A taste fault in the coffee
brew giving an acrid and sour sensation on the tongue. The result of
long-chained organic compounds due to excessive heat during the holding process
after brewing.
acid:
A normal characteristic of arabica coffees, particularly of
high-growth varieties. Some strains are sought for this particular taste
(Kenya), which is influenced by the degree of roasting and does not seem to be
objectively expressed by pH measurement. Experts recognize three types of
acidity: 1) natural desirable: acid, 2) natural undesirable: sour, and 3)
undesirable: process acidity (sometimes sought as a substitute for natural
acidity but generally has a biting, puckery flavor.
A primary coffee taste sensation created as acids in the coffee
combine with the sugars to increase the overall sweetness of the coffee. Found
most often in washed arabica coffees grown at elevations about 4,000 feet, Acidy
coffees range from piquant to nippy. A term used to describe a coffee in which
this desirable cup characteristic occurs. Particularly desirable in Brazils and
found in most Milds. Colombians have both acid and body. An acidy flavor is
sharp and pleasing to the taste as opposed to sour, sourish, or fermented. It
denotes a taste that has sharpness, snap, and life, compared to a sweet, heavy,
mellow flavor. Old crops are never acidy.
Taste those high, thin notes, the dryness the coffee leaves at
the back of your palate and under the edges of your tongue? This pleasant
tartness, snap, or twist is what coffee people call acidity. It should be
distinguished from sour, which in coffee terminology means an unpleasant
sharpness. The acidy notes should be very clear and bright in the Mexican, a
little softer and richer in the Sumatran, and overwhelming in the Yemen Mocha.
Aged coffees, and some old crop, low-grown coffees, have little acidity and
taste almost sweet. You may not run into the terms acidity or acidy in your
local coffee seller’s signs and brochures. Many retailers avoid describing a
coffee as acidy for fear consumers will confuse a positive acidy brightness with
an unpleasant sourness. Instead you will find a variety of creative euphemisms:
bright, dry, sharp, vibrant, etc. An acidy coffee is somewhat analogous to a dry
wine. In some coffees the acidy taste actually becomes distinctively winey; the
winey aftertaste should be very clear in the Yemen Mocha. In brochures you may
find the aftertaste that I call winey described with other terms; fruity is a
favorite. Fruit connotes sweetness, however; I find the better analogy is to the
sharpness of a dry wine, hence my preference for the term winey. The main
challenge is to recognize the sensation, however; once you do that, you can call
it anything you like.
acrid:
A secondary coffee taste sensation characterized by a
predominantly piercing sour sensation on the posterior sides of the tongue.
Caused by higher-than-normal percentage of sour acids and a high concentration
of salts. Typified by an unwashed Rio coffee from Brazil.
aftertaste:
The sensation of brewed coffee vapors, ranging from carbony to
chocolaty to spicy to turpeny. Released from the residue remaining in the mouth
after swallowing. Aged A taste taint that gives coffee
beans a less acidy taste and greater body. The result of enzyme activity in
the green
coffee beans creating a chemical change during the aging process after
harvesting.
alkaline:
A supplemental coffee taste sensation characterized by a dry
sensation at the back of the tongue. Caused by the presence of alkaloid
compounds.
Strictly speaking, aroma can’t be separated from acidity and
flavor. Acidy coffees smell acidy, and richly flavored
coffees smell richly flavored. Nevertheless, certain high, fleeting notes are
reflected most clearly in the nose of a coffee, as some tasters say. There is
frequently a subtle floral note to some coffee that is experienced most clearly
in the aroma, particularly at the moment the crust is broken in the traditional
tasting ritual. Of the three coffees I recommend for your tasting, you are most
likely to detect this fresh floral note in the Yemen Mocha, but depending on the
roast and freshness of the coffee you could experience it in any of the three
samples. The best Colombian and Kona coffees are particularly noted for their
floral aroma. The sensation of the gases released from brewed coffee, ranging
from fruity to herby, as they are inhaled through the nose.
aromatic:
Designates a coffee that fully manifests the aroma
characteristic of its nature and origin.
astringent:
A secondary coffee taste sensation characterized by a
predominantly searing, salty sensation on the anterior sides of the tongue.
