The Beginner's Guide to Coffee Tasting: Developing Your Vocabulary and Palate

First, a story. Picture this:

You’re sitting in your favorite coffee shop when all of a sudden, some dude in a black apron sidles up to your table and says, “hey! Want to try some Tanzanian Peaberry?”

Your first instinct is to run out of there screaming, “THEY SELL DRUGS HERE!” But instead, you realize that this enterprising young fellow is offering you some coffee.

He hands you a small cup that reminds you of taking shots of Jameson down at MacSwiggan’s “back in the day.” The half-ounce of Tanzanian resembles the coffee your roommate in college used to make. Ya know, the one who drove an Audi.

It has an odd color. If dirt could sweat.

But the smell is pleasant enough. 

“Try it and tell me what you taste!” the enthusiastic young man says.

Worried about burning your lips, you very slowly slurp the tiniest of sips from the edge of the cup, only to find that this coffee is already about room temperature. Strike one.

You throw caution to the wind and glug a heady draught; it has the kind of flavor that makes your face squoonch up, like Renee Zellweger biting into a lemon.

But you play it cool. “Mm! Yes!” you say.

“What do you taste? What notes?” he exhorts.

“The notes!” you say, stalling. “Well, um, definitely notes of....one thing I definitely taste is notes of, uh....coffee. Yes, very much a coffee-esque flavor.”

“Uh-huh,” says your new friend. “What else?”

“Maybeeeee....like....medium roast. Am I warm?”

“Sure!” he says. Warmer than the coffee, maybe. He pushes you to dig deeper; you feel as though you have no shovel. But he gives you a hint. “Blackcurrants, perhaps?”

Suddenly, you feel misled. Taken advantage of. Bamboozled. “Are you saying this is flavored coffee?”

He shakes his head and laughs joyously and without malice, but visibly aware that his superior knowledge has tipped the social hierarchy in his favor, which clearly informs his insolent, condescending affect that you’re only now beginning to see. 

You don’t even know this young brigand’s name, such that you might publicly condemn his flagrant impropriety.

Before you have a chance to run out of there screaming, “THEY SELL DRUGS HERE!” yet again, your intentions now turned to bald-faced slander, he says, “ah! Well you see, the notes are like the different shades of flavor, as one might see different shades of color in a painting.”

This gentle though vivid simile disarms your indignation somewhat. “Go on,” you say.

“These are specialty coffee beans, grown in regions with specific climates, where the soil, light, water, geography, and farming techniques all influence the various notes that underlie the essential flavor of fresh, delicious coffee.”

“I see,” you say, not entirely divested of your suspicion that this young ragamuffin (mm; a muffin would be nice) is making fun of you. But as a comparison comes to mind, you find yourself on evener ground than you initially perceived. “Kind of like wine,” you say, hopefully.

“Yes!” he says.

“Well, why didn’t you say so!” you exclaim. “Let me try this again?”

He hands you another cup. It is the same temperature as the first; only about eighteen seconds have elapsed since this variegated encounter began.

You sip it with relish through teeth that spatter the entirety of the tongue with a broad spray like a sprinkler. You churn it, bubble it, roll it, savor it, caress it with every fiber of your gustatory capacity. Then, your palate having sampled its palette, you turn back towards the young man with eyes the size of the cup’s diameter.

“Blackcurrant!” you say.

“Yes!” he revels. “What else?”

“Butterscotch! With a mild cedar center!”

 “You’re doing it!” he exclaims, not unlike Victor Frankenstein over his enlivening offspring. “And the close? The aftertaste? What is it like? What does it SAY to you?!”

“To me.....it says......MELON!”

The man’s eyes fall closed like a curtain across the stage of this experience. “I always knew,” he says, “that you had it in you.”

“What’s that, my young friend?”

“Taste!”

As we can see, becoming a coffee aficionado is an exciting adventure that involves exploring a wide array of flavors, aromas, and origins, thus enhancing your appreciation and understanding.

But it also involves something else, as our hero or heroine discovered. It involves contemplating yourself, your own sensations and experience, and having the VOCABULARY to put that experience into words as you would any other.

This guide will help you develop the vocabulary needed to start your journey into the nuanced and self-exploratory world of coffee tasting.

First, we’ll get an understanding of general coffee terminology, and then we’ll dive into the most common specialized flavor descriptors.

So pour a cup of Tanzanian Peaberry and let’s sip some knowledge!

Understanding Coffee Origins

1. Single-Origin vs. Blends:

• Single-Origin: Coffee from a specific region, farm, or cooperative. Known for distinct flavors that reflect the terroir (the unique characteristics of the place where it's grown).

• Blends: A mix of coffee beans from different origins. Designed to achieve a balanced and consistent flavor profile.

2. Major Coffee-Producing Regions:

• Africa: Known for bright, fruity, and floral coffees. Key countries include Ethiopia and Kenya.

• Latin America: Offers a wide range of flavors, often nutty, chocolaty, and citrusy. Major producers are Colombia, Brazil, and Guatemala.

• Asia-Pacific: Tends to have earthy, spicy, and herbal notes. Indonesia and Sumatra are notable regions.

Basic Coffee Tasting Vocabulary

1. Aroma:

• Definition: The smell of brewed coffee, which can hint at its flavor.

• Common Descriptors: Floral, fruity, nutty, spicy, chocolaty, earthy.

2. Flavor:

• Definition: The overall taste of the coffee, combining all the sensory experiences.

• Common Descriptors: Sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami. Specific notes might include berry, citrus, chocolate, caramel, or spice.

3. Acidity:

• Definition: The bright, tangy quality that gives coffee its liveliness.

• Common Descriptors: Bright, tangy, crisp, sharp. Often described with fruit analogies like lemon or green apple.

