In Appreciation of Coffee

IN APPRECIATION OF COFFEE

Photo Credit: Jessica Lewis

Danny Dannhauser

Go on then… Make yourself a cup of coffee before you read this.

What a wonderful time to be alive. It is the time of the year that brings hope and life. The Largest Man-Made forest in the world is green again. With flowers everywhere, it does make the experience that is life a little better, don’t you think? Remember to take the time to stop and smell those flowers.

Coffee appreciation, much like Cannabis, is complicated. When we smell a jar of good flowers, the aroma tells a story. We get hints of the taste and can sometimes even identify the strain from the aroma. And the same is true for coffee. Each cup will taste different depending on the origin of the bean, the roasting profile and how the cup was brewed.

Let’s look at a few tips to help you with the appreciation of coffee. There are many aspects, that compile the impression of a cup of coffee when one has the first sip. But we are going to look at the big ones, Aroma, Acidity, Body and Flavour.

When we look at Aroma, the nose immediately comes to mind. Just like cannabis, the smell is a very big part of coffee appreciation. This is because our sense of smell and our sense of taste are married as far as the tasting sensation goes. When we take a sip of coffee the aroma drifts up your nasal passage where you can identify the volatile components of coffee. Common aromas include chocolate, caramel, earth, fruity, nutty and spicy. Sometimes the more subtle of the Flavour notes will be picked up here. For most, some aromas may be too subtle and difficult to pick up. Don’t let this deter you. Like most good things, it gets better as you persevere.

Acidity is the dry, bright and sparkling sensation that gives coffee its unique taste. The levels of acidity in coffee are what enhances the taste and can alter the body, sweetness and flavour. It is a fact that “better” acidity is experienced from coffee beans grown at higher elevations. These are also deemed of higher quality. In coffee, there are many different varieties of acid type. These can range from malic acid that gives coffee its fruitier notes to the citric acid found in arabica coffee. Not all coffee acids are the same. Quinic acid is formed after coffee gets stale or is over-brewed. The same acid is formed in coffee that has been standing in a pot too long.

The Body or mouthfeel is the measure of the texture of a cup of coffee. When you drink your next cup of coffee, feel how rich or intense the coffee is as it settles on your tongue. Just like aroma, there are no set terms when describing a coffee’s body. People will try to use a wide vocabulary to try and explain the feeling. Common ones used include “light-bodied” and “heavy-bodied”. A light-bodied coffee will feel thinner and less viscous while a heavy-bodied coffee will feel thicker and more viscous. An easy way to understand the difference between a light body and a heavy body is the feel of skimmed milk as opposed to full cream milk in your mouth.

Coffee explodes with thousands of emotional Flavours. The flavour of coffee is, simply, the taste of your coffee. Does it perhaps taste like a mix of nuts and caramel? A hint of berries, maybe? Do you taste chocolate? The descriptions of coffee flavour are again as wide-ranging as one’s vocabulary. It seems one can broaden that vocabulary by drinking better coffee and working at understanding the nuances.

Now, with this trove of information, when next you have a good cup of coffee in hand, try to describe that cup of coffee. The experience is your own.

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