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Understand coffee appreciation and how the coffee process brings about different tastes
Ah, coffee. The fuel that powers humankind. It is a drink that exist in almost every country in the world from the villages in Nepal to the cities of America. Dating back to the 10th century, it was believed to be first discovered in Ethiopia. By the 15th century, it had reached areas including the Middle East, Persia and Turkey. By the 17th century, it reached the rest of the world such as Southeast Asia and the Americas.
The world of coffee appreciation, much like Wine, is a massive and complicated one. Every cup tastes unique depending on where the coffee beans came from, how the beans were roasted and even how the cup was brewed. For today, we hope to help you better appreciate humankind’s nectar of life through looking at key aspects of coffee tasting and how different components can affect your morning cup of coffee.
Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after — Anne Morrow Lindbergh
The Four Traits of Coffee
Different people drink coffee for different reasons. You can drink coffee purely for the caffeine boost, for something to go with your food, or even if it’s to camp at your local Starbucks and use their wi-fi for the entire day. To better appreciate and describe a cup of coffee, connoisseurs evaluate their drink on several dimensions. We will focus on four key ones: Aroma, Acidity, Body and Flavour.
Aroma. Just like wine, smell is a huge part of coffee appreciation. This is because the sense of smell is closely related to our sense of taste. Before you gulp down that coffee, take a moment to put your nose to the cup and let the aroma engulf you. Depending on the coffee, common aromas include caramel, smoky, carbon, fruit, nutty and spicy. For the everyday person, some of these aromas may be subtle and thus challenging to detect. It never hurts to try however, as getting a good whiff of your coffee will only help to enhance its flavour when you drink it.
