Frequently Asked Questions
The short version: a free tasting notebook, and your scores stay yours.
What is Unpacking Coffee?
A tasting notebook for people who brew coffee at home. You log each coffee you taste — the flavors you noticed, a score, how you brewed it — and every tasting becomes a flavor flower, a picture of what was in the cup. Together, everyone's tastings build a shared record of coffees, roasters, origins, varieties, and flavors.
What is a cupping?
In the coffee trade, cupping is the standard way professionals taste and score coffee. Here, a cupping is any tasting you record, however you brewed it: pour-over, espresso, French press, or a formal cupping bowl. Logging one takes under a minute.
Is it free?
Yes. Signing up and logging cuppings is free, and there is no paid tier.
What if my coffee isn't listed?
Add it while you log your cupping. Search for the coffee, and if nobody has logged it yet, create it right there with its roaster. Details you add — origin, process, elevation, variety — become part of that coffee's page for everyone who tastes it after you.
Which brewing methods are supported?
More than twenty, from the Hario V60, Chemex, and AeroPress to espresso, Moka pot, siphon, cold brew, and the Vietnamese phin. You can attach a brew recipe to any cupping and set a default recipe for each method.
How do flavor tags work?
Pick the flavors you taste from a shared vocabulary the community has built, or add a new one. Each flavor has its own color, which is where your cupping's flavor flower comes from, and well-tasted flavors get their own page showing which coffees they turn up in.
Are my scores public?
No. Other members never see your scores, and there are no crowd ratings, public averages, or roaster leaderboards. Your profile uses them to show you how your palate shifts over time.
What can other people see?
Other members see your public tasting notes, the flavors you tagged, the coffee, and how you brewed it. Each cupping also has a private notes field that only you can read — not other members, and not site administrators. Your scores are hidden from other members, though administrators can see them for support and moderation.
Can I share a cupping?
Yes. Every cupping has its own page with a flavor-flower preview image, so a link to it looks good wherever you post it.
Can I export or delete my data?
Yes. Download all of your cuppings as a CSV file from Settings, and delete your account from your profile settings at any time.
Still curious? Read about Unpacking Coffee.