Caused by acids increasing the saltiness. Typified by an unwashed Indonesian
robusta coffee. Acids can cause astringency. In regard to coffee, astringency is
identified with undesirable acidity.
B
baggy:
An off-taste often observed in cups from weakly roasted coffees
that have been stored for a long time in unsuitable conditions.
baked:
A taste and odor taint that gives the coffee brew a flat
bouquet and insipid taste. The result of the roasting process proceeding with
too little heat over too long a period. Generally unpleasant characteristic of
having an over-baked taste in an over-heated coffee. Ranks in the following
order of intensity: cooked, baked or burnt.
This is a difficult term. When tasting coffees for defects,
professional tasters use the term to describe a coffee that does not localize at
any one point on the palate; in other words, it is not imbalanced in the
direction of some one (often undesirable) taste characteristic. As a term of
general evaluation, balance appears to mean that no one quality overwhelms all
others, but there is enough complexity in the coffee to arouse interest. It is a
term that on occasion damns with faint praise. The Mexican sample should be most
balanced, but it has less to balance than the other two coffees. If you tasted
the Yemen Mocha against a standard Ethiopian Harrar you would probably sense how
the Yemen coffee is similar to the Harrar, but much more balanced. A
well-balanced coffee contains all the basic characteristics to the right
extent.
basic tastes:
Sweet, sour, salt, and bitter. Characterized respectively by
sucrose, tartaric acid, sodium chloride, and quinine.
beany:
Specific aroma of an insufficiently roasted coffee that has not
been able to develop its full aroma.
A basic taste characterized by solution of quinine, caffeine,
and certain other alkaloids. Perceived primarily at the back of the tongue.
Generally normal characteristics of coffees connected with their chemical
constitution, influenced by degree of roasting and the method of preparing the
brew. Canephora are more bitter than arabica coffees. A desirable characteristic
at a certain level.
black beans:
Dead coffee beans that have dropped from the trees before
harvesting. Used as the basic unit for counting imperfections in grading coffee
on the New York Coffee Exchange. Has a detrimental effect on coffee
taste.
bland:
Lacking coffee flavor and characteristics. A primary coffee
taste sensation created as the sugars in the coffee combine with the salts to
reduce the overall saltiness of the coffee. Found most often in washed arabica
coffees grown at elevations below 2,000 feet, such as a Guatemalan. Bland
coffees range from soft to neutral.
Body or mouth feel is the sense of heaviness, richness, and
thickness at the back of the tongue when you swish the coffee around your mouth.
The coffee is not actually heavy; it just tastes that way. To follow a wine
analogy again, burgundies and certain other red wines are heavier in body than
clarets and most white wines. In this case wine and coffee tasters use the same
term for a similar phenomenon. The Mexican coffee should have the lightest body
and the Sumatran the heaviest, with the Yemen Mocha somewhere in the middle. If
you can’t distinguish body, try pouring milk into each coffee. Note how the
flavor of the heavy-bodied Sumatran carries through the milk, whereas the flavor
of the Mexican dies away. If you drink coffee with milk, you should buy a
heavy-bodied coffee. If you drink black coffee, you may prefer a lighter-bodied
variety. The physical properties of the beverage resulting in the tactile
sensations perceived in the mouth during and after ingestion. Used to describe
the mouthfeel of a drink, corresponding to a certain consistency.
bouquet:
The total aromatic profile created by the sensations of gases
and vapors on the olfactory membranes as a result of the volatile organic
compounds present in the fragrance, aroma, nose, and aftertaste of
coffee.
brackish:
A taste fault giving the coffee brew a salty and alkaline
sensation. The result of salts and alkaline inorganic material left after
evaporation of water from the brew due to excessive heat after
brewing.
bready:
Bready taste manifests in coffees that have not been roasted
long enough or at a high enough temperature to bring out the flavor
oils.
A relatively high level of oily material suspended in the
coffee beverage. The result of substantial amounts of fat present in the beans.
Most often a characteristic of high coffee-to-water ratio
brews.
