How to Know and Feel your Coffee
Trying to scientifically understand the multitude of complex sensations in your coffee cup can result in a boggled brain. The key is not to think about, but rather to feel your coffee.
There are no hard and fast rules, because there’s always that inexplicable factor of personal taste. It just comes down to trying lots of coffee and letting the sensation of each sip ‘sit’ with you… and developing your own intuitive sense of what feels good.
However here are a few points you might contemplate…
Body
The body of a coffee refers to its viscosity. It’s to do with the oils extracted from the bean in the brewing process. Coffee with a good, full body feels thick, rich and velvety in the mouth. Whereas coffees with less body feels thin and light like water. Full bodied coffees are best at maintaining their flavour when mixed with milk or water.
Acidity
Not to be confused with sour or bitter tastes – acidity is a good attribute for coffee to possess. It gives a rich and lively quality. Coffees with low acidity can taste rather dull.
Aroma
Taste buds alone can detect only sweet, sour, salty and bitter, so all the wonderfully complex moods and sensations like earth, spices or fruits… are experienced through aroma.
The parts of our brains concerned with smell and memory are closely related, meaning that vibrant tapestry of flavours woven into every sip can reignite memories and inspire your daydreams.
Flavour
Now this is a fiddly one to describe, as flavour is the composite of all of the above aspects.
The important thing is balance – an all round satisfying medley that coffee connoisseurs describe the ‘rollercoaster of flavour’ in a perfect espresso.
Here are a few handy terms to help you describe the flavours you might detect…
- Bright -a vibrant, lively, acidic flavour
- Caramelly – smooth, syrupy and not too harsh
- Delicate – a subtle flavour on the tip of the tongue
- Earthy – natural, deep and soily characteristics
- Fruity – tangy notes of berries or citrus
- Mellow – well rounded with low acidity
- Nutty – an after taste like roasted nuts
- Spicy – a taste and smell like spices
- Boozy – an after taste like that of a well-matured wine
