Play these three coffee games with friends

GAME: COFFEE TRAVELLER

Coffee is grown all over the world, at different altitudes and in different regions. That's why each coffee from different areas tastes different. Coffee from Central and South America tends to be well-balanced and chocolatey. African coffees tend to be bright, fruity and more acidic. Asian coffees tend to be full-bodied and rich in flavour. This is a broad generalization with many exceptions, but these factors are a good starting point. In this game, everyone tries to guess the origin of the coffee by how it tastes and smells.

WHAT YOU NEED

• 3-5 different coffees
• One method for making coffee - filter, coffee maker, aeropress

PROCEDURE

1. Choose three to five coffees from different regions and countries. Try to choose a coffee that is distinctly unique and different in origin.
2. Prepare each coffee in the same way, for example as an espresso, and label them anonymously.
3. Everyone in the game must taste the coffees and try to guess where they come from. If you have a group that is not as adept at picking coffee, have them guess what continent the coffee comes from.
4. If you have a group that is knowledgeable in the coffee world, make the game more difficult by asking them to guess the specific country of origin.
5. The person who guesses the most coffees correctly wins.

GAME TIPS

• If the players are not very familiar with coffee, provide some context before playing the game.
• If the players are in a coffee environment on a daily basis, try to pick a coffee that breaks out of the general standards to give their brain a workout.

THE GAME: GUESS THE FLAVOURS OF COFFEE

Coffees have a plethora of flavours. Their final taste is influenced by region, altitude, processing, storage, roasting and finally the way thecoffee is finally prepared.

WHAT YOU NEED

• 3 different types of coffee
• Papers to mark your answers
• One selected coffee preparation

PROCEDURE

1. Select three different types of coffee to prepare. Ideally, each coffee should have distinctly different flavor profiles (for example, one could be a light, fruity African coffee and one could be a rich, South American coffee).
2. Pass out papers where players can record the flavor profile of a given coffee. Here is an example of what they might look like.
3. Have players try each coffee and write down what flavors they taste in the coffee.
4. Once everyone has written their guesses for each coffee, reveal the coffee and its true flavor profile. Whoever was closest with their notes wins.

GAME TIPS

To simplify the game, you can select, for example, 15 to 20 flavor variations they can smell in the coffee. And for example, 8 of them will only be correct, so participants will have a better chance of guessing the right flavor.

GAME: GUESS THE METHOD OF ALTERNATIVE COFFEE PREPARATION

Every lover of fine coffee has their favourite method of coffee preparation. From theV60 dripper to the Chemex to theFrench press. Coffee tastes different every time and has its own unique character. With this game you will test your palate to see if it can identify the different methods of coffee preparation.

YOU WILL NEED

• Different coffee brewing techniques - Aeropress, V60 dripper, French press
• Coffee suitable for a filter

PROCEDURE

Select a coffee that is suitable for alternative coffee preparation. Ideal coffees are light roast. They are roasted in a shorter time, which allows the original flavour notes such as sweetness and acidity to come through.

Select three to four brewing methods to use. It is best to include filtering, leaching and pressing. For example:

• Dripper V60 (brewing instructions) or Chemex (brewing instructions)
• French press - preparation instructions
• Aeropress - preparation instructions

Prepare coffees and anonymously label them. Let your friends guess which coffee is prepared by which method.

GAME TIPS:

• To make the game a little easier, you can clue your friends in on which methods were used.
• You can tell the individual characteristics for a given coffee preparation.

SUMMARY

All of these games can be adapted to the given skills and knowledge of the participants. They offer a great way to delve more into the mysteries of coffee and to explore coffee in a new way. Play games with friends and teach them more about coffee.

The games may not always have just one winner, but since it's about coffee, we think everyone wins.

What does cupping look like? Check out the process on the blog.