How To Sound Like a Pro When Tasting Coffee

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How to Sound like a Pro When Tasting Coffee Using
the Coffee Flavor Wheel
Did you know there are more differing notes of
flavor in coffee flavor profiles than there are
differing flavors of wine? That means that there
is a lot to discuss when it comes to tasting
coffee. Fresh roasted coffee is delicious and
those that are new to the coffee world are
becoming more and more passionate about what it
means to take in all the flavors of fresh coffee,
even learning to describe the flavors they are
tasting in a whole new way. The coffee flavor
wheel breaks down all the flavors the palate can
detect in a cup, but there are some things to
learn if someone wants to learn to speak
coffee. Where to Begin For those that have never
had fresh roasted coffee and have been used to
store-bought coffee, the variety of flavors that
are in coffee may come as quite a shock to them.
The truth is that coffee that has been roasted,
ground, and packaged for months is not going to
have the same freshness and flavor complexity
that fresh coffee will. Thats the first thing to
remember when tasting coffee and describing the
flavor notes that are in a great cup of coffee.
And it all starts with the origin of the
coffee. Coffee Origin The coffee flavor wheel is
used to describe the notes of flavor found in
coffee. The coffee actually gets those flavors
from a variety of factors, including the soil
composition, how ripe the bean is when picked,
and even how it is processed and dried. So a good
majority of what actually gives the coffee bean
its flavor comes for the farmers themselves,
and those who process the coffee out in the field.
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Coffee from different regions is also known for
having certain flavors. Ethiopian and other
African coffees can be more acidic and have
citrus and orange notes. Lots of Central and
South American coffee has chocolate and nutty
notes. There are, of course, variations to those,
which is part of what makes the tasting process
so much fun! The Roast The next stage is knowing
about the coffee roasting process. There are
different methods of roasting coffee, but coffee
always goes through the same stages when it is
roasted. A basic understanding of first crack
and second crack, as well as the different roast
levels is going to provide the background
knowledge one needs to know what all goes into
drawing out the flavors from a coffee bean. The
roast is directly related to the flavor notes of
coffee, because as coffee goes through the
different stages of the roast, it will gain and
lose more flavors, depending on the bean, of
course. That doesnt mean that the roast adds
flavor to the bean, but a long roast time will be
able to draw out more flavors from the bean than
a shorter one. Going longer to a French or Vienna
roast will also smoky and ashy notes, so it all
depends on the flavor profile that the roaster is
going for.
The Flavor Wheel This iconic poster is seen in
coffee shops, farms, and roasters all around the
world. The coffee flavor wheel is filled with
descriptions of the differing flavors that are
found in coffee beans once they are processed
and roasted. Learning to speak coffee is much
easier with the help of the flavor wheel. It
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breaks down the flavors into easy to remember
categories, and breaks down the process for
experts and newcomers to be able to describe the
coffee they are tasting. Body One of the first
descriptions used to describe a cup of coffee is
its body. The body refers to how the coffee
feels within the mouth of the person tasting it,
similar to the lightness of white wine or the
heaviness of red wine. The three descriptions
used to describe the thickness of coffee are
light, medium, and full. Descriptions of a
particular roast will typically include the body
as one of the first characteristics
listed. Acidity Acidity is one of the next terms
that come into play when tasting a cup, and its
pretty self-explanatory. Coffee with a more
acidic taste is literally more acidic. Acidity is
also used to refer to some of the flavors found
in coffee. The Flavors This is possibly the most
fun part of the tasting experience. Those that
are new to the cupping and tasting culture of
coffee are typically surprised to learn that
coffee could be described as tasting grassy,
citrusy, or nutty, but after someones palate
gets developed, which just takes time and a
little practice, they are able to pick out a
whole assortment of different flavors from a cup
of coffee. Coffee Taste vs. Aroma One of the
misunderstood parts of coffee tasting is the
difference between taste and aroma. As
demonstrated in the flavor wheel, there are four
main categories of taste bitter, salty, sweet,
and sour. The spectrum of tastes becomes easier
to recognize with practice, and should be used
as a guide to help the one doing the
tasting. The aromas, on the other hand, are
broken up into three categories, enzymatic,
sugar browning, and dry distillation. Enzymatic
coffees are fruity and floral tasting. The
sugar-browning includes chocolate, nutty, and
even honey or maple-like flavors. The third
category for aroma is dry distillation, and
includes the ashy, smoky, and woody notes found
in mostly darker roasts. For Example
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The best way to learn how all of this applies to
a cup of coffee is to see it in practice. Say,
for instance, someone recently roasted a batch of
Ethiopian Harrar. Whether they brew it using a
pour-over stand, a French-press, or a Chemex,
there will be distinct notes that are noticeable
in the cup. This particular bean will produce a
full, juicy body. It may be described as winey
and fruity, with notes of a blueberry or almost
blackberry-like flavor profile. Other coffees
will be described as having a light body, low
acidity, and with any combination of the flavors
listed above in the flavor wheel. What to
Remember Professional coffee tasters and roasters
spend years developing their palate,
experimenting different flavors, and putting all
these concepts into practice. Everyone is at a
different stage and experience level when it
comes to cupping and tasting and describing a
certain cup of coffee. There are even coffee
tasting events that one can attend to start
experiencing all these terms. The important
thing to remember is to enjoy the cup. The
ability to describe the flavor profile of a
certain batch will come with time, and with
enough practice even those who are new to the
coffee world can start sounding like a pro in no
time!