Developing a taste for your coffee
- basics
Hello coffee lover. Hope you are doing good and are well caffeinated.
Last weekend, I attended another coffee workshop in Hyderabad, where we learned about a few brewing methods. There was also a V60 brewing competition at the end of the workshop. Why am I telling you about the competition? Because we won as our cup was the most liked.
Attended a brewing and tasting workshop.
Ended up winning the v60 pour over competition. Our cup was the most liked among the 4 teams
— Aravind Balla (@aravindballa)
10:32 AM • Nov 17, 2024
Let’s talk about tasting coffee today.
Developing a taste for your coffee
We all know coffee isn’t just bitter water and that certain coffees taste a certain way. If not, you wouldn’t be here reading this email.
What happens most of the time is we lack the skill to describe what we like. Saying things like “This is a great cup” will not do. When a barista asks how you like your coffee, can you describe it?
I too was in the same boat until recently. I couldn’t make out the tasting notes of the coffee until I attended a cupping and tasting workshop. I am still not a pro at this, but I am actively learning. And I want you as well to know the direction I am taking, so you enjoy your cups better.
Here is what I have learned till now.
How does it work?
Coffee gets its flavour from a lot of things, but mostly it’s the environment, where it’s grown, what’s growing around it and how it’s processed. There are different types of processing, washed and natural to name a few which have a good amount of influence on the taste of it. We can discuss this over an other post as it’s an interesting topic in itself to dive in.
Coming to tasting brewed coffee...
A simple thing you can do every time you sip the coffee–think of what it reminds you. Maybe it’s some fruit. Maybe it’s a green forest. Maybe evenings in your childhood, which in turn can be traced back to snacks you enjoyed then. Or maybe some packaged food. It can be anything; just look for what comes up.
For example, when I was in the tasting workshop, one of the coffees reminded me of a peanut chikki, which was indeed some notes of caramel.
You have to actively put this into practice.
When a coffee nerd says a certain coffee has the acidity of a pineapple, it doesn’t mean it tastes like a pineapple. The sourness in the coffee reminds them of the sourness of a pineapple.
As you can see, this becomes highly subjective and differs from person to person. But that mostly doesn’t matter. There is no right answer. What matters for us is to communicate about the tastes.
Build your Flavour Bank
To identify the notes well, it’s important to taste and smell a wide range of flavours. Being in India, it’s an advantage because just the staple food has a wide range of flavours and aromas.
Although, that’s not enough. We should train our palates enough to be able to recognize them. The next time you eat or drink something, identify what all went in. Put this into practice consciously. Try smelling fruits, leaves, flowers, vegetables, etc. While you do this, observe what emotions and memories it evokes. We make connections like these in our brains better. Expand your taste bank.
This skill actually improves your quality of life by giving you the vocabulary to describe what you like. It will help you enjoy and appreciate food and drinks better.
Starting your adventure
Before you can identify the specifics, here are some broader terms you can try describing the coffee with:
Acidity: This is generally the sourness but sour is referred to something that’s overly sour. Like squeezing a lemon on your tongue. It’s considered bad. But then, what’s desired is bright acidity, something you find in orange or pineapple.
Body: How heavy or light the coffee feels on your tongue. Like is it as heavy as full cream milk, or is it light like water?
After taste: Does any taste linger in your mouth after you’ve gulped? Heavy-bodied coffees generally do this.
Balance: How does the mouth feel holding together? Is something like acidity or bitterness standing out?
Flavour: These are finally what flavours you can sense.
Look at the coffee flavour wheel, going from broad to specific. I like to pull this up often. It’s also interactive, so you can click through and see notes on identifying a specific flavour.
As I have said, there is no right way. We are just learning how to describe what we like. You might like bitter coffee and I might like acidic ones, neither of us is wrong.
The simplest thing you can do is get a pour over the next time you go to a coffee shop, befriend the barista, and discuss the taste notes of it. I also highly recommend attending a tasting workshop if it’s happening nearby. Every city seems to have it these days.
From the coffee-verse
Instagram post by @conceptcoffee_tlv
Home brewing update
I got myself a new grinder. It arrived today.
Timemore Chestnut C2
I had an electric one from Agaro, but it gave me inconsistent grinds. This one was recommended well enough in the coffee communities. Very well built. Excited to grind beans with this.
That’s all I have. Have a caffeinated weekend.
See you.
Keep on brewing!