|
Expertise
Coffee connoisseur 101 by NESCAFÉ
November 2007
COFFEE induces different taste sensations. Be it bitter or sour, fruity or acidic, these subtle tastes present in every cup may influence your own preference.
To promote coffee appreciation, leading global brand NESCAFÉ, shares with readers the many distinguishing aspects that go into enjoying a good cup.
Taste sensations
Acidy, mellow, bland, sharp and soury—these are just some of the general taste sensations associated with coffee and they all result from the places where the coffee beans are grown and the roasting process that they later undergo.
NESCAFÉ, for example, only chooses the finest handpicked coffee beans and have them undergo a very meticulous roasting process to come up with a good cup.
Coffee is said to be acidy when it produces a pleasant tartness in the tongue. This taste is produced when acids in the coffee combine with sugars during the roasting process.
Coffee is said to produce to mellow taste, meanwhile, when it is mild on the tongue. This is caused when salts in the coffee combine with sugars, thereby increasing the overall mild sweetness of coffee.
Bland coffee is one that lacks the general flavor and characteristics associated with coffee. This also results when sugars mix with the saltiness of the coffee.
Coffee produces a sharp taste sensation when it produces a rough and astringent flavor. This is creates when acids in the coffee combine with salts to increase its overall saltiness.
Soury coffee, meanwhile, can connote two taste sensations: pleasant and unpleasant. A result of the combination of acids and salts in the coffee, it can either produce an unpleasant or unpleasant acidity and can range from hard to acrid.
A good cup
A good cup of coffee is one that has not just a good taste, but a good aroma as well. Like wine, the smell or aroma of coffee is a good gauge of its taste. And again, this is the result of where the quality of the beans and the roasting process that they undergo.
A good cup of coffee is also one that produces a good mouth feel or body. This is opposed to dull coffee, which produces a flat taste sensation, and rancid coffee, which gives a stale taste.
Closely associated with mouth feel is what is called “finish.” This refers to the aftertaste that drinking coffee produces. |
