The 3 Steps of Coffee Tasting

At Alowishus we are addicted to making great coffee. It is important to us to get it right and make your experience with us a great one, every time. Knowing that you will enjoy our coffee is what drives us. We put great effort into training our baristas and continue to work hard on improving consistency and flavour in our coffee. In order to improve your experience even further, we would like to invite you into the world of coffee tasting. Taking the time to truly smell, taste, feel and appreciate a good cup of coffee is something we easily forget in our busy lifestyle. We have put together this short guide to help you not just enjoy our delicious coffee, but experience it with all your senses. Follow these 3 simple steps to get the most out of your coffee experience.

1. Smell

Our sense of taste is directly influenced by our sense of smell. When tasting a coffee, smell it first. Place your hand over your coffee mug. Hold the cup close to your nose and inhale. What do you notice? Some examples of aroma are earthy, spicy, floral and nutty. These distinctive scents are directly related to the actual flavour of the coffee. Certain aromas can be subtle and challenging to recognise for the new coffee connoisseur. What aromas can you smell?

2. Taste

When tasting a coffee, it is important to slurp it. By slurping, you spray the coffee across your entire palate. This allows the subtle flavours and aromas to reach all the tasting zones of your tongue. Try identifying the four tasting terms: aroma, acidity, body and flavour.

You’ll taste and feel the acidity of a coffee in the sides and tip of your tongue, in much the same way that you experience acidity when tasting citrus. Coffees with high acidity are described as bright, tangy and crisp with a clean finish. Coffees with low acidity feel smooth in your mouth and tend to remain longer.

What flavours can you identify? Citrus, cocoa and berries are just a few of the flavours you may taste in coffee. Some coffee flavours are bold; others are very subtle.

3. Feel

Locate the experience on your tongue. As you taste a coffee, think about where you are experiencing flavours on your tongue. Note the weight of the coffee on your tongue. Does it feel light or full in your mouth? This sensation is similar to what you experience when you compare the feel of full cream milk with nonfat milk. A coffee with light body will feel light on your tongue and its flavour will not linger. In contrast, you’ll feel the weight of a full-bodied coffee on your tongue and its flavour will remain in your mouth for a while.

We hope this short guide will help you enjoy our coffee even more and look forward to seeing you again soon.

The Barista Team at Alowishus Delicious