The coffee species second in importance to “Coffea Arabica,”
“Coffea Robusta” is known by botanists as “Coffea Canephora.”
caramelly:
An aromatic sensation created by a moderately volatile set of
sugar carbonyl compounds found in coffee’s nose that produce sensations
reminiscent of either candy or syrup.
Corresponds to the taste acquired by roasted beans that have
been dipped in sugar, dextrin syrup, or molasses before roasting. Also perceived
in spray-dried instant coffees.
carbony:
An aromatic sensation created by a slightly volatile set of
heterocyclic compounds found in coffee’s aftertaste that produces either
sensations similar to a creosol-like substance or a burnt
substance.
caustic:
A detrimental coffee taste sensation characterized by burning,
sour sensation on the posterior sides of the tongue. Caused by alkaloids
increasing the sourness of the acids in combination with a high percentage of
salts.
Chaff is paper-like stuff that appears though the roasting
process. These little brown flakes are fragments of the innermost skin (the
silverskin) of the coffee fruit that still cling to the beans after processing
has been completed. Roasting causes these bits of skin to lift off the
bean.
chemical:
A definite chemical flavor (such as formaldehyde) not to be
confused with Rio flavor.
chicory:
A complex bitter-acid and sweetish taste characteristic of the
root of the chicory plant.
chocolaty:
An aromatic sensation created by a moderately volatile set of
pyrazine compounds found in coffee’s aftertaste that produce sensations
reminiscent of unsweetened chocolate of vanilla.
city or full city roast:
“City” is a roast that is slightly darker than the American
roasting norm. “Full City” is definitely darker than norm; sometimes patches of
oil on surface.
clean:
Without off-flavor
common:
Coffee of ordinary and average quality.
complexity:
Complexity describes flavor that shifts among pleasurable
possibilities; a harmonious multiplicity of sensation. The Yemen Mocha
definitely should be complex; if the Sumatran is a good one it should also be
complex; the Mexican is undoubtedly the least complex coffee of the
three.
cooked:
A typical taste of an instant coffee treated at too high a
temperature.
Moderately high level of oily material suspended in the coffee
beverage. The result of pronounced amounts of fats present in the
beans.
creosol:
A supplemental coffee taste sensation characterized by a
predominantly scratching sensation at the back of the tongue. Caused by the high
percentage of phenolic compounds created by a dark roast.
D
dark:
Roasting term meaning dark brown beans with a shiny surface;
equivalent to espresso or French roast
decaffeination process:
Coffees are decaffeinated in their green state. Three principal
processes are used today: the traditional or European process, the water-only or
Swiss-Water Process, and the CO2/water or Sparkling Water Process. All are
consistently successful in removing all but a trace (2% to 3%) of the resident
caffeine.
decaffeinated taste:
Special process taste often found in decaffeinated coffees. Due
to something lacking or to additional flavors.
A secondary coffee taste sensation characterized by fragile
sweet-subtle sensation just past the tip of the tongue. Caused by the lowest
possible combination of sugars and salts that still produce a sweet cast to the
taste, a combination easily broken up by other taste sensations. Typified by a
washed New Guinea arabica coffee.
depth:
Depth describes the resonance or sensual power behind the
sensations that drive the taste of the coffee. It is a tricky and subjective
term, but it tries to get at the way certain coffees open up and support their
sensations with a sort of ringing, echoing power, whereas others simply present
themselves to the palate and then stand pat or even fade.
detrimental coffee taste sensations:
Common to natural coffees that are harsh due to bitter
replacing sweet in the taste modulation. The result of sugars being ingested by
the shrub as the cherries remain on the branches while drying. Range from
medicinal to caustic.
dirty:
Literally a dirty flavor, not earthy or musty.
dull:
A coffee is dull if it gives an impression of roundness but at
the same time lacks character. Dull comes close to the meaning of
flat.
E
earthiness:
Earthiness is a flavor defect deriving from careless, primitive
processing that in some contexts may be seen as virtues. Some Harrar coffees
sold in specialty stores may have a hint of wildness or earthiness to them.
