and her water. Getting an accurate sense of how the
coffee performs in the roaster’s unique environment and in the
roaster’s blends is key for purchasing decisions.
But maintaining a lab does not just benefit a roaster’s
business. Mike Strumpf, who has managed quality control for
a number of coffee roasters in the United States, stresses a lab’s
importance. “I think it’s all about fairness,” he says. “When
you make contracts that have quality bonuses attached to them,
you need to make an accurate assessment so you don’t hurt a
farmer’s livelihood. If you don’t cup in a good lab, then your
scores won’t be valid.”
Furthermore, having a trustworthy lab will help roasters
share quality standards with other coffee professionals
worldwide. The Specialty Coffee Association of America’s
Laboratory Certification promotes consistent cupping standards and
the objective evaluation of coffee. The lab certification is needed for
holding Q Grader courses in a coffee lab, and it addresses aspects
such as room dimensions, lighting, ventilation, water specifications
and roast color identification technology. Even if a roaster isn’t
prepared for official lab certification, the SCAA’s list of requirements
is a good guide for widely accepted lab standards (for more detail,
visit the Professional Development section of the SCAA’s website,
www.scaa.org).
Positioning your lab
Maintaining the formal nature of a lab is important. The lab
is a space to hold cuppings for buying decisions, and constant
interruptions will sabotage an important cupping. Think first
about the best location for the lab. A roasting business will need
a dedicated place where employees can install machines and
equipment. Is the space near your production roaster? Is it in your
retail space? Is it in a spare room next to the bookkeeper’s office?
Will the public be invited into the lab? Is there adequate plumbing
and electricity available?
When Charles Patton, owner of Bird Rock Coffee Roasters,
launched his roastery in La Jolla, Calif., in 2002, he had a small
lab in the room with his roaster and packaging operations. Patton
says the setup was problematic. “It’s hard to make buying decisions
in the same room as production because of all the noise and
commotion,” he says. “We wanted our roaster to be involved in
buying decisions, but right as we were about to break the crust, he
would have to go fix a problem with the machines.”
When Patton expanded to the retail space next door, he took
advantage of the extra room to create a new lab. “When we expanded
next door, we built a little room specifically for cuppings,” he says.
“We added a kids’ zone next to the cupping lab. We found we had
a lot of moms coming in with their kids, and we needed to contain
them. It really helped us accommodate more people and grow
business.” The lab is divided from the kids’ zone, but moms can peek
in at lab activity through a cutout in the wall.
Bird Rock’s lab is open to the public, but Patton schedules the
most important cuppings after hours. When he needs the undivided
attention of his staff, it’s best to eliminate the possibility for
interruptions, he says.
If a roasting business does not choose to hold public cuppings,
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Lab Report: How to Build an In-House Coffee Lab for QC and Training
(continued)
the business can still hold them where the public can watch.
Divisoria uses it as a way to identify where problems are happening
customers will enjoy seeing this window into the coffee buyer’s
of quality,” Aucca says. “It gives our producers another resource
Cuppings are a fairly new intrigue for public consumption, so
world.
damage. For public cuppings, roasters will need to provide furniture that
on the farm level. “The mobile lab allows us to create a culture
is accessible for people with disabilities.
to know what a good coffee tastes like and identify any quality
unit for storing green coffee samples. Opaque plastic or metal canisters
Another useful piece of furniture for the lab is a cabinet or shelving
Equipment
Essentials
problems before they get serious.”
stack easily and block the green coffee from damage from outside light.
could affect cuppers’ focus. Install windows or a sliding glass door so
lab. Will it be worth the cost, or is an in-house lab sufficient?
business plans to dedicate a team of three people to cup every production
3Sample roaster
3Spoons
working in the lab can check on the situation outside the room).
that works best for the company’s location and business. First and
greater than the requirements for a lab for a solo green buyer who is
3Grinder
3Timer
If the coffee lab will be constructed in a shared workspace, build
walls or a barrier around it to block distracting noise or smells that
others can see when lab occupants should be left alone (and so those
Think about all the functions of a lab—cupping, experimenting and
testing, as well as training for both employees and customers. If the
roasting business cannot dedicate several separate spaces to the lab,
take that into consideration when planning the size of the lab.
