An Introduction To Coffee Tasting
It wasn't until recently that I learned how to really taste the coffee that I drink consistently throughout the day. You don't have to be a coffee nerd or elitist to appreciate the subtle flavor characteristics of a delicious cup of coffee.
Admittedly, I used to think of coffee as having only one of two flavors, good or bad. To be honest, my first cup of coffee each morning still goes down pretty fast and I don't think about it very much. All I want when I roll out of bed is a quick mental jump start to bring me back from sleep and into full consciousness. My second cup is usually sipped and savored at a nice relaxing pace. I love identifying specific flavors and enjoying the subtleties that are hiding throughout the overall taste.
I made the move from french roast to light roast because the darker a bean is roasted the less you can taste the natural characteristics of the bean. I do still love french roast for its strong, robust flavor and deliciously enticing smell, but I can taste more variety in a light roast than a french roast. I'm still a novice when it comes to tasting coffee, on a professional level, here at Mocha Joe's, but I do enjoy when I notice a tasty chocolate, caramel on my own and then I find the more experienced tasters are in agreement.
Whether you taste sugars like molasses or honey, chocolate, fruit, citrus or nuts, each artfully roasted coffee can provide you with a totally different experience. No two coffee's are alike and it can be incredibly fun to find out why you like your favorite coffee so much. When tasting coffee by yourself or with friends, there are no rules. What you taste is what you taste, all it takes is a little thought to identify each flavor on it's own and think about how all the flavors work together.
What is your favorite coffee and what flavors can you taste in it?
- By Benjamin Zeman