Roasters from Italy often like to include some earthy-tasting Brazilian coffees
in their espresso blends. If a New Orleans blend is at all authentic it also
should have some Brazilian wildness in it. If the earthy taste dominates to the
point that the coffee tastes distinctly sour or harsh, this quality becomes a
flavor defect; you won’t find such coffees in specialty stores. Your Sumatran
sample may have a hint of earthiness or mustiness to it, but it
shouldn’t.
earthy:
An odor taint in the coffee beans that produces a dirt-like
taste sensation. Results when fats in the coffee beans absorb organic materials
from the ground in the drying process during harvesting. Also referred to as
dirty and groundy. The undesirable odor and taste of freshly turned soil is
found in low-graded batches. Due to poor preparation conditions and botanical
origins of the green coffee. Reminiscent of potato flavor also found in instant
coffees.
F
fermented:
A taste fault in the coffee beans producing a highly
displeasing sour sensation on the tongue. The result of enzyme activity in the
green coffee beans changing the sugars to acids in the drying process during
harvesting.
fine cup:
Coffee with good, positive characteristics.
finish:
If aroma is the overture of the coffee, then finish is the
resonant silence at the end of the piece. Finish is a term relatively recently
brought over into coffee tasting from wine connoisseurship; it describes the
aftertaste that lingers on the palate after the coffee is spit out or swallowed.
It is in part a reflection of body; heavier-bodied coffees like the Sumatran
will have a much longer finish than lighter-bodied coffees like the
Mexican.
flat:
An odor taint in the coffee bean or brew meaning that limited
range of gases and vapors is present in almost imperceptible strength. Due to
aromatic compounds leaving the beans as part of the staling process after
roasting or the holding process after brewing.
Flavor is the most ambiguous term of all. Acidity has something
to do with flavor, and so do body and aroma. Some coffees simply have a fuller,
richer flavor than others, whereas other coffees have an acidy tang, for
instance, that tends to dominate everything else. One can also speak of a
distinctively flavored coffee, a coffee whose flavor characteristics stand out.
Of the three coffees I suggest that you sample, the Yemen Mocha is probably the
most distinctive, the Mexican the least distinctive, and the Sumatran the
richest. The following are some terms and categories often used to evaluate
flavor. Some are obvious, many overlap, but all are useful.
flavor defects:
Harshness and sourness are two of the most widely used negative
epithets. Harshly flavored coffees are unpleasantly bitter, sharp, or
irritating. Terms like grassy, hidey, barnyard fermented, musty, and Rioy
(medicinal) describe even more dramatically undesirable flavor characteristics.
All of these characteristics derive from careless processing. Presumably the
coffees you taste will be superior, hence free from such defects.
foreign:
A term that generally covers a number of imperfect flavors
coming from contamination, for example, rubbery or moldy.
foul:
A rank, strong, fermented flavor or any other strong,
unpleasant defective flavor, such as hidey or oniony.
fragrance:
The sensation of the gases released from ground coffee as they
are inhaled through the nose. Ranges from sweetly floral to sweetly
spicy.
When applied to roasting coffee, means that the bean is roasted
high enough to bring the natural oil of the coffee to the surface. Gives a
roasted flavor to the cup.
fresh:
A positive characteristic applying to freshly harvested and
roasted coffee whose flavor is particularly vivid. An aromatic highlight in the
coffee bean and brew that is highly pleasing. The result of extremely volatile
organic compounds, particularly those containing sulfur, evoking a strong
sensation on the olfactory membranes.
An aromatic sensation created by a highly volatile set of
aldehydes and esters found in coffee’s aroma. Either a sweet sensation
reminiscent of citrus fruit or a dry sensation reminiscent of berry
fruit.
full:
An intensity description of bouquet indicating gases and vapors
are present at a moderately pronounced strength.
G
good cup quality:
Coffee with good, positive all-round
characteristics.
grady:
A background flavor of dirtiness but not qualifying as dirty.
Mostly used in the United States.
A odor taint giving the coffee beans a distinct herbal
character similar to freshly mown alfalfa combined with the astringency of green
grass. Created by the prominence of nitrogen compounds in the green beans while
the cherries are maturing. Typical taste of unripe beans and of certain freshly
harvested coffee batches, corresponding to the beginning of the
harvest.
green:
A taste taint giving the coffee brew an herbal character due to
an incomplete development of the sugar carbon compounds in the roasting process.
