How To: Taste Coffee Like a Pro

How to find the REAL taste of coffee!

Tasting coffee is so much more complicated than taking a sip and saying, “ahhhh, tastes like coffee!” What does coffee really taste like? Did you know that there are FIVE elements of properly tasting a coffee? Well, now you know! What are you waiting for? Go brew a cup of Velo coffee and learn how to taste your coffee like a pro!

First and foremost, what are the five elements to tasting coffee? Aroma, flavour, acidity, body, and aftertaste. Coffee tasting is best suitable for specialty coffee- if you are unsure what specialty coffee is, read about it here! Are you ready? Read on!

The aroma of the coffee is how it is perceived by your nose. It’s how the coffee smells after it has been ground and brewed. The way the coffee smells can largely impact how the coffee tastes! It’s like a sneak-peek to what is in your cup. There are a few common aromas associated with coffee: nutty, fruity, floral, earthy, spicy, and herbal. You can see some of these flavours in our own coffees here!  

Ready? Set? SIP!

Flavour is the most obvious element of coffee tasting, but it is also the most overlooked as coffee drinkers may not take the time to evaluate and appreciate it (we’re all guilty of that sleepy first cup). There are many different flavour elements of coffee - let’s see how many we can name! Citrus, berry, floral, buttery, chocolate, nutty, smoky, sour, sweet, spicy, caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, bitter, herbal, and earthy. WOW that’s a mouthful! The key to tasting all the nuances of flavour is to not be too eager and take a small sip at first. Then, gently swirl the coffee around and take notice of the initial flavours.

Every cup of coffee will have a bit of acidity. We don’t mean the pH level of the coffee, but the brightness, dryness, sourness, sweetness, and oily elements of the coffee instead. Acidity is essential to good coffee because it makes them bright and complex! Coffees with less acidity tend to have more earthy and smoky notes.

When it comes to the body of coffee, we aren’t talking about arms and legs. We are talking about the texture and mouthfeel. Coffee can be full-bodied or light-bodied. Full-bodied coffees will often feel full, thick, syrupy or oily, while light-bodied coffees can seem watery or silky. Trust us, you’ll know what we mean when you taste it!

Finally, the aftertaste. The finish of the coffee is the flavour that lingers after you have swallowed the coffee. Full-bodied coffees tend to  have a stronger aftertaste than light-bodied coffees. Aftertaste is most commonly described as woody, spicy, or earthy. 

That’s all folks!

A good cup of coffee can have many different flavours that most people may not even take notice of! The coffee drinkers who take the time to evaluate and notice the five different elements of tasting will really learn to appreciate a cup of coffee and might even become nerds like us. Give it a go! You won’t know until you try it!