An innovative idea coming from origin—where coffee
professionals have become expert at devising economical solutions—
is constructing a mobile lab. The Divisoria Cooperative in Tingo
Maria, Peru, dispatches two mobile units to the most remote
communities. The members can’t often make the trek to the co-op
offices to taste their own coffee, so the co-op brings the service to
them. Divisoria Quality Control Manager Julian Aucca built a lab
composed of a small electric roaster, grinder, parchment dehuller
and folding table. He stocked it with cups and spoons, and stored it
in a portable cupboard. The whole unit fits in the back of a pickup
truck.
While a roaster might use a mobile lab for customer visits,
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Roasters should consider the return on investment of a mobile
How many people will be using the lab on an average day? If the coffee
Whether mobile or stationary, public or private, find the solution
roast, the requirements for furniture and countertop space will be much
foremost, the goal is to evaluate coffee.
evaluating the occasional offer sample. Think about how many coffees the
Building your lab
SCAA standards, it will need five cups for each coffee. Cup needs add up
3Digital scale
3Scoring sheets
determine their hot-water requirements. It’s essential to have a sufficient
3Electric water
3Digital
3Hot-water
3Humidity meter
Whether a roasting business constructs a lab from scratch or
sets it up in a preexisting space, there are a few considerations
to think about. Tables and storage areas, along with water and
power sources, need to be addressed from the start. Is the business
thinking of having sit-down cuppings or standing cuppings? If
standing, the lab will need a table that is high enough so cuppers’
backs don’t hurt from bending over but low enough for the shorter
cuppers. The table should have at least two feet of clearance on all
sides so cuppers can move around it freely. If a wooden cupping
table will be used, make sure to choose wood that is fragrance-free
and invest in a fragrance-free finish to protect the table from water
roasting business will evaluate on an hourly basis. If the company is using
quickly at that rate. Planning the cupping frequency will also help roasters
supply at the right temperature.
The water situation in a lab requires advance planning. If a roasting
company intends to pipe in water, make sure a filtration system is in
place. At Bird Rock, Patton chose to use bottled water for his lab instead of
going through the plumbing hassle.
Will the business be cupping coffees every day, multiple times per
day? A hot-water tower will make the process much more efficient. Kim
Bullock, who manages sustainability and producer relations for Counter
kettles
tower
thermometer
3Cups or glasses Culture Coffee and is a member of the company’s quality-control team,
has this piece of advice: “Plan for a lot of power—either a 220-volt, 30-amp
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Lab Report
(continued)
circuit where you can hook up a hot water tower or enough
110 outlets on dedicated circuits so you can plug in a bunch of
water kettles.” Water kettles are the least expensive way to boil
water for cuppings, but they are infamous for tripping circuit
breakers.
Lighting is another crucial consideration for a coffee lab.
Nature is the best light source, but natural light can be hard
to come by in the winter. If natural light is not an option or
the company would like to supplement it, be sure to choose
full-spectrum light bulbs. They emit a clean, white light that
emulates daylight. Avoid yellow-toned light because it will
change the way the coffee looks. For sample roasters with more
than one barrel, make sure that the same amount of light falls
over each barrel. A long tube or track lighting will ensure that
the light, and consequently the sample roasting, is consistent
from barrel to barrel. Some labs may install red light bulbs or red
light covers for triangulation tests to homogenize the color of
the coffee, both as grinds and brewed. Roasters can experiment
with red light, but they can also try turning off their normal
lights and performing a color test with only ambient light from
outside the lab. Roasters may find the red lights still emit too
much brightness and that low light is a better alternative for
those special exercises.
Air circulation and temperature are important
considerations for the lab, as well. An HVAC (heating,
ventilation and air conditioning) system keeps the lab at a
comfortable temperature. Carefully plan the vent locations
to prevent an air vent from blowing on half of your cupping
table but not the other, resulting in unevenly cooled cups. In
addition, the airflow must not be so strong that it disturbs the
coffee’s aroma during cupping exercises. A programmable HVAC
system also helps to maintain a comfortable room temperature
and a consistent relative humidity inside the lab.
