Why Does Coffee Make Me Feel Drunk During Tasting?

Slurping, the loud intake used in professional cupping, draws coffee quickly into the mouth and breaks the liquid into a fine mist. That mist reaches the retronasal passage, so aromas and flavors register far more strongly than they would in a normal sip. The rush of sensation can feel disorienting, which is one reason people ask why does coffee make me feel drunk.

Can you get drunk from coffee? No. Coffee contains no alcohol, and the effect comes from intensified aroma perception plus the social atmosphere of a cupping table, where everyone slurps in turn. The technique is standard at tastings and exhibitions but stands out in a quiet cafe, where a normal sip is usually the more considerate choice.

Slurping is a common tasting action in coffee cupping, in which coffee liquid is rapidly drawn in and atomized, allowing richer aromas and flavors to be captured through retronasal olfaction. This article analyzes the principle of slurping, specific operating methods, practical effects, and whether it is necessary to perform it in a café. At the same time, the article also uses the analogy of everyday soup drinking to aid understanding, and explores the possible mouthfeel impact and social awkwardness that slurping may bring in a quiet café. Whether you are a beginner just getting into coffee or an enthusiast looking to refine your tasting skills, you can gain practical reference from it.

Why do you need to slurp when drinking coffee?

Slurping was first applied in the coffee cupping process, with the aim of more fully perceiving the flavor layers of coffee. The specific method is: close the lips, narrow the air intake channel of the mouth, and use mouth inhalation to quickly draw the coffee liquid into the cavity, causing it to form an atomized state. The atomized coffee liquid can be perceived through retronasal olfaction, thereby capturing the aroma and flavor of the coffee.

Image source: highergrounds

When slurping, a "suo~" or "su~" sound is made, and the stronger the inhalation, the more obvious the sound. At cupping events at exhibitions, many newcomers go to observe and learn, and the waves of "suo~" sounds on site are actually a normal phenomenon. In such settings, herd mentality gets everyone to "suo~ suo~ suo~" together. The external action is the easiest to imitate, and the sound is not hard to learn either, but whether one truly understands why to "suo~ suo~ suo~" is hard to say.

Image source: oneworldroasters

Slurping does have its effects, but when learning it you should master it comprehensively

Maybe coffee itself is not easy to understand, so let's use another example - drinking soup. There is a saying in Guangdong, "Old fire fine soup should be drunk while hot." When it is hot enough to burn the mouth, you can only blow a breath along the edge of the bowl and then slurp a mouthful. The oil on the surface of the soup makes the mouth feel smooth and full, and because the temperature is too high, slurping it into the mouth produces an atomizing effect, which makes you feel the soup is especially rich and fragrant.

Replace the soup with coffee, and the principle is the same: both are meant to atomize the coffee liquid so that the nose can capture more aroma (most of coffee's flavor comes from aroma).

So, how should you "slurp" to better experience coffee flavor? Of course, the louder the better is not the point. A more scientific approach is: close your mouth, place the spoon or small cup at the edge of the lower lip, open the upper lip slightly, and then quickly draw the coffee liquid into the mouth like a sharp "breath in," then slowly exhale through the nose.

So is it necessary to do this in a coffee shop?

To put it another way, can slurping make coffee taste better? Slurping allows people to perceive richer coffee flavors. At the time, Front Street Coffee believed that there is really no need to do the action of slurping in a café. First, normally brewed pour-over coffee already has its main flavors (aroma and taste), and at most you can still perceive the aroma brought by retronasal olfaction to the extent of "slurping soup." Second, making a loud noise will make you the center of attention in a relatively quiet café. Third, slurping pour-over coffee actually affects the mouthfeel quite a bit.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.