We slurp it down without thinking every morning. While the novice coffee drinker can usually tell good coffee from bad coffee, he or she does not know why they make this judgment.

Professional coffee “cuppers” are people who evaluate the taste of coffee by aroma and flavor. But you don't need to be a professional to learn how to judge your own coffee.

It is believed that while red wine has 400 different flavor characteristics, coffee has some 800 that our senses can detect.

If you want to do your own coffee cupping, you will need: several different varieties of fresh, whole bean coffee; a coffee grinder; boiling water; a spoon; at least two cups and a big glass of water.

The first step is to grind the coffee bean coarsely, not too fine and put 2 tablespoons in the cup. Then pour 6 ounces of boiling water into the cup. Pour the water in a circular motion.

Let the coffee steep for a few minutes. Then take a spoon and break the layer of “crust” on top, which forms on the top of the water. Take a minute to smell the coffee. It should not smell sour or that would indicate coffee that is not fresh or rancid.

After you break the crust, push your spoon through and fill it with coffee that is liquid without any of the grinds that might be floating around.

Now, you must not “sip” the coffee, you need to actually “slurp” it so that the coffee is mixed with some air in your mouth and evenly distributed to ensure proper tasting.

Now swirl the liquid around your mouth, savoring it. Different parts of the tongue detect different flavors. For instance, the back and rear sides of the tongue sense bitter tastes; the tip of the tongue senses salty and sweet flavors; and the sides of the tongue at the middle and toward the front detect sour tastes.

After you swirl the coffee around spit it out into another cup. Rinse your mouth with water and then give another bean a try.

Here are a few of the most important characteristics you should be looking for when judging each bean:

The aroma is self explanatory-- it is basically the smell of the brewed coffee. It helps us expand upon the flavors that our tongue gives us. For instance, instead of just sensing the coffee is salty, sweet or sour; we can taste other flavors such as nutty or fruity.

The body is how the coffee feels in your mouth – whether it feels heavy or grainy or light and smooth.

From its name "acidity" appears to be a negative quality, but it really is a positive one when judging coffee. The acidity refers to how much “punch” the coffee has. Coffee with good acidity is considered “lively.” Without it, coffee would taste bland, flat or dull. It can be gauged by a feeling of dryness in your mouth.

Coffee beans can vary in flavor greatly. Some flavors you might detect when cupping include fruit and vegetable flavors, such as lemony or berry, and spices, such as spicy or smoky.

There are many more characteristics to judge your coffee with, but these few components should give you a head start in becoming your own coffee connoisseur.