Want to learn how to truly taste coffee?

I was so surprised when I first was promoted to trainee barista, a number of years ago, to find in my research that coffee beans from different parts of the world have unique flavour profiles! Not only that but within each part of the world for example in Costa Rica there are many coffee farms that produce coffee at different altitudes which in turn affect the flavour and characteristics of coffee as well.

Suddenly I realised just like honey, that coffee taste can be affected by a multitude of different factors and we, the consumer can train ourselves to enjoy our brew even more by learning about what to look for when we drink a cup. What I hope to explain in this article are the characteristics of coffee and how testing each category as you drink can make for a better drinking experience.

What is the perfect coffee then? Well, that's up to you to decide, there’s no wrong answer here but I’m going to handhold you through what I look for, how I would judge and how I know what I’m tasting without looking at the coffee label.

Firstly, let's explore the aroma — You’re thinking “Dan, I was going to learn how to taste and now we’re exploring smells?!” absolutely, coffee can be an experience and pre/post grind of fresh coffee beans can reveal some sensational smells! For example, you may smell dark chocolate or a woody smell. A good aroma can foreshadow a good drinking experience and in some cases, not. I know myself walking into a place with a good coffee smell can promote a good homely vibe. This is why some real estate agents will fill their properties with the smell of coffee. “You can imagine waking up here in this home” is the idea they’re trying to sell you. So, I recommend smelling your cup, what can you smell? In some cases, the coffee will have “Aroma” on the packaging or their website. Training yourself to recognise certain smells in coffee can be fun and as you start to pick it up it’s a cool party trick to pull out the bag or just inflate your ego with 😉. See below for an aroma wheel to help you.

What I am looking for in aroma is:

• What can I compare this to?
• Do I enjoy the smell of this coffee?
• What time of day is best suited for this smell?

Next, let’s look at texture, a lot of coffee enthusiasts refer to this as the body. This is the difference between if the coffee has a tea-like texture or if it has a bit more thickness. How does it feel in your mouth? A common comparison is that some coffees have a full-fat milk texture and others, semi-skimmed and skimmed when drank black. You may see things like:

• Medium body: This means this is more suited for the filter more than for your espresso due to the coffee being more diluted.
• Full-bodied: This is more of a thicker viscosity but with a creamy and strong pleasant taste.
• Round body: this is a perceived way of saying it’s a balanced brew (more on this later)

One important thing to consider however is that texture can change as the brew begins to cool down, what could be full-bodied could end up being medium at cooler temperatures. Tasting your coffee as it cools is also part of the experience, partly because you can’t help it, let’s be honest. Try it! Maybe you’ll notice it.

• How thick is the consistency of this brew?
• Does it have a pleasant mouth feel?
• Again, what can I compare this to?
• Does the consistency bode well with the taste and smell?
• Does the change in temp have a good or negative effect?

This leads us nicely into aftertaste or what some coffee enthusiasts refer to as finish. The consistency, the body can contribute to the length of the aftertaste, you may find like I did that the thicker the brew, the longer the taste lasts in the mouth. I find I drink this coffee’s a little bit slower to appreciate not only the initial taste but the way the coffee finishes which only extends the experience and is a lot more friendly for the wallet. what we’re looking for is:

• Is the aftertaste long or short?
• Does the aftertaste taste different to the flavour notes?
• How long does the consistency or mouth feel stay in the mouth before it disappears?

Our journey is almost to a close but we have yet a few important topics to cover. Let's chat about acidity. This is not to be confused with bitterness. The acidity of a coffee is the apple-like tang you get when you bite into a golden delicious, the zest of a lemon or other fruits. You may hear words like: Lively, tangy, sharp, bright, fruity, sparkling or see flavour notes like stone fruit, passion fruit, kiwi or orange.

Before buying a coffee imagine biting into that fruit beforehand, would you like that in the morning at 7 am before work? Acidity is popular among coffee drinkers. It contributes to the overall flavour and is considered to be a desirable trait much like the tang in wine. What makes a coffee acidic? Altitude and volcanic soil develop pleasant acidic traits in coffee, not only this but the way the coffee is processed by farmers Washed, Natural and others like Honey can play a huge role. This is why some coffee brands proudly boast the MASL or altitude the coffee is grown at and the type of process the coffee has gone through.

Enjoy your acidity people! compare it to fruits and guess the type of acidity you feel and taste in your mouth. I personally love a more acidic brew in the morning and the less acidic brews in the early afternoon. So what am I looking for?

• What can I compare my acidity to?
• When would I like to taste this acidity, time of day, setting and scenario?
• Is it a pleasant acidity for me personally, too much or not enough?

Now let’s chat about sweetness, sweetness comes from natural sugars in the coffee which can be emphasised by the process of coffee drying, a technique used by farmers of the coffee plant. By allowing the coffee to ferment, or not washing the coffee before drying will increase the sweetness of the coffee before it arrives at your mug.

You won’t find a coffee that gives you the yummy taste of Ben and Jerries Cookie Dough ice cream however you will find tasting notes like toffee or chocolate-like flavours within your cup. You’ll be able to taste this sweetness on the top of your tongue. What am I looking for?

• What can I compare the sweetness too?
• Is it too much, too little or balanced?
• Does the sweetness bode well with the acidity?
• How does the sweetness fade or get stronger in the finish?

Finally, how does it taste? Well, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. There are many flavours out there such as cucumber, toffee, apple and the list goes on. Finding a balance of all the aforementioned areas to me really impacts the flavour and overall experience of drinking a coffee. I guess take a sip, I dunno, what do you taste? Have a guess and see… You can probably guess, it can be so interesting to check the bag and see if you got it right. Here’s another wheel to help you tell what may be going on in your mouth!

Here is how I would look at rating a coffee in a tasting session, each box containing a rating before giving an overall score. This way I can keep going back and enjoying that same experience I had the first time I tried my favourite brew.

Who knew that your morning coffee could be so interesting? Go try a coffee and enjoy!