Develop your taste for coffee

Roasting and blending brings the green bean to perfection. You can increase your appreciation of coffee by understanding how elements like taste, aroma and body come together to create a distinctive cup.

What makes coffee pleasant or unpleasant? Judges look at flavour, body, acidity and aroma to determine the difference.

Acidity

Acidity in coffee provides the sensation of dryness under the edges of the tongue and on the back of your palate. As in wine, it provides a sharp, bright, vibrant quality. Without sufficient acidity, coffee will tend to taste flat.

Don’t confuse acidity with sour - an unpleasant, negative flavour characteristic.

Body

Body describes the feel of the coffee in your mouth. It is the viscosity, heaviness, thickness, or richness perceived on the tongue - like the feel of whole milk in your mouth compared with water. It is related to the oils and solids extracted during roasting. Try adding an equal amount of milk to several different coffee blends. Those with a heavier body will maintain more of their flavour when diluted.

Aroma

Without our sense of smell, our only taste sensations would be sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. The aroma therefore contributes to the flavours we discern on our palates producing subtle nuances, such as “floral” or “winy” characteristics.

Flavour

Flavour is the overall perception of the coffee in your mouth. Acidity, aroma, and body are all components of flavour. It is the balance and homogenisation of these senses that create your overall perception of flavour.

‘Crema’

Crema is the caramel coloured froth that appears on top of a quality espresso during the brewing process. It not only looks desirable, but helps seal in the flavours of the espresso. All high quality espressos require 5-7ml of crema.

An espresso based drink should be served within 30 seconds to taste its best; before the crema dissipates.

NB. Decaf produces a much thinner crema.