Three Keys to a Great Cup of Coffee
As with wine, the taste of coffee depends on the
quality of the fruit, and the way that fruit is transformed into a
beverage. As with freshly baked bread, fresh roasted coffee has a very
short shelf life - maximum of five days - regardless of packaging. By
definition, over 95% of all coffee sold to consumers is stale.
Making a cup of coffee is a science but a simple
science governed by the laws of nature. Adherence to the "three keys"
is the only way to enjoy coffee at its best - sweet with distinctive
flavours derived from country of origin. The three keys to quality
coffee are: 1. Quality Green "Arabica" Coffee
The best coffee beans produce the best cup of
coffee. 2. Fresh Roasted Beans
High quality coffee beans are a lot like high
quality grapes, they're a crucial ingredient, but by no means guarantee
a high-quality end product. Great tasting coffee also relies on how
soon the coffee is brewed and consumed after roasting. For coffee to be
fresh, and best, it must be consumed within five days after roasting,
three hours of grinding, and fifteen minutes of brewing. The first sign
that coffee is stale is a bitter taste. 3. Proper Brewing
Temperature and time - brewing is the extraction
of coffee flavour oils from the roasted grounds using water. The best
temperature for optimum extraction is water just off the boil
(195°-205°F/ 90°-96°C). This
temperature will extract the full range of flavours from fresh roasted
beans. Time is a function of brewing method and grind size. There are
many ways to brew good coffee. Steeping and espresso are two of the
best methods. Learn
more. What Makes One Coffee Bean Different From Another?
Coffee acquires unique taste characteristics from
its geography - soil, water, air, flora, etc. While entire books have
been written about varietals and the art of Cupping Coffee, coffee
taste can be described and generally characterized by continent of
origin. Africa
High acidity / low body
Coffees from Africa are distinctly bright (similar
to citrus), sweet (fruits and floral), with a dry wine finish.
Countries to note are: Ethiopia, Yemen, Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe,
Zambia, Uganda. South Asia
Low acidity / high body
Coffees from Asia are rich and full bodied, with
heavy earth and spice flavours. Countries to note are: India, Java,
Sumatra, Sulawesi, Papua New Guinea. Latin America
Medium acidity / medium
body
Coffees from Central America, South America, and
the Caribbean, possess a full spectrum of tastes from fruit and earth
to nut, vanilla and chocolate. They are intensely aromatic. Countries
to note are Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa
Rica, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Cuba, Jamaica, Dominican Republic,
Puerto Rico. A General Overview of Coffee Tasting
Green (unroasted) coffee beans have very little
taste. Coffee taste as we know it, is created during the roasting
process. At 400°F/205°C to, simple sugars and
carbohydrates inside the green bean begin to caramelize, creating over
800 different flavour components (water soluble coffee oils).
The two main tasting sensations in coffee are
acidity and body. Acidity is the sweet tingling sensation on the tongue
- not the bitter or sour taste associated with stale or low quality
beans. Body is the weight of the coffee as it rests on the tongue - the
mouth feel. Both body and acidity vary depending on country of origin,
ranging from Africa (high acidity / low body) to South Asia (low
acidity / high body).
Coffee tastes (or flavours) are characterized by:
(1) fragrance & aroma, (2) taste & nose, (3)
aftertaste. Ted Lingle, in the Coffee Cuppers Handbook, describes the
characteristics as follows: Fragrance & Aroma
Fragrance reveals the nature of a coffee beans
taste - floral, spicy, etc. It is evaluated by vigorously
sniffing/smelling a sample of ground coffee. The intensity of the
fragrance reveals the freshness of the sample. Aroma is examined by
taking long deep sniffs of brewed coffee. It reveals the aromatic
character of the coffee - fruity, herbal, nut-like, etc. Taste & Nose
Taste is examined by forcefully slurping brewed
coffee into your mouth. This brisk aspiration spreads the fluid over
the entire surface of the tongue, allowing all of the sensory nerve
endings to simultaneously respond to sweet, salt, sour or bitter. Nose
is examined at that same time as taste. Aspirating coffee over the
tongue also aerates it, which causes a portion of the organic compounds
to change into gases, which are then drawn into the nasal cavity. The
nose tends to reveal flavours like caramel, malt, brown sugar, etc. Aftertaste
The aftertaste reveals flavours such as chocolate,
campfire smoke, tobacco, pine sap, etc.
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