There’s nothing more frightening than an empty pot of coffee. But this Halloween, Recess Coffee fans will get their caffeine fix with a Halloween twist.

Recess Coffee will host a cupping class Thursday at 6 p.m. at its roasting headquarters, located at 114 Boss Rd. in Syracuse. Registration costs $45 per person and includes a light meal, access to the class and one pound of coffee to bring home. Featuring plenty of Halloween-themed music and recommended costume attire, the event is open to the public and aims to teach visitors about “the intricacies of coffee varieties and roasts,” per its Facebook page.

Coffee cupping is a tasting technique used by coffee producers and buyers to test the quality of a batch of coffee. Different brews are noted for a variety of characteristics, including cleanness, sweetness, acidity and aftertaste.

Not only is cupping a way for coffee connoisseurs to test the freshness of a batch, but it also allows taste testers to note minor differences in coffee flavors and aromas based on different geographic origins. At Recess, cupping classes focus primarily on brewing the coffee and grading it on the basis of flavor quality.

Tere Martini, the headquarters manager at Recess, likened coffee cupping to wine and beer tastings. Martini said that the roastery’s cupping classes provide an opportunity for community members to bond over their shared love for coffee, and to learn something new.

“It’s a really intricate and very detail-oriented process,” she said. “It’s like a wine tasting, where you really get to know the intricacies of the coffee, where the origin came from.”

Unlike wine tastings, Martini said the lack of alcohol involved in coffee cupping classes make them more accessible to a more diverse audience. For many, the extent of their caffeine knowledge starts and stops at light or dark roast, drip coffee or espresso-based drinks. By hosting roasting classes, it places the consumer in the roaster’s shoes — shifting the perspective and increasing the appreciation for the craft.

“It kind of makes coffee a little more accessible, gives people a broader knowledge base of what they’re looking for,” she added.

Each batch of coffee prepared gives a glimpse into the story of its origin: hints of chocolate mingled with spices and fruit-like backdrops. For coffee baristas, each pot of coffee is a reflection of the communities and experiences that have seen it from a bean growing in Central American soil to the grounds filtered through your morning espresso.

For Graham Reynolds, Recess’ head roaster, the classes — offered on a monthly basis — are an opportunity for caffeine aficionados and newcomers alike to share in the preparation and get down to the ground level of the process.

“You can show up to it with the expectation of sampling it, like you were wine tasting, or you could bring with you the idea that you’re going to learn something about the coffee itself,” he said.

For Reynolds, one of his favorite parts of teaching the classes is seeing members of the community interact with one another, regardless of their roasting expertise. He said he enjoys pairing inexperienced roasters with coffee devotees to help create a more collaborative classroom environment.

“We’ve had people who come in here who are asking advanced knowledge questions more in-tune with my knowledge,” Reynolds said. “At the same time, folks coming in here saying they like the smell of it, but hate the flavor,” he added, laughing.

And, while Reynolds said he would love to have more people match his level of costume-wearing enthusiasm, he is most excited to share in his passion for the craft with new audiences.

“It’s like the polar opposite ends of the coffee drinkers,” he said. “I’ll have those types of people both sitting at the same table, and it can create a dynamic learning environment.”

Published on October 23, 2018 at 8:40 pm

Contact Kelsey: katho101@syr.edu | @writtenbykelsey