How can I develop my palate to taste the notes in coffee described by “coffee professionals”?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “how to taste coffee notes“
How can I develop my palate to taste the notes in coffee described by “coffee professionals”?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “how to taste coffee notes“
The notes aren’t absolute flavors, but rather descriptors of certain types of acidity, sweetness, bitterness, and texture. Everyone has a slightly different mental reference library — one interesting thing I’ve encountered while working in different countries is learning how culture and upbringing affects taste preference and how a person describes their own sensory experience.
A good example is Ribena. Anyone raised in the UK will know exactly what I mean when I say Ribena — it’s a kind of synthetic, sugary blackcurrant flavor. However saying “it tastes like Ribena” will be kind of meaningless to anyone that didn’t grow up with it.
If I say “it tastes like apple” to an American, they might picture something like this in their head:
Red Delicious – Wikipedia
Sweet, mild and juicy, with low acidity.
However, someone from the UK might picture something more like this:
Cox’s Orange Pippin – Wikipedia
Aromatic, floral, juicy, medium to high acidity — same tasting note to describe a completely different flavor profile.
Part of understanding tasting notes is understanding what a given producer means when they say “fresh lime and blackcurrant with a dark chocolate finish.” There’s also a degree of industry consensus when it comes to specific terroirs — I just described a very typical Kenyan coffee flavor profile, for instance.
Certain notes tend to refer to the aroma — often spices and floral notes. Other notes refer to the acidity — often citrus and fresh berries. Again, other notes refer to the sweetness — sugar, caramel, milk chocolate, honey, ripe fruits, etc. Finally, there are notes that refer to the aftertaste that lingers in the mouth, especially as you exhale. These are usually more bitter — dark chocolate, cocoa, hazelnut, etc.
The reason I list them in this order is because that’s the order one usually experiences them in — first the aroma, then the acidity, the sweetness, and finally the bitterness. If you pay attention to coffee packets, you’ll *ahem* note that the taste descriptors are often arranged like this. The most useful tool of reference here is the SCA tasting wheel:
Understanding The Coffee Tasters Flavour wheel
Another thing to consider is how different waters, recipes, and brew methods affect the final cup. When I worked at a multi-roaster cafe, we often found that our own tasting notes differed slightly from the roaster’s notes. This was partly due to differences in preparation, but also because of the different vocabulary we used to describe similar things. Since we sold our coffees to customers based on tasting notes, our customers came to understand that vocabulary — they knew what we meant by honeycomb or chocolate biscuit for instance.
The best thing you can do to develop your palate is to taste as many different single estate coffees from as many different roasters as possible. Many specialty cafes hold public cuppings, so lookout for them in your area and attend if you can. You often get to talk directly with the roasters about their coffee, which can help form a frame of reference for your palate.
Diversify your coffee intake. Make coffee using a French press or stove top espresso pot or pour over. Grind your own beans. Use filtered water that won’t alter your coffee’s flavor. Get your coffee from different sources. By that I mean different countries (single source) and different companies as well. Write down what you taste after each cup if you are really trying to go for it.
I don’t take my coffee “that” seriously, but I do most of the stuff above aside from writing down my tasting thoughts.
Hi,
BREWING
First of all, make sure you are brewing coffee and following the best methodology . See the 6 tips below.
TASTING
Breathe in the aroma, not all notes are tasted but by smell
Take small sips, make sure the coffee is not burning your tongue.
When you take the next sip, slurp it this time, spread it on your tongue.
Sit back, relax and enjoy.
http://www.VolcanicaCoffee.com
I’m not sure it’s something you can develop. Some folks have a naturally more sensitive palate. There’s one man in particular who is world famous for his palate, and is actually the official taste tester for a large ice cream company. His tongue is insured for one million dollars, and he tastes a scoop of ice cream from nearly every batch to assure quality. The man uses a golden spoon, as it does not impart any taste on its own to the food it’s serving. That can’t necessarily be taught. Now, I’m an avid coffee drinker, and I can tell one brand or blend from another. I can also taste slight differences in brew methods, for example from drip, to pour over, French press, or mocha pot. But as far as the “subtle notes of cocoa, cherry, and orange blossom” or whatever else is claimed by the purists, I don’t taste that. I taste coffee, and I like coffee. Coffee flavored coffee, and if it’s coffee that tastes like coffee(dark roasted of course) than I’m fine with that.