If you’re as serious about coffee as we are, then you’ll want to not only be able to enjoy the drink, but identify its subtler qualities along the way. In order to develop an appreciation of the myriad flavours, aromas and textures on offer in each brew, you’ll want to secure yourself a suitable cupping bowl.

These devices aren’t like ordinary cups. They’re built to allow you to focus on the individual qualities of each lot, rather than simply enjoy the experience of drinking coffee. You can think of them as analogous to studio monitor speakers, as compared to the hi-fi ones in your living room. They’re made from high-quality ceramics, and come with marks on the inside for 200ml and 150ml, so that you’ll be able to measure out precisely how much coffee you’ll need. When you’re under laboratory conditions, these considerations are especially crucial!

The interior of these bowls are brown, which will help to disguise the differences in colour between the different brews – which your brain will account for, even if you don’t do it consciously. If one coffee is caramel-brown and the other charcoal black, after all, you’ll have a preconception of how it might taste.