6 Things to Effectively Taste Coffee

I have to admit — tasting coffee notes is not my forte. It’s most often a lack of vocabulary on my part. My mind blanks and I can’t find the words. Ex. “This tastes like…. good. Yes. Like good. Good coffee.”

Then I look over, and the next person in the room goes off with seemingly contradictory remarks: “This tastes like a cherry blossom in early spring in the subtropics of Antarctica, after a giraffe has walked past it. And a hint of lemon and leather. And tannins. Mean tannins.”

Lack of vocabulary doesn’t mean you can’t taste various flavors. I still remember the first time I had a coffee that had a distinctly blueberry taste. It was honestly like drinking blueberry pop-tarts — with nothing added! Those are the kinds of coffees that drive you to madness in seeking them out and perfecting the brew method to achieve those flavors.

Lack of vocabulary doesn’t mean you can’t taste various flavors. I still remember the first time I had a coffee that had a distinctly blueberry taste. It was honestly like drinking blueberry pop-tarts — with nothing added! I recently tried a coffee that tastes like an Arnold Palmer — citrusy and tea-y. Mind blowing. Those are the kinds of coffees that drive you to madness in seeking them out and perfecting the brew method to achieve those flavors.

When you’re tasting a coffee, there are 6 things to pay attention to:

Acidity/Sourness

Like bitterness, there is good and bad acidity. Bad acidity is acrid and pungent. It elicits an immediate reaction, generally with a lot of puckering involved. This is most often caused by under extraction, and can also have a mechanical taste if the machines are poorly maintained. Good acidity is often a citrusy note like lemon or berry, but can also come from lighter floral notes.

Bitterness

There are two types of bitters, scientifically distinguished as “Bad Bitters” and “Good Bitters”. Bad bitters in coffee are usually from burnt beans — powdery, charcoally, and dry, or from over extracted beans. Every coffee has some amount of bitterness, and it’s the baristas job to pull out just the right amount. They can also come from poorly maintained machines. Good bitters are things like chocolate/cacao, ginger, nuts, cinnamon, etc.

Sweetness

Sweetness is one of the first indicators of an awesome coffee. If I taste any sweetness on the first few brews, I will delve in and make micro adjustments to see if there is an X-Factor worth exploring.

Body/Mouthfeel

Body or mouthfeel (such a fun word) in coffee is usually a descriptor of thickness or viscosity. Thick, syrupy espressos feeldifferent and their flavors tend to linger longer. Brewed coffee is lighter and the taste tends to fade more quickly. I personally prefer something drinks whose flavor develops and changes as it lingers.

Balance

Balance is how well the above tastes blend together to create a whole. It takes the right levels of bitterness, acidity, and sweetness to achieve balance. Most often, unbalanced coffee is due to the brew method or ratio. Sometimes, something as simple as adding water can mellow out the overpowering flavors and balance everything out.

X-Factor

Again, my own scientific term, the X-Factor is when you hit the right recipe based on trial to achieve a familiar, unexpected flavor. Blueberries? Wut. Hibiscus? Wut? Pecan? Wut. Arnold Palmer? Wuuuuuut.

One other thing to note is that your olfactory bulb (is there a better term in existence?) plays a significant role in tasting. Smell that coffee before and after you grind and brew.

Article by Wilson Hailey

Wilson Haliey is the owner of Tezpresso an Austin which offers a direct to consumer coffee of the month including online classes in how to get the most out of your coffee experience. Tezpresso also has a mobile espresso bar.

512.412.2194 | wilson@tezpresso.com | www.tezpresso.com