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WHAT’S IN YOUR CUP? THE SMELL, TASTE
AND FEEL OF THE PERFECT COFFEE
Coffee is a lot like wine. Where the beans grow, how they’re roasted, the method used to brew them ... it all impacts that final, delicious cup.
BWy WKSHOP Academy Training Manager Melita Ferarro.
e could get scientific and talk for hours about brew ratios, TDS (total dissolved solids), water
quality – everything from the coffee farm through to that first morning sip – but let’s stop for a minute and smell those proverbial coffee beans...
Playing around with different coffees (single origins, blends), brew ratios, grind size and water temperatures to see what these changes may bring to the smell, taste and feel you experience is all part of the romance. At WKSHOP Academy we love sharing our knowledge and appreciation for coffee and will break down exactly what you’re experiencing when enjoying your daily brew.
Smell
Humans can identify more than 10,000 different smells. Think back to when you may have experienced a head cold and congestion: things taste different because of the close relationship of taste and smell. During a head cold your sense of taste is still working, but your sense of smell not so much, ultimately altering the way things taste.
Pro tip: The ‘fragrance’ of coffee refers to the aroma of roasted coffee prior to brewing and will be at its strongest when the beans are freshly ground. When we talk about ‘aroma’, this refers to brewed coffee and to airborne soluble solids.
Taste
The four main components of taste are sweet, salty, sour and bitter, with a fifth honourable mention going to savoury, or umami.
If you prefer your coffee to be milk based (latte, flat white, cappuccino), then the taste of black coffee, or cupping (tasting) coffee, may seem quite bitter as no milk or other ingredients are masking any of the coffee’s elements. However, sourness and bitterness in coffee aren’t always negative characteristics. These are natural elements that can help to bring a coffee’s ‘character’ to the fore.
Images supplied by WKSHOP.
Pro tip: Acidity is the ‘brightness’ or ‘zing’ the coffee delivers and can sometimes even be a feeling such as
a warming, or a tingling on the palate. Imagine biting into a lemon and the feeling that brings. Understanding acidity helps roasters bring out the
best flavours, ensuring there are interesting taste characteristics in the cup. A darker roast may bring out the bitterness of a coffee while a light roast can accentuate the fruitiness. The finish is the residual aftertaste. This could be fleeting or lingering, and with specific flavours found in the coffee.
Feel
Here we’re not just talking about the warm fuzzy ‘feeling’ your morning caffeine hit may bring, but what foodies call ‘mouth feel’. Think of full- cream milk versus skim milk, and how different they feel on your palate. One leaves a creamy coating on the palate, while the other is light and watery.
Pro tip: In coffee – again, as in wine – we refer to this mouth feel as body. It could also be described as the heaviness or viscosity while drinking the coffee.
Above all, it’s important to remember that coffee is about the pleasure it brings. What one coffee lover enjoys and appreciates in the cup can vary
greatly from the next – and who is to say if either is right or wrong?
In the end, it’s about discovering the perfect cup that brings you the most enjoyment.
INDUSTRY INSIGHT
About Melita Ferarro
Melita Ferarro is Training Manager for the WKSHOP Academy. She has more than 16 years’ experience in the coffee industry
and is responsible
for the design and development of training programs to
support coffee wholesale partners.
About WKSHOP
WKSHOP is here to supply, create, educate and innovate your coffee business. We provide specialty contract coffee roasting, private label packaging, coffee training via our WKSHOP Academy, coffee machinery and technical service support. If you’re a café, restaurant or multi-site franchise, let us workshop your coffee business.
Inquire now at wkshop.com.au or email hello@wkshop.com.au.
For further information, contact Marketing Director Nicole Saleh on 1800 849 335.
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