Tasting and Describing Coffee

When looking for a new coffee flavour or trying to find the perfect bean to suit your tastes, it can be quite daunting when faced with the vast variety of characteristics and flavour notes that are used to describe a cup of coffee.

As is often the case, the best judge for a great cup of coffee is the taster, and being able to identify the flavours and complex interplay of certain traits in a cup is a great skill to develop.

How Do We Taste Coffee?

The process of tasting coffee happens in two different places – in our mouths and in our noses. It is important to think about these two parts of the tasting process separately when learning to taste and describe coffee.

The first part of the process occurs on the tongue, where we detect elements of acidity, sweetness, bitterness, saltiness and savouriness. Flavours that are often assigned to coffees, such as chocolate, dried fruit, citrus, berries and caramel, are largely detected in the same way as smells – not in the mouth but in the olfactory bulb in the nasal cavity.

For most people, these two separate experiences are intertwined, and the separation of taste and smell is therefore quite difficult. However, it does get easier when we focus on one particular aspect, or tasting trait, at a time.

Tasting Traits

When tasting coffee, there are several traits that can be focused on and used to determine the overall characteristics of a particular bean. Identifying key components within these traits can help you find your perfect varieties and coffee flavours, as well as your preferred brewing method.

Sweetness
How much sweetness does the coffee have? Sweetness is generally a very desirable trait in coffee, and many find that the more sweetness there is, the better the cup.

Acidity
This relates not only to how acidic the coffee is, but how pleasant this acidity is. If there is a prevalence of unpleasant acidity, the cup may be described as sour, whereas a lot of pleasing acidity gives the coffee a crispness or juiciness.

Acidity might be one of the more difficult traits to attribute, and some drinkers may initially consider all acidity in coffee to be a negative trait. However, the pleasant acidity found in coffee can be likened to the that found in an apple, where high acidity can bring a lovely refreshing quality to the fruit.

Mouthfeel
Does the coffee have a light, delicate, tea-like mouthfeel or is it rich, creamy and heavy? While the latter is certainly much-sought in coffees, it is important to remember that more is not always better – low quality coffees often have a fairly heavy mouthfeel, combined with low acidity, but can still be unpleasant and lacking complexity.

Balance
Perhaps the most difficult trait to assess, balance relates to the relationship between flavours, mouthfeel, acidity and sweetness, which will be harmonious in a high-quality cup. If one of these elements dominates the overall experience, it might not be the perfect coffee for your tastes.

Flavour
Relates to both identifying and describing the flavours of the coffee, and to determining how pleasant the taster finds them. It can be difficult to pin down the exact flavours that are being experienced, especially with a particularly complex variety, but certain common flavours that are identified include chocolate, caramel, citrus, berries, dried fruit, nuts, earthy or floral notes, woody or smoky notes.

How to Taste Coffee at Home

1. Buy two very different coffees. You might be in a position where you can ask a local roaster or speciality shop for guidance. Because the comparative part of coffee tasting is so important, you cannot taste just one coffee at a time – you have nothing to compare the coffee to and will be basing your judgements on the memory of a previous cup.
2. Buy two small French presses and brew two small cups of coffee, using the same ratios of ground coffee and water, and the same brewing time (it’s a good idea to let the brewed coffees cool down a little before tasting, as it is easier to discern flavours in warm rather than hot coffee).
3. Start to taste the coffees alternately by taking a couple of sips of one before moving on to the other. Consider how the coffees taste compared to each other.
4. Focus on texture first and consider the mouthfeel or each. Is one heavier than the other? Is one sweeter or does it have a cleaner acidity?
5. Don’t worry about flavours so much – if there are flavours present that you find pleasant, they can be identified later while you are enjoying a freshly brewed cup of your new favourite coffee!
6. When you have finished comparing the cups, it can be very useful to compare your notes with the roaster’s description, if available. This can help you to identify what the roaster is trying to communicate about the coffee, and you might find the word that you have been looking for when trying to describe the coffee.
7. Don’t be put off if you struggle with early attempts – tasting coffee gets easier the more you compare and take down notes, and even industry veterans must continue to work on their skills.
   

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