WHERE TO EAT

By Anna Kline
Photos by Thomas Beck

Beyond the Mug
A lot goes into Cups’ freshly brewed coffee that students around town rely on all year long.

A typical daily scene plays out at Cups Espresso Café in Fondren: the order line stretches to the door, students perch in front of their laptop screens, friendly baristas maintain the steady rhythm of cash register sale to made-to-order coffee drinks placed in the customer’s waiting hand.
What is not so stereotypical about the company is its adaptability and attention to detail. Cups is a homegrown business of almost 20 years owned by Janice and Dennis Cameron where every layer of the business is well thought-out, from the highly specialized roasting process to giving back to the both the local and global communities.

Cups’ headquarters is located in Ridgeland in a space with offices and adjacent roasting warehouse. As soon as you open the office door, the heavenly aroma of coffee envelops your senses. Certified Master Roaster and Green Bean Grader Shawn Rogers began working with the company in 1997 and says, “First things first: a lot of people hear the word ‘bean’ and that’s a total misnomer. Coffee is not a vegetable. As a matter of fact, it is a seed of a fruit that resembles very much a cherry.” Shawn explains the labor-intensive process of picking and extracting the coffee seeds by hand. “You can see why they are called beans—they look like beans—they just don’t share any of the characteristics of them whatsoever.”

The difference between a regular cup of coffee from a tin in the grocery store and the tasty gourmet roast at Cups is the quality of the coffee bean. Shawn says, “We only purchase the highest grades—the ones that meet the highest standards.” A coffee broker helps guide the purchasing process and coordinates the shipment of burlap bags full of green beans from all across the world straight to Mississippi.

Once the beans arrive in the warehouse, the roasting process is the next phase of production. Shawn’s ability to compare coffee is much like that of a sommelier. Each year yields a new bean crop, so flavor characteristics such as earthiness, smokiness, acidity or robustness can change from one season to the next. Shawn must adjust his roasting techniques accordingly. “Ok, this is a little sharp so I want to cook it slower to mellow out the oils, or this is too flat, I want to cook it a little faster at a higher temperature—and all those things affect the flavor.”

Roasting caramelizes the beans in a convection oven-type process. The beans are poured into a funnel in the top of the machine and land in the constantly rotating compartment or “tumbler.” The gas burners heat the beans while Shawn meticulously controls airflow and temperature during the stages of roasting. In an average week, Shawn roasts 700 to 800 pounds of coffee that is then packaged and sent to all the Cups stores and franchises in the area.

So, that means every Cups location has fresh-roasted coffee delivered to the stores constantly. “That allows us to control what we carry, how we want our coffee to taste and we’re able to respond to our customer demands,” Shawn says. Cups puts a lot of faith into the feedback of their customers and they feel comfortable saying what they like and what they don’t like. The company adjusts coffee flavor according to the Southern palate—for folks who harbor a passion for sweet tea, a mellow, medium roast is the biggest seller overall. Shawn adds, “We’re giving you something you like and I’m glad we can do that.”

Visit Cups online www.cupsespressocafe.com  to find the location nearest you, and to learn more about Shawn’s work and how Cups gives back to the community.

Tips for the Perfect Cup

Master Roaster Shawn Rogers says, “We get customers that come in and say, ‘How come it doesn’t taste as good at home?’ Here are a few expert secrets to brewing the perfect cup of coffee.

1. Grind: Fresh ground coffee. After coffee has been ground the oils meet the air and it begins to dry out. “The second you grind coffee, it’s on life support.” Unless it’s sealed you’ve got 15-20 minutes or it will lose its flavor. You can find whole neans in the grocery store and everywhere else. Or you can buy your favorite flavor at Cups.

2. Water: Purification. You can either use a Brita water filter on your faucet or in your fridge.

3. Storage: Store your coffee in an airtight container with no light and no moisture. Don’t keep it in the freezer—that actually adds moisture to the coffee bean and affects the oils , which in turn distorts the flavor.