4. Body:

• Definition: The weight or thickness of the coffee on the palate.

• Common Descriptors: Light, medium, full. Terms like silky, creamy, or watery might also be used.

5. Aftertaste:

• Definition: The lingering taste left after swallowing the coffee.

• Common Descriptors: Clean, long, short, sweet, bitter. Specific flavors like chocolate or spice may also be noted.

How to Taste Coffee

1. Prepare Your Palate:

• Avoid strong flavors before tasting coffee (like spicy foods or strong mints).

• Drink water to cleanse your palate.

2. The Five Steps of Coffee Tasting:

• Smell: Inhale deeply to catch the initial aromas.

• Slurp: Take a small sip and slurp it into your mouth to aerate the coffee, spreading it across your palate.

• Locate: Notice where you feel the flavors on your tongue—front, middle, or back.

• Describe: Use your vocabulary to articulate what you're tasting and feeling.

• Compare: Taste multiple coffees side by side to understand the differences.

Building Your Flavor Vocabulary

1. Flavor Wheels:

• Use a coffee flavor wheel to identify and describe flavors. This tool helps you connect what you're tasting with common descriptors.

2. Practice with Different Coffees:

• Try single-origin coffees to understand regional differences.

• Experiment with different brewing methods (e.g., French press, pour-over, espresso) to see how they affect flavor.

3. Take Notes:

• Keep a tasting journal. Write down the coffee's origin, brew method, and your sensory experiences.

• Over time, you'll notice patterns and preferences in your notes.

Tasting Notes Examples

1. Ethiopian Yirgacheffe:

• Aroma: Floral and citrusy.

• Flavor: Bright lemon and blueberry.

• Acidity: High, with a crisp, clean finish.

• Body: Light and tea-like.

• Aftertaste: Lingering, sweet floral notes.

2. Colombian Supremo:

• Aroma: Nutty and chocolaty.

• Flavor: Rich caramel and red fruit.

• Acidity: Balanced, with a mild tanginess.

• Body: Medium, smooth.

• Aftertaste: Clean, with a hint of cocoa.

3. Sumatra Mandheling:

• Aroma: Earthy and herbal.

• Flavor: Deep chocolate and spice.

• Acidity: Low, with a mellow feel.

• Body: Full and syrupy.

• Aftertaste: Long, earthy, and spicy.

No one expects you to memorize all of these! I mean, what is this? SCHOOL?

In addition, coffee tasting is meant to be a shared experience in which you and a friend explore flavors and compare and contrast the inherently subjective elements of sensory experience.

As you become more seasoned, the experience becomes similar to being able to comment on a certain instrument’s performance within a vast orchestra. Say, the oboe.

What does that oboe sound like? Are its notes deep and lingering? Or high and fleeting? What feelings does it evoke? How does it interact with the other instruments at play?

Can your mind isolate a certain note enough to pick it out of a specific coffee’s vast flavorscape?

With practice and, especially, with THE WORDS TO DESCRIBE IT, you can!

Common Coffee Descriptors and Meanings with Country References

1. Floral: Aroma and flavor reminiscent of flowers, such as jasmine or lavender.

2. Fruity: Flavors resembling various fruits. Examples include berry (e.g., Ethiopian coffee), citrus (like Kenyan coffee), apple (e.g., Colombian coffee), or tropical fruits like mango (e.g., Costa Rican coffee).

3. Nutty: Tastes akin to nuts, such as almond (e.g., Brazilian coffee) or hazelnut.

4. Chocolaty: Notes similar to chocolate, ranging from milk chocolate (e.g., Guatemalan coffee) to dark cocoa (e.g., Costa Rican coffee).

5. Spicy: Flavors reminiscent of spices, such as cinnamon (e.g., Indonesian coffee), clove (e.g., Yemeni coffee), or nutmeg (e.g., Sumatran coffee).

6. Earthy: Tastes reminiscent of earth or soil, often found in coffees from Sumatra (e.g., Mandheling) or Brazil (e.g., Santos).

7. Sweet: Natural sweetness perceived in the coffee, not necessarily sugary but pleasant on the palate.

8. Sour: Acidity that is sharp, tangy, or bright. Can be akin to tart fruits like lemon (e.g., Ethiopian coffee) or green apple (e.g., Kenyan coffee).

9. Bitter: A slight bitterness that balances the sweetness, similar to dark chocolate (e.g., Nicaraguan coffee) or black tea (e.g., Indian coffee).

10. Acidic: A lively, tangy quality that gives coffee its brightness. Not to be confused with sourness.

11. Herbal: Flavors resembling herbs, like basil (e.g., Rwandan coffee), mint (e.g., Ethiopian Yirgacheffe), or thyme (e.g., Tanzanian coffee).

12. Smooth: Refers to the texture of the coffee on the palate, implying a pleasant and balanced mouthfeel.

13. Clean: A crisp finish without lingering off-flavors.

14. Complex: Indicates a coffee with multiple layers of flavors and aromas that evolve on the palate.

15. Full-bodied: Coffee that feels rich and substantial on the tongue, often associated with thicker textures (e.g., Java coffee).

16. Tea-like: Light-bodied and delicate, reminiscent of the mouthfeel of tea (e.g., Ethiopian Sidamo).

17. Silky: Smooth and velvety texture, often found in well-balanced coffees.

18. Crisp: Sharp and clear flavors, often associated with high acidity and brightness.

19. Lingering: Describes flavors or aromas that remain on the palate after swallowing.

20. Balanced: Refers to a coffee where acidity, sweetness, and bitterness are harmoniously integrated.

Story: Mark Ludas @aulos.media

Photos: Peter Stog for LOKL cafe peterstog.com