Art to Tasting Coffee
Tasting coffee is an art form. Experience will enable you to detect the different flavours from the coffee bean – differences between different roasts, origins, and flavours of coffee. Much like wine tasting, it has special terms to describe the taste of coffee and to find the perfect balance. An experienced taster is able to detect even the smallest hint of flavour and body in each cup of coffee.
With a little practice you can too. After awhile, you will find that you are better able to work out the differences between each cup of coffee that you drink pointing out different aspects of what makes that cup of coffee special from all the rest.
A simplified version of the main terms below are used to describe certain characteristics of coffee.
5 Main Terms in Tasting Coffee
TASTING TERMS | HOW TO DESCRIBE THE DIFFERENCES? |
Acidity/Sourness
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Aroma
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Body
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Flavour– The overall perception of the 3 terms above.
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Finish – a term brought over from the wine tasting world.
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The Make-up of the Tongue
The tongue is able to discriminate among the many subtle flavours of coffee along different parts of the tongue that detect different flavours.
The tongue plays a crucial role in the process of tasting flavors, as it contains specialized receptors that detect different taste sensations. Here’s a brief overview of the anatomy of the tongue and its role in tasting coffee flavours:
Taste Buds:
The tongue is covered with tiny structures called papillae, which house clusters of taste buds. These taste buds contain taste receptor cells that detect the five primary tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami (savory).
Distribution of Taste Receptors:
Taste receptors are not uniformly distributed across the tongue. Different areas of the tongue are more sensitive to certain tastes:
- The tip of the tongue is most sensitive to sweet tastes.
- The sides of the tongue are more sensitive to sour and salty tastes.
- The back of the tongue is most sensitive to bitter tastes.
- Umami tastes are particularly concentrated at the back tongue.
Taste Sensations:
With every sip of coffee, compounds in the liquid stimulate the taste receptors on your tongue. The combination of flavours, acidity, bitterness, sweetness, and umami creates a complex taste profile that you perceive as the flavor of the coffee.
Texture and Mouthfeel:
Texture and mouthfeel of the coffee is detected by the tongue. As does thickness, viscosity, and smoothness of the liquid, as well as any physical sensations such as heat or cold.
Interplay with Aroma:
Above all, taste works in with smell to create the overall flavour experience. As you sip coffee, aromatic compounds released from the brew travel through the back of the throat to the olfactory receptors in the nose, enhancing the perception of flavor.
Understanding the anatomy of the tongue and its role in tasting flavors can help coffee enthusiasts appreciate the nuances of different coffees and develop a more discerning palate.
Cirelli Coffee Roatery & Cafe
Pop into Cirelli Roastery & Cafe and pick up some tasting cards so that you can start practicing your tasting skills.
Our easy specialty coffee variety selection guide: How to choose the beans that are right for me? explains our different coffees and provides a tasting profile of each coffee. Click on the link to select your favourite type of coffee.
Coffee Taste Wheel
Try out the link to the Specialty Coffee Association of America. They have developed a coffee taste wheel, which can help you describe how each cup of coffee tastes.