7 Easy Steps to Become a Gourmet Coffee Taster
Learning to differentiate coffees isn't hard. You don't have to "cup" coffees like the professionals. You can learn that later. Now you want to just get the basics.
1. Brew two different coffees. For the first time try to get coffees that are dramatically different e.g. Sumatran and Costa Rican. You can use any brewing method you want just brew each of them exactly the same. However, make sure you are brewing well. Brewing Coffee
2. Smell the two coffees. Eighty percent of taste is in the aroma. Can you identify any aromas spice, citrus, flowers, fruit etc? Don't be surprised if you can't. Average coffees don't have much aroma.
3.Sip a little of each coffee. Note - in writing, if you want - the differences using your own language e.g. bitter, heavy, strong, chocolaty, etc.
4. Sip each coffee again do you notice a tingling sensation along the edge of your tongue, like when you drink lemonade? That is coffee acid. Professional coffee tasters like acids because they enhance the flavors of the coffee, average consumers don't like acids.
5. Sip each again for flavor; sweet, sour, bitter, harsh, smooth, fruity, grassy, citrusy etc. Don't overdo it, even the best tasters can only accurately identify three flavors in a food, anything else is fantasy. Look for the strongest flavor, if there is one. Are there complex flavors in the coffee where you can taste multiple flavors as you drink the coffee?
6. Sip each again for body. Does the coffee have mouthfeel or is it light and thin? Think of the difference between milk and chocolate milk.
7. Sip each again for aftertaste. Does the coffee have a pleasant aftertaste or do you get coffee mouth? Can you identify the aftertaste flavors?
Now you have done it! You have smelled and tasted for the same coffee attributes as coffee gourmets: aroma, acidity, body, flavor and aftertaste. Rate each coffee for each of these attributes using a 1 to5 scale and then give each coffee a total score. The high score is the one you like most.
You may have noticed that as the coffee cooled you could identify more flavors. Cool coffee is actually more flavorful, but since we don't drink it that way, we need to taste it at drinking temperature.
So now you need to perfect your palate by comparative tasting other coffees. Some suggestions:
•Compare the same coffee with different roast levels e.g. light, medium, dark to see how the coffee changes with the roast.
•Compare the same variety coffee from different countries.
•Compare the same coffee from different farms at the same roast level.
Learning to differentiate coffees isn't hard. You don't have to "cup" coffees like the professionals. You can learn that later. Now you want to just get the basics.
1. Brew two different coffees. For the first time try to get coffees that are dramatically different e.g. Sumatran and Costa Rican. You can use any brewing method you want just brew each of them exactly the same. However, make sure you are brewing well. Brewing Coffee
2. Smell the two coffees. Eighty percent of taste is in the aroma. Can you identify any aromas spice, citrus, flowers, fruit etc? Don't be surprised if you can't. Average coffees don't have much aroma.
3.Sip a little of each coffee. Note - in writing, if you want - the differences using your own language e.g. bitter, heavy, strong, chocolaty, etc.
4. Sip each coffee again do you notice a tingling sensation along the edge of your tongue, like when you drink lemonade? That is coffee acid. Professional coffee tasters like acids because they enhance the flavors of the coffee, average consumers don't like acids.
5. Sip each again for flavor; sweet, sour, bitter, harsh, smooth, fruity, grassy, citrusy etc. Don't overdo it, even the best tasters can only accurately identify three flavors in a food, anything else is fantasy. Look for the strongest flavor, if there is one. Are there complex flavors in the coffee where you can taste multiple flavors as you drink the coffee?
6. Sip each again for body. Does the coffee have mouthfeel or is it light and thin? Think of the difference between milk and chocolate milk.
7. Sip each again for aftertaste. Does the coffee have a pleasant aftertaste or do you get coffee mouth? Can you identify the aftertaste flavors?
Now you have done it! You have smelled and tasted for the same coffee attributes as coffee gourmets: aroma, acidity, body, flavor and aftertaste. Rate each coffee for each of these attributes using a 1 to5 scale and then give each coffee a total score. The high score is the one you like most.
You may have noticed that as the coffee cooled you could identify more flavors. Cool coffee is actually more flavorful, but since we don't drink it that way, we need to taste it at drinking temperature.
So now you need to perfect your palate by comparative tasting other coffees. Some suggestions:
•Compare the same coffee with different roast levels e.g. light, medium, dark to see how the coffee changes with the roast.
•Compare the same variety coffee from different countries.
•Compare the same coffee from different farms at the same roast level.
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