An advanced lab feature is an air-pressure stabilizer. Clean
rooms, hospitals, and labs for pharmaceutical or electronics
manufacturing frequently use pressure stabilization to maintain
a sterile environment. In a hospital, a patient with a contagious
illness will be put in a pressure-negative room, ensuring that
when the patient’s door is opened, air from the hallway flows
into the room, keeping the illness inside the room. Conversely,
air will flow out of a pressure-positive room. For a pressurepositive coffee lab, this means that outside aromas are kept
out of the lab. Pressure stabilizers control room pressure
differentials through the ventilation system; to create positive
pressure, more air is mechanically supplied to a room than is
mechanically exhausted.
Roasting businesses should stress that the lab really is a
laboratory—a place to learn and experiment—by displaying
educational posters. A green-coffee-defect chart is practical for
decoding a funky-looking bean. The SCAA’s flavor wheel is a
good source for cupping vocabulary. And maps are a must-have
for pointing out sample origins. If extra space is available in
the lab, stock a shelf with coffee reference books. A computer
or tablet in the lab is useful for showing customers photos and
video from coffee origins.
Le Nez du Café, a kit of 36 aroma vials representing the
scents found in coffee, is another good addition to the lab. If
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inexperienced cuppers
find it difficult to discern
differences between coffees,
have them practice with Le
Nez du Café. This kit should
be used for training but
shouldn’t be used in a coffee
lab during cupping, as the
aromas may taint a quality
evaluation.
Lab essentials
Building a coffee lab can
be an expensive endeavor.
Outfitting a lab to its fullest
can easily cost more than
$10,000. However, sticking to the basics can cost as little as
$2,000. There are a few essentials that every lab needs: a sample
roaster, a grinder, cups, spoons, a digital scale, a timer, and
water kettles or a hot-water tower. A sink, garbage disposal and
dishwasher will make cleanup much faster.
Unless a coffee business can roast small sample batches with
a production roaster, the business will need to procure a sample
roaster to save energy and roast those small green samples.
Whether a roasting business invests in a top-of-the-line model
or a modest one, it’s important to measure temperature and
other variables accurately to produce the same results every
time. According to Bullock of Counter Culture, “The key [to
sample roasting] is consistency. A machine purchased in the
local market might not have the greatest airflow, but for sample
roasters it’s more about being consistent from roast to roast.”
Even with a basic sample roaster, a coffee business can
achieve consistent samples by understanding the principles
of sample roasting and having a well-trained person at the
helm. Leave a sample of the company’s ideal roast level next to
your roaster for comparison. Of course, a fire extinguisher is a
necessity in a lab with a roaster. Make sure that employees are
familiar with the building’s fire code in case law requires a more
sophisticated fire-suppression system.
It’s ideal to dedicate a burr grinder for lab use only rather
than sharing a production grinder. Devote the grinder solely
to cupping and training purposes, and be sure to clean it and
replace the burrs regularly. A quality grinder ensures consistency
in the grind’s particle size, which will enhance coffee evaluation.
Ceramic bowls or rocks glasses are most commonly used for
cupping. If the lab is using new cups, take measurements so
employees can cup with the correct water-to-coffee ratio. A
digital thermometer is useful to have on hand for measuring
water temperature.
A humidity meter is also handy in a lab, as it will help
roasters know what to expect when sample roasting. It’s
important to test samples’ humidity before buying—green bean
humidity lower than 10 percent or higher than 12 percent should
throw up a red flag. An Agtron machine or color tiles are also
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Lab Report: How to Build an In-House Coffee Lab for QC and Training
helpful additions to a lab for analyzing the roast level of production
roasts.
Strumpf also suggests procuring a top-of-the-line scale because
the higher price will pay off over the years. He recommends a Class
3 scale. “A Class 3 scale is legal for trade and can be recalibrated,”
Strumpf notes. “Keep your scales on a yearly calibration schedule.”
