Those large groups of people spitting in the corner of Kaldi's Coffeehouse on weeknight evenings aren't tobacco chewers. They're Kaldi's baristas. We want them to spit. As part of our ongoing barista training, Kaldi's baristas participate in coffee tastings, or cuppings, conducted by our Roasters. The baristas smell and taste a number of different coffees side by side, each prepared in individual cups, unfiltered so that all the aromatic oils extract. They breathe in the aroma, then slurp, so the coffee penetrates their olfactory and taste senses. Then, they spit to avoid a certain unwanted physiological response. The barista training cuppings shuffle on a revolving schedule between Kaldi's Coffeehouses. Starting this month, the cuppings will be open to the public, so customers and baristas can participate side by side. Look for dates posted at the register of your neighborhood Kaldi's.

Tyler Zimmer, above, hosts cupping at Kaldi's Coffeehouse at the Crescent