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Facts
History Plant
Bean
Production
Roasting
Tasting
Recipes
Glossary |
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Basics of
Coffee Tasting
Experienced coffee tasters follow a fairly strict routine ritual
when tasting coffee.
They deliberately slurp coffee and swirl it all around the
surface of their tongue and mouth. This is so they can obtain the
full experience of the coffee taste and the unique combination of
coffee sensations in the nose, on the tongue and of course
in their mouths.
For the most part our sense of smell and sense of
taste are inseparable. Without our sense of smell, our
taste sensations are limited somewhat. The tongue detects
four basic
sensations: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Most of what
we experience as taste depends upon our sense of smell.
The tasting experience begins before you brew - with the
grinding. When you smell ground coffee, you experience the
first impression of its flavor - its Fragrance.
Aroma refers to your first encounter with a coffee when
it’s brewed - literally, the first contact of water and
coffee.
Lastly, there’s a coffee’s Nose. Take a sip of coffee. As
soon as it reaches your tongue, it stimulates taste and
simultaneously releases aromas inside the mouth.
Follow the lead of the coffee tasting experts: allow your sense of taste
and smell to mingle. Enjoy the tactile feel of the coffee
on your tongue.
Now that you’ve taken a good whiff and your first sip,
it’s time to let your tongue do the talking. Of all the
facets of coffee, taste is the most complex to discuss. |
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Most
coffee tasting experts concentrate on the three
important coffee elements of body, acidity,
& balance.
Body: A coffee’s
lipid or “oily” quality creates the tactile
sensation of Body or “mouth feel.”
Acidity:
Naturally occurring acids in the beans combine with
natural sugars that produce a sweetness that gives
certain coffees a sharp pleasing tang or piquancy.
Balance: Think
of Balance as a harmony of the many sensations
yielded by a fine coffee. A “balanced” coffee is one
whose flavor characteristics are all at the proper
level for that variety. |
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A quick note on
coffee acidity, don’t let the term scare you. Acidity does
not refer to pH levels discussed in high school chemistry
class. It is not like hydrochloric acid or stomach acid.
Instead, it is a basic taste sensation in coffee,
especially those coffees grown in higher altitudes. You’ll
notice a coffee’s acidity at every facet of tasting, but
especially in a tingling sensation on your tongue. Acidity
produces some of the pleasurable and distinctive
sensations we enjoy when tasting coffee.
Now, back to coffee tasting!
After a sip is swallowed, the mouth and tongue retain a
minute residue of coffee. This sensation produces the
 Aftertaste, the sensation that lingers on the palate. It
is similar to the concept of “finish” in wine tasting.
Aftertaste can vary considerably according to the coffee’s
overall
body.
We mentioned Body as a primary characteristic. You
appreciate a coffee’s Body on the tongue and the roof of
your mouth. It is a distinctly tactile sensation, and is
sometimes called simply “mouth feel.” Another comparison
to wine is helpful. Burgundies are sometimes said to be
“heavier” than most other reds and whites. The difference
is not weight. Rather, Body is the texture and
consistency, the thickness or slipperiness of the coffee.
A good cup of coffee represents the collaboration of many
highly trained artisans - growers, professional tasters
and roasters all working together to create a fine
product.
So, let all your senses work together to enjoy the fruits
of their collaboration! |
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The coffee
taste wheel: |
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Just as
wine tasters have created a wine tasting wheel to use an
agreed upon terminology, professional coffee tasters use
something similar called the Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel
to grade coffees. The coffee flavor
wheel is designed for the trained pallet of a
professional. These "cuppers" use the above coffee guide
when buying coffee and for creating "taste characteristic
profiles" of the various coffees. Most of us are much
better off using the "Flavor Characteristics"
coffee chart below. This chart is for use by the average "Joe".
It is a very simplified method of charting your favorite
coffee characteristics. |
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Know thyself: what coffee flavor appeal to you?
Here are some
specific desirable flavor characteristics of coffee and
the types of coffee that are associated with those
characteristics. Visit our
coffee glossary for more information on these coffee
characteristics and hundreds of other coffee terms.
Bright, Dry, Sharp, or Snappy - typical of Costa Rican,
Guatemalan, Kenyan.
Caramelly - candy like or syrupy, typical of Colombian
Supremo.
Chocolaty - an aftertaste similar to unsweetened chocolate
or vanilla. Typical of Costa Rican, Colombian Supremo and
the House Blend.
Delicate - a subtle flavor perceived on the tip of the
tongue.
Earthy - a soily characteristic, typical of Sumatran.
Fragrant - an aromatic characteristic ranging from floral
to spicy, typical of Costa Rican , Sumatra Mandheling and
Kenyan.
Fruity - an aromatic characteristic reminiscent of berries
or citrus.
Mellow - a round, smooth taste, typically lacking acid,
typical of Colombian, Sumatra Mandheling, Whole Latta Java
and Orgainic Mexican.
Nutty - an aftertaste similar to roasted nuts, typical of
Colombian and Orgainic Mexican.
Spicy - a flavor and aroma reminiscent of spices typical
of Guatemala Huehuetenango.
Syrupy - strong, and rich, typical of Sumatran.
Sweet - free of harshness, typical of Colombian.
Wildness - an unusual, gamey flavor, typical of Sumatran.
Winey - an aftertaste reminiscent of well-matured wine,
typical of Kenyan, Guatemalan. |
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