The Five Essential Elements in Coffee Tasting – An Expert Guide

If you are interested in understanding the taste of coffee beyond “this tastes good!”, keep reading.

Coffee flavor is not a simple matter. Contrary to popular belief, coffee's taste is a complex interplay of five distinct elements. Due to the nature of coffee beans, the flavor is not a singular taste but a complete sensory experience. 

What Makes Coffee Flavors?

Coffee may seem simple, but its flavor is complex and intricate, even without adding creamers or sweeteners. This is because the type and quality of coffee beans, as well as the quality of water, play an essential role in the final taste of the coffee.

Multiple factors can influence the flavor of coffee beans, including the growing and roasting processes. Adding sugar, milk, or creamer only affects the taste of coffee after it has already been grown, harvested, roasted, and turned into coffee grounds. However, all these processes already yield different flavor profiles that coffee enthusiasts can taste.

The Five Elements of Coffee Tasting

There are five essential elements in coffee tasting that you should know about. Coffee enthusiasts are intimately familiar with these five elements: aroma, flavor, acidity, body, and aftertaste. You may already be familiar with some of these elements, while others may require more explanation. Roasters assess these five elements when they are “cupping” coffee, which helps them determine the coffee's qualities and consistency. Keep learning about these five elements to become more knowledgeable about coffee.

Aroma

Tasting and enjoying coffee involves a multi-sensory experience. For many people, the smell of coffee alone gives them a feeling of alertness and energy. Additionally, the aroma of our preferred coffee shop or kitchen while coffee brewing signals to our brain what to expect. Thus, the aroma of coffee is just as significant as the acidity and other taste sensations.

The aroma of coffee beans after brewing is called its smell, scent or fragrance. This aroma is essential to understanding the taste of coffee, as taste is closely related to smell. We are talking about the smell of the beans before brewing and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. This aroma can be fruity, sour, sweet, fermented, nutty, or can sometimes be unpleasant or too strong. In some cases, it can be very faint.

We know more than 800 aromatics in this beverage, and new ones are being discovered regularly due to advances in testing techniques. For instance, darker roasts still have a powerful aroma, but they contain less scent than lighter roasts due to the nature of roasting coffee beans.

Similarly, fresher coffee has a more potent fragrance than older coffee. The aroma is most detectable when you brew a large pot of coffee. However, as you drink to the bottom of the pot, the general aroma becomes less noticeable.

Here are some terms used to describe coffee aroma:

• Complex
• Smoky
• Nutty
• Herbal
• Fruity
• Floral
• Spicy
• Chocolatey
• Caramel

The most noticeable aspect of coffee is its flavor, which involves its distinct notes. These notes can be evaluated to determine if the coffee has a citrus, floral, berry, chocolatey, nutty, buttery, caramelly, smokey, spicy, sweet, sour, or vanilla taste. The list of flavor notes and profiles is extensive and can be similar to the aroma but also quite different. It is a good practice to evaluate the aroma and taste to fully appreciate the characteristics of the coffee.

Acidity

Many people have a negative notion about coffee's acidity, but in reality, it is a positive sensation that most coffee drinkers enjoy without even realizing it. 

Coffee contains acidic compounds, including citric acid. However, when we talk about acidity in coffee, we are not referring to the type or level of acid present. Despite its name, coffee acidity is unrelated to coffee's acidity or pH level. The average pH level of coffee falls between 4.8 and 5 and remains consistent, regardless of how acidic the coffee's flavor is.

Instead, acidity in coffee refers to a taste sensation that can be described as brightness and dryness, highlighting the coffee's flavor profile. The term “coffee acidity” refers to a pleasant sharpness at the front of the mouth that can feel like a numbing sensation on the tip of the tongue, dryness under the edges of the tongue, or the backside of the palate. 

Some terms that describe coffee acidity in coffee flavor are crisp, tart, dry, sharp, vibrant, lively, sweet, and dull. A coffee with high acidity can taste sour or spicy. It's worth noting that some people dislike overly acidic coffee.

Body

The term “body” or “mouthfeel” describes the texture and thickness of coffee in the mouth. This includes the weight, texture, and thickness of the coffee. The coffee's sediment content influences it and gives an idea of how dense and full-bodied it feels. A coffee can either be full-bodied or lacking in body, where the latter feels flat and thin in your mouth.

Several terms are used to describe the coffee body, such as “thin,” “watery,” “syrupy,” “heavy,” and “buttery.” While acidity and bitterness affect the taste of coffee on the tongue, the coffee body affects how it feels in the mouth. It's like the third sense of touch, taste, and smell.

To better understand the concept of the coffee body, think of milk. Low-fat milk has a different mouthfeel than whole milk; the same applies to coffee. The body of the coffee is a separate sensation from its aroma and acidity.

Coffee Bitterness

Much like coffee acidity, coffee bitterness can sometimes have a negative connotation. Excessive bitterness can ruin the taste, but moderate bitterness is a great way to balance out the sweetness of the coffee. There are 21 different sources of bitterness in coffee beans, with the primary sources being caffeine, acids, proteins and alcohol.

The primary source of bitterness in light to medium-roast coffee is chlorogenic acids. Chlorogenic acids break down when coffee beans are roasted, transforming into phenyl compounds, which are responsible for the bitter taste. If coffee beans are roasted above 425 degrees, the bitter chlorogenic acids develop even more bitter phenyl compounds.

While not all dark-roasted coffee is overly bitter, it can become that way if it is roasted for too long. A knowledgeable coffee roaster can create a dark roast with a beautiful bitter coffee flavor. However, when the bitter elements of coffee are over-extracted, they overpower the sweet-sugar flavors and fragrances. The bitter flavor in over-roasted coffee is often mistaken for coffee acidity.

Aftertaste

The aftertaste, or finish, is the flavor in your mouth after drinking coffee. The amount of flavors that linger depends on the body and weight of the coffee. Some coffee has a short or sharp finish, where the flavors disappear quickly from your mouth. Although acceptable, most people prefer coffee that lingers for a while. 

Experts grow, harvest, and roast high-quality coffee beans, resulting in a pleasant aftertaste that lingers in the mouth. This delightful aftertaste indicates a beautiful cup of coffee. To fully experience the aftertaste, try taking slow breaths right after swallowing. This will help your mind and body concentrate fully on the sensations you are experiencing.

Hustle Coffee From Sip To Swallow

The taste of coffee is a matter of personal preference. However, a high-quality coffee flavor should have a well-balanced combination of acidity, bitterness, sweetness, mouthfeel, and an inviting aroma. Coffee beans are vital in making a great cup of coffee. After the beans are harvested, it is up to the coffee roaster to bring out their best qualities.

Enjoy exploring the flavors of this unique bean we call coffee! Grab a coffee tasting bundle of Hustle Coffee's Specialty Espresso Beans if you want to experience the five elements of coffee tasting for yourself.

You thank yourself you did, we promise.