Results from insufficient heat during too short a period. A taste associated
with that of a raw fresh vegetable leaf, often found in early new-crop
coffees.
H
hard:
A secondary coffee taste sensation characterized by a
predominantly stinging, sour sensation on the posterior sides of the tongue.
Caused by higher-than-normal percentage of sour acids and an insufficient
percentage of either sugars or salts. Coffee that strikes the palette by mixed
sensation. Bitterness and astringency are not are not enveloped by roundness of
body. A hard coffee is poorly balanced. Indicates the quality of the coffee
ranking as a matter of degree from strictly soft, soft, softish,
softish/hardish, hardish, hard, Rioy.
harsh:
Acrid. Sensation at the same time bitter and astringent, raspy,
and disagreeable. Particularly found in some poor quality robusta coffees. Often
due to imperfect beans.
heavy:
A moderately high level of solid material suspended in the
coffee beverage. Result of fine particles of bean fiber and insoluble proteins
present in pronounced amounts.
heavy roast:
Coffee beans roasted to a very dark brown, with a shiny
surface; equivalent to Italian
Roast.
herby:
An aromatic sensation created by a highly volatile set of
aldehydes and esters found in coffee’s aroma. Produces either an sensation
reminiscent of an onion or green vegetable.
hidey:
An odor taint that gives the coffee beans a tallowy and
leather-like odor. Result of a breakdown of fats in the coffee beans, due to an
excessive amount of heat applied in the drying process during harvesting,
usually when dried with a mechanical dryer.
hydrolyzed:
Refers to conventional type of instant coffee having an
undesirable acidity due to treatment. Generally associated with
over-extraction.
I
insipid:
A taste taint giving the coffee brew a lifeless character, due
to a loss of organic material in the coffee bean. Result of oxygen and moisture
penetrating the bean fiber after roasting.
instant taste:
Reflects fewer of the organoleptic characteristics that typify
home-brewed coffee.
intensity:
A qualitative measure of the number and relative strengths of
the gases and vapors present in the bouquet of the coffee.
Term applied to coffee that has been roasted darker than French
Roast. Much used by Italians, as well as in many of the coffee producing
countries.
L
light:
A moderately low level of solid material suspended in the
coffee beverage. Result of fine particles of bean fiber and insoluble proteins
present in perceptible amounts.
M
malty:
An aromatic sensation created by a moderately volatile set of
aldehydes and ketones that produces sensations reminiscent of toasted
grains.
medicinal:
A detrimental coffee taste sensation characterized by a
penetrating sour sensation on the posterior sides of the tongue. Caused by
alkaloids increasing the sourness of the acids without any taste modulation of
sweetness.
A primary coffee taste sensation created as salts in the coffee
combine with sugars to increase the overall sweetness. Characteristic found most
often in washed arabica coffees grown at elevations below 4,000 feet, such Kona
coffee from Hawaii. Mellow ranges from mild to delicate.
mild:
A secondary coffee taste sensation characterized by a
predominantly sweet tingle just past the tip of the tongue. Caused by high
concentrations of both sugars and salts. Typified by a washed Sumatran
coffee.
moldy:
Coffee may acquire a moldy taste if kept in poor conditions.
Moldiness also depends on conditions during the pulping and cleaning of green
beans.
muddy:
Characterizes a large quantity of particles in suspension in
the beverage.
musty:
An odor taint giving the coffee beans a moldy odor. Result of
fats in coffee beans absorbing organic material from molds on or in contact with
the coffee beans during the drying process. Often the result of insufficient or
proper drying and aging.
N
neutral:
A secondary coffee taste characterized by the absence of a
predominant taste sensation on any part of the tongue but causing a distinct
parching sensation on the sides of the tongue. Caused by a concentration of
salts high enough to neutralize both acids and sugars but not enough to provoke
a salty sensation. Typified by washed Uganda robusta coffee.
new crop:
A taste taint giving the coffee beans a slight herbal character
when brewed. Result of an incomplete enzymatic change that ultimately eliminates
this taste taint during the aging process.
A secondary coffee taste characterized by a predominantly
sweet, nipping sensation at the tip of the tongue. Caused by a
higher-than-normal percentage of acids being sour.
