Introduction

Tasting coffee is like tasting wine. When we savor a cup of specialty coffee, we naturally aspire to discern its flavors and express them.

How to taste a cup of coffee?

This question can be broken down into two aspects: one is the process of tasting coffee, and the other is the angle (entry point) for tasting coffee. Why do we describe coffee in terms of flavor rather than taste? The reason is simple: taste refers only to the sensation on the palate, whereas coffee tasting is three-dimensional, divided into aroma (smell), taste (gustation), and mouthfeel (touch). Therefore, tasting a cup of coffee is not as simple as just drinking it.

When coffee beans are ground into coffee powder, a large amount of aromatic compounds is released into the air, and this is our first step in tasting—smelling the dry aroma. The aroma of dry coffee powder differs from that of the brewed coffee liquid. Therefore, after brewing is complete and the coffee is poured into the cup, we smell it again—this time it is the wet aroma.

After that comes tasting the flavor and mouthfeel of the coffee. Some seasoned coffee drinkers like to slurp the coffee (the slurping action atomizes the coffee liquid, allowing the retronasal olfactory sense to perceive the coffee's flavors). Tasting coffee involves evaluating flavors at high temperature and at lower temperatures. As the temperature drops, the coffee's flavor (or one's perception of it) also changes. Therefore, a complete tasting of a cup of coffee takes at least ten minutes.

How to describe coffee flavors?

We might borrow from the COE cupping perspective. In coffee cupping, the evaluation items can be broken down into aroma, cleanliness, sweetness, acidity, mouthfeel, flavor, aftertaste, and balance.

Aroma

Aroma can be said to be the soul of a cup of coffee. Many who have fallen in love with coffee were deeply drawn in by its aroma. Aroma is divided into dry aroma and wet aroma. Dry aroma refers to the scent released after freshly grinding coffee beans, while wet aroma is the scent released by the brewed coffee liquid. Some coffee beans have highly distinctive aromas, such as the delicate white floral notes of Geisha coffee, the rich vanilla-and-liqueur aroma of Sherry coffee, the traditional herbal medicine aroma of Tiger Mandheling coffee, and so on.

Cleanliness

Cleanliness means the coffee has no defective or unpleasant flavors. If the coffee has off-flavors such as earthy mustiness, medicinal iodine, onion, or rubber, it indicates the coffee is not clean enough.

Sweetness/Sweetness

Sweetness refers to the sensation of taste. A good sweetness in a cup of coffee can add many points. Many factors affect a coffee's sweetness, such as cultivation (red cherries), processing method (natural is sweeter than washed), roasting (caramelization), and brewing (technique and parameters). Sweetness can also be categorized as fruity sweetness, honey sweetness, caramel sweetness, and so on. 

Acidity

Acidity refers to the sourness we perceive in taste, and it can also describe the amount of saliva secreted on both sides of the tongue. In terms of acidity, besides describing the intensity of sourness in coffee, we also describe the quality of the acidity. For example, we would describe Yirgacheffe coffee as having citrus acidity, and Kenyan coffee as having distinct berry-like acidity. Of course, acidity also includes unpleasant types, such as stale sourness or harsh acetic sourness.

Mouthfeel

This is part of the sense of touch, and it also describes a coffee's body, volume, and mouthfeel. A cup of coffee with a rich mouthfeel can greatly improve one's impression. Many people mistakenly think that body equals concentration—the stronger the coffee, the higher the body. Actually, this is not accurate. Concentration refers to the proportion of the amount and types of soluble components in the coffee. The perception of body mainly comes from the insoluble oils and fibers in the coffee liquid. This sensation can be compared to water, milk, and light cream.

Flavor

Flavor refers to the overall impression we get from drinking this coffee, combining sensations generated by smell and taste. These directly reflect the taste of the coffee and are the direct basis for describing its flavor characteristics. Describing coffee requires a certain associativeness. For example, our memory of lemon is linked to acidity and the fresh scent of lemon oil, and our memory of cocoa is linked to richness and bitterness. When we taste coffee, if a certain characteristic awakens your memory of something, you can make that connection. Therefore, the most important thing for describing coffee flavors well is to taste more.

Aftertaste

Aftertaste refers to the various flavors and aromas that remain in the mouth after drinking coffee. If good flavors linger for a long time, we can describe the coffee as having a long, lingering aftertaste. For example, Panama Geisha coffee exhibits an aftertaste of light floral notes and green tea aroma after drinking.

Balance

Balance refers to whether the various indicators of the coffee are well-balanced. For example, whether it is too acidic or has a prominent bitterness—these are the bases for describing whether the coffee is balanced.

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