HomeThe Coffee Tasting Experience
Experienced tasters follow a strict routine ritual when tasting. They deliberately slurp coffee and swirl it all around the surface of the tongue and mouth. They want to obtain the full experience of the taste, the unique combination of sensations in the nose and on the tongue.
For all intents and purposes, our sense of smell and sense of taste are inseparable. Without our sense of smell, our taste sensations are limited. The tongue detects 4 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 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.
Most experts concentrate on three elements: Body, Acidity, Balance.
- Body: A coffee’s lipid or “oily” quality creates the tactile sensation of Body or “mouthfeel.”
- 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.
A quick note on 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.
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 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!
The Coffee Wheel.
Much as wine tasters have created a wine tasting wheel to use an agreed upon terminology, professional coffee tasters use the Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel to grade coffees. This flavor wheel is designed for the trained pallet of a professional. Professional "cuppers" use this guide when buying coffee and for creating "taste characteristic profiles" of the coffees. Most of us are much better off using our "Flavor Characteristics" chart. The Flavor Characteristics chart is for use by the average "joe". It is a simplified method of charting your favorite java's characteristics. The flavor descriptions that are most commonly used are defined below.
Here are some specific desirable flavor characteristics of coffee and the types of coffee that are associated with those characteristics.
- Bright, Dry, Sharp, or Snappy - typical of Costa Rican, Guatemalan, Kenyan.
- Caramelly - candy like or syrupy.
- Chocolaty - an aftertaste similar to unsweetened chocolate or vanilla. Typical of Costa Rican.
- 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 , Sumatran and Kenyan.
- Fruity - an aromatic characteristic reminiscent of berries or citrus.
- Mellow - a round, smooth taste, typically lacking acid, typical of Colombian and Organic Mexican.
- Nutty - an aftertaste similar to roasted nuts, typical of Colombian and Organic 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.
The Coffee World
Local tastes play a big part in determining the styles of coffee that find their way into local markets. For instance, the Northwest style of coffee is famous for being dark, roasty and brooding. Consumers in the Midwest, Southwest and Southeast prefers lighter styles of roasting, highlighting any dominant coffee flavors first followed by a subtle roasty flavor on the finish.
There are a few good rules of thumb for selecting coffees. Ironically you will get a geography lesson (whether you like it or not), which will be instrumental in identifying which coffees are right for you.
Looking at a world map, divide the world’s major continents into 3 groups. These groupings will give you a good general idea of what coffee flavor-types come from which locales. The first section would be Central and South America Continents (light-body, high acidity, sweet flavor); the African continent (medium body, medium acidity, wild flavors); Asian-Indonesian-Pacific continent (Heavy body, low acidity, earthy flavors). So looking at a world map, let’s develop a little more in depth framework for selecting the right coffee.
CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA / CARIBBEAN
Lighter bodied coffees with higher acidity and sweet coffee flavors are typical from this region. When you think of Coffee ‘flavor’ you think of theses coffees. Our Jamaican Blue Mountain best exemplifies these coffees: The most ‘balanced’ coffee in the world – a perfect mix of flavor, body & acidity. The Organic Rainforest Blend is mostly from South America. This Organic ‘masterpiece’ is well balanced, flavorful and makes a fantastic Espresso, and a superlative brewed coffee that never disappoints.
AFRICAN/MIDDLE EASTERN
Medium bodied and medium acidity. Wine-like, wild, and syrupy are often the terms associated with African coffees. These coffees are quite sought after by many ‘aficionados’ who love an interesting and satisfying cup. Our Yemen Mocha Java was created when commercial coffee was in its infancy. We blend the sweet syrupy flavors of Yemen Mocha Sanaani with an earthy and flowery Java Estate, mixed to the original proportions. This blend brews up one of the most prized cups in the history of coffee.
INDONESIAN & SURROUNDING ISLAND:
Heavy bodied, low acidity and earthy notes are the dominant characters of these hearty beans. Sumatra is a popular coffee to roast dark, creating a hearty brew. Most people enjoy these coffees because they stand up to milk more so than most. New Guinea, Sulawesi and Java are other coffees from the region, which exhibit more finesse than Sumatra, but still have smooth flowery and robust flavors. Our Black & Tan is a great example of these coffees and how well they work together even with different roast profiles. Powerful and brooding with flowery elements, the earthiness and smooth flavors of these unique coffees are without equal.
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