An aromatic sensation created by a moderately volatile set of
aldehydes and ketones that produce sensations reminiscent of roasted nuts.
Characteristic of poor quality beans, that float, remain lighter in color and
have a peanut flavor.
O
oily:
A term sometimes used to denote a coffee that has a roasted
oily taste due to a high degree of roasting or an oily coffee having a greasy
but not rancid taste.
old:
A roasted coffee that has been left for too long changes aroma
and acquires a specific and disagreeable flavor. Similar to oldish but with
stronger hay-like flavor.
oldish:
A complete lack of freshness. Somewhat flat taste with a slight
flavor of hay.
oniony:
Has a flavor of onions.
organic:
Organic is an important descriptive term in the contemporary
coffee world. An organically-grown coffee must be certified by an international
agency as having been grown without synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides,
or herbicides. Somewhat lower yields and the considerable cost of the
certification process account for the higher prices demanded for many organic
coffees.
ordinary:
Below average quality for growth, grade and type.
Bland.
P
papery:
Taste that coffee packed in paper bags or prepared in bad
quality filter paper may acquire. In instant coffee can be the result of certain
processing operations.
past crop:
A taste taint that gives coffee beans a slightly less acidy
taste. Result of enzyme changes in the coffee beans during the aging
process.
A secondary coffee taste sensation characterized by a
predominantly sweet, prickling sensation at the tip of the tongue. Caused by a
higher-than-normal percentage of acids actually sweet to the taste instead of
sour. Typified by a Kenya AA coffee.
point:
A coffee with good positive characteristics of flavor, body and
acidity.
poor:
Qualifies a coffee of really common flavor.
potato:
Has an unpleasant taste of raw potato.
primary coffee taste sensations:
Acidy, mellow, winey, bland, sharp and soury.
process taste:
This term reflects a number of defects. Some technological
treatment of coffee can develop well-identified off-flavors: cooked,
caramelized, cereal, and acrid.
pulping:
First step after picking in preparing coffee by the wet method.
It consists of removing the outer skin. Machines rub away the pulp without
crushing the beans.
pulpy:
Strong, pungent, fruit-like flavor from coffee cherry
skins.
pungent:
Applies essentially to a full-bodied and slightly aggressive
coffee.
The temperature (around 465F/240C) at which chemical changes in
roasting coffee beans cause them to emit their own heat, thus raising the
temperature of the roasting chamber.
Q
quakers:
Term applied to unripe, blighted, or underdeveloped coffee
beans.
quakery:
A taste taint giving coffee brew a pronounced peanutty flavor.
Result of the presence of light colored, underdeveloped, roasted coffee beans.
Caused by picking unripe, green, coffee cherries during
harvesting.
R
rancid:
A taste fault giving the coffee brew a highly displeasing
taste. The rancid flavor of a roasted coffee is caused by the oxidation of the
fats.
Intensity description indicating gases and vapors are present
at highly pronounced strengths.
richness:
Richness partly refers to body, partly to flavor; at times even
to acidity. The term describes an interesting, satisfying fullness. Of the
coffees I suggest you try, the Sumatran should be the richest in body and the
Yemen Mocha should have the richest acidity. The term rich would probably not be
used in any context with the Mexican coffee.
A taste fault giving the coffee beans a highly pronounced
medicinal character. Result of continued enzyme activity when coffee beans
remain in the fruit and the fruit dries on the shrub. Usually associated with
natural processed coffees grown in Brazil. Typified by coffees grown in the Rio
district of Brazil.
roasty:
Relative strength of the natural components of the coffee
flavor is modified by the degree of roasting, resulting in high
character.
roast taste Terms describing the characteristic
collective flavor complex of darker roasts. The acidy notes are gone, replaced
by pungent notes combined with a subtle, caramel sweetness. Some people call
this often unnamed group of sensations “roast taste” or the “taste of the
roast.”