Calibration is a top lab concern for Strumpf. “This is something
a lot of labs overlook—getting your grinder, moisture meter and
scale on a calibration schedule,” he says. Roasters can do some of
this calibration themselves. Ask the moisture meter company to
send a sample (usually barley) with a fixed moisture level. Then,
tare the machine using this sample. To calibrate the grinder, do a
grind analysis if the company has the available equipment, or send
samples to companies who will perform the analysis and share the
results.
Strumpf’s other must-have tool for the lab is a commercial
sanitizer, as normal dishwashers take too long. With a sanitizer,
“a cycle is four minutes,” says Strumpf. “You can put 30 cups on a
tray. So with two trays, you can wash 60 cups at once.” If roasters
and buyers are cupping often, a sanitizer saves a substantial amount
of time. Sanitizers work with either chemical cleansers or with hot
water. If a roasting business chooses to use a cleanser, experiment
with different types to ensure they are fragrance and residue free.
If the roastery will be holding public cuppings, the business
may want to have scoring sheets on hand. Counter Culture Coffee
developed its own internal scoring sheet that best fits their
company’s needs, but the company uses a modified form for
outsiders. Bullock says, “For our public cuppings, we pared the form
down so it’s just the sensory categories and space for notes but not
space for scores.” It is useful to have different forms on hand, such
as SCAA and Cup of Excellence, to show to staff or anyone else who is
interested in how they vary.
Getting the most out of your lab
(continued)
TOP 10
RULES FOR
COFFEE LABS
1
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3
4
5
6
7
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No perfumes or colognes.
No outside food or beverages.
No interrupting the cuppers (talking,
music or questions) during the
process.
No cell phones/texting in the lab.
Office phones should have ringers off
during testing.
No flavored coffees.
Only unbiased evaluations.
Equipment is to be maintained in
“new” condition at all times.
Do not roast samples during the
cupping process.
Cup coffees light to dark roast, delicate
to intense.
No clutter. Keep activities like shipping
and packaging in other areas.
With organization and rules, as well as lab protocol,
Since you have put so much time and money into the coffee lab, it’s
consistency is the goal. Be consistent, even if the machines
and use it wisely. If a roasting company installs a pull-down
will give you the most accurate results possible. Adhering to a
customers to show them presentations or videos. And, with some
to upgrade equipment. For ratios, water temperature, and
up to you to harness all of its potential. Use it as much as possible,
in the lab are not top of the line. This consistency in processes
screen and projector, the lab can be an ideal place to gather staff or
strict quality-control regime will pay off when it comes time
careful planning, a lab can serve as an office in a pinch.
other measurable variants, defer to industry standards when
Of course, sharing the lab space means that there are a few rules
that need to be adhered to. Keeping the lab clean is a priority. Think
in doubt.
Once roasters have decided on the uses of the lab, sourced
of it as a sterile environment—you would never see stray powders or
the furniture and equipment, and established a code of
so they’re always on hand. Make sure the machines receive regular
business. Roasters will be able to make consistent and fair
clutter in a chemistry lab. Stock a cupboard with cleaning supplies
conduct, the new coffee lab will serve many aspects of the
cleaning and maintenance.
business decisions while enjoying a space to make quality
Cleanliness is just one of the elements of a fine-tuned lab.
control all their own.
Another requirement is a set of lab rules. A Bill of Rights for the
lab should express your wishes on paper and be posted on the wall.
Strumpf says his No. 1 rule is “no smelly perfumes or deodorants.”
Other good rules: no cell phones inside the lab, no talking during
cuppings, and no outside food or beverages in the lab area. If the lab
will be used in a number of different ways, it might be helpful to
post a schedule. See the sidebar on this page for more suggestions for
lab rules.
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Katie Gilmer is a relationship coffee manager for Sustainable
Harvest Coffee Importers in Portland, Ore. A Q Grader, she works with
Sustainable Harvest’s QC labs at origin to make sure they are calibrated.
E-mail her at [email protected].
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