High in caffeine and rather bitter. Generally less acid and
less aromatic than arabica coffee. Often slightly woody.
rough:
A secondary coffee sensation characterized by a predominantly
rasping, salty sensation on the palette or tongue. Caused by the additive
property of salt taste sensations.
round:
A balanced coffee whose basic organoleptic characteristics are
just at the right level, with none particularly apparent, giving the impression
of roundness.
rounded:
An intensity description indicating a reduced range of gases
and vapors is present at a moderately perceptible strength.
rubbery:
A taste fault giving the coffee beans a highly pronounced
burnt-rubber character. Result of continued enzyme activity in the coffee bean
when it remains in the fruit and the fruit is allowed to dry on the shrub.
Usually associated with natural processed robusta coffees grown in
Africa.
S
salt:
A basic taste characterized by solutions of chlorides,
bromides, iodides, nitrates, and sulfates of potassium and
lithium.
scorched:
A odor taint that gives the coffee brew a slight aftertaste of
phenolic and pyridine character with an underdevelopment of the caramelization
of compounds. Result of applying too much heat and charring the surface of the
bean during the roasting process.
secondary coffee taste sensations:
Piquant to nippy, mild to delicate, tangy to tart, soft to
neutral, rough to astringent, hard to acrid.
sharp:
A primary coffee taste sensation created as acids in the coffee
combine with salts to increase the overall saltiness. Characteristic found most
often in unwashed robusta coffee. Sharp coffee ranges from rough to
astringent.
smooth:
A moderately low level of oily material suspended in the coffee
beverage. Result of fats in the beans present in perceptible
amounts.
soft:
A secondary coffee taste sensation characterized by an absence
of any predominant taste sensation on any part of the tongue, except for subtle
dryness. Caused by a concentration of salts high enough to neutralize the acids
but not high enough to neutralize the sugars. Typified by washed arabica coffee
from Santos, Brazil.
soft-sweet:
A pleasant clean taste. Denotes a smooth cup free of any
foreign flavors. applies particularly to Brazilian coffee.
sound cup:
A coffee with no particular positive characteristic and without
negative characteristics.
A basic taste characterized by solutions of tartaric acid,
citric acid, or malic acid. The unpleasant acidity of a sour coffee cannot be
confused with the natural acidity of some coffees in which this quality is
prized. Perceived at the tip of the tongue.
soury:
A primary coffee taste sensation created as acids in the coffee
combine with salts to increase overall saltiness. Characteristic found most
often in unwashed robusta coffees. Soury ranges from hard to
acrid.
spicy:
An aromatic sensation created by a slightly volatile set of
hydrocarbon compounds in coffee’s aftertaste that produces sensations
reminiscent of either wood-spice (cinnamon) or wood-seed (Clove).
stale:
A taste fault that gives the coffee brew an unpleasant taste.
Result of moisture and oxygen penetrating the bean fiber and adversely affecting
the organic material that remains in the coffee bean, occurring in the staling
process after roasting.
stewed:
A taste of coffee infusion that has been heated after cooling
and lost its initial aroma.
stinker:
A coffee with no particular positive characteristics and
without negative characteristics.
strawy:
A taste taint that gives the coffee bean a distinct hay-like
character. Result of the loss of organic material from the green coffee beans
while in storage, occurring in the aging process after
harvesting.
strong:
Coffee giving a pungent impression in the cup, rich in flavor.
Developed by roasting or having a consistent mouthfeel.
sweaty:
A coffee probably fading to faded, that has been stored for
some time in less-than-ideal conditions and results in a distinct sweaty
taste.
sweet:
A basic taste characterized by solutions of sugars (sucrose and
glucose), alcohols, glycols, and some amino acids. perceived primarily by the
tip of the tongue. A trade term to describe coffee free from harshness of Rio
flavor or any form of damage.
An aromatic sensation created by a highly volatile set of
aldehydes and esters that produce sweet fragrance sensations reminiscent of a
flower.
sweetly spicy:
An aromatic sensation created by a highly volatile set of
aldehydes and esters that produce a spicy fragrance sensations reminiscent of a
sweet spice.
sultana coffee:
The dried husks of the coffee cherry.
supplemental coffee taste sensations:
Common to dark roast coffees that are pungent due to bitter
replacing a sweet in the taste modulation ranging form creosol to
alkaline.
T
tainted:
A coffee with a slightly defective flavor.
tangy:
A secondary coffee taste sensation characterized by a
predominantly darting, sour sensation along the sides of the tongue. Caused by a
high-than-normal percentage of sugars, giving the taste almost a fruity
sensation. Typified by unwashed India arabica coffees.
tarry:
A taste fault giving the coffee brew an unpleasant burnt
character. Occurs during the holding process after brewing, a result of
condensation and scorching of proteins.
tart:
A secondary coffee taste sensation characterized by a
predominantly puckering, sour sensation along the sides of the tongue. Caused by
higher-than-normal percentage of sour acids, almost giving the taste a puckering
sensation.
thick:
A relatively high level of solid material suspended in the
coffee beverage. A result of fine particles of bean fiber and insoluble proteins
present in substantial amounts. Most often characteristic of espresso-style
coffee.
A relatively low level of solid material suspended in the
coffee beverage. A result of fine particles of bean fiber and insoluble proteins
present in imperceptible amounts. Lacks body or substance and is insufficiently
concentrated and roasted.
tipped:
A taste taint giving the coffee brew a cereal-like taste.
Result of heat being applied too quickly in the roasting process, charring the
tip of the bean.
tipping:
Charring the end of the coffee bean during the roasting
process, by applying an intense heat too quickly.
turpeny:
An aromatic sensation created by a slightly volatile set of
hydrocarbon compounds and nitrites found in coffee’s aftertaste that produces
either resinous sensations similar to turpentine or medicinal sensations similar
to camphor.
twisty:
A coffee showing differing negative characteristics in a single
cup or from cup to cup. A coffee with unreliable
characteristics.
U
unclean:
Having off-flavor. Generally depends on the geographic origin
of the beans and how they have been treated. A flavor slightly similar to
fermenting but without the pungent, rotting taste.
undefinable flavor:
A coffee with an “off” taste that can not be
categorized.
V
vapid:
An odor taint in the coffee brew marked by a loss of organic
material that would normally be in a gaseous state in both the aroma and nose of
the brew. Occurs during the staling process after the roasting or the holding
process after brewing.
varietal distinction or character:
If the coffee has characteristics that both set it off from
other coffees, yet identify it as what it is, it has varietal distinction. In
one sense, all of your three samples are distinctive, because they probably
embody the best and most characteristic traits of the growing region from which
they came. In another sense the Yemen Mocha and Sumatran could be seen as much
more distinctive than the Mexican, simply because the Mexican embodies what for
North Americans is a version of the normative coffee taste, whereas the other
two coffees have characteristics that set them off from that norm. The rich,
winey acidity of the Yemen Mocha immediately suggests that it is either a Yemen
coffee or a good Ethiopian, for example; the heavy body and rich finish of the
Sumatran identifies it as a good Indonesian coffee. It would be difficult to
distinguish the Mexican coffee from a Peruvian, for example, or from any one of
several other Latin American coffees.
variety:
A qualitative description of the gases and vapors present in
the fragrance, aroma, nose and aftertaste of coffee’s bouquet, which create a
complex pattern of sensations of the olfactory membranes.
W
watery:
A relatively low level of oily material suspended in the coffee
beverage. Result of slightly perceptible amounts of fats present in the
beans.
weak:
Coffee that lacks body but is not flat.
wild:
A taste fault in the coffee beans characterized by extreme
variation between sample cups. Usually marked by unpleasant sourness. Result of
internal chemical changes in the green coffee beans or external
contamination.
A primary coffee taste sensation created as the sugars in the
coffee combine with the acids to reduce the overall sourness. Characteristic
found most often in unwashed arabica coffees grown at elevations above 4,000
feet, such as an unwashed Djimmah from Ethiopia. Winey coffees range from tangy
to tart. Special and agreeable flavor acquired by certain mocha-type, freshly
milled, or first crop coffees.
wishy-washy:
Negative in all aspects but with no defective
flavor.
woody:
A taste fault giving the coffee beans a distinct, unpleasant
wood-like character. Result of an almost complete loss of organic material in
the green beans during storage. Makes coffee unsuitable for commercial purposes.
Reminiscent of the odor of dry wood.
Glossary of