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acerbic
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 flavour.
acidy
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 flavour 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 flavour. Old
crops are never acidy.
acidity
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 favourite. 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.
arabica
"Coffee Arabica" is the species name assigned to the coffee
tree by European botanist Linnaeus while categorizing the flora of the
Arabian peninsula.
aroma
Strictly speaking, aroma can't be separated from acidity and
flavour. Acidy coffees smell acidy, and richly flavoured coffees smell
richly flavoured. 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 Indonesia robusta coffee. Acids can
cause astringency. In regard to coffee, astringency is identified with
undesirable acidity.
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.
balanced
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.
bitter
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 flavour 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
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 flavour of the heavy-bodied Sumatran carries
through the milk, whereas the flavour 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 flavour oils.
brew
Specific taste of a good home brew prepared properly.
briny
Applies to a coffee that has been over-roasted.
buttery
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.
canephora
The coffee species second in importance to "Coffee Arabica,"
"Coffee Robusta" is known by botanists as "Coffee 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.
caramelized
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 (Roasting)
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 flavour (such as formaldehyde) not to be
confused with Rio flavour.
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-flavour
common
Coffee of ordinary and average quality.
complexity
Complexity describes flavour 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.
course
A coffee that is rough on the tongue.
creamy
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.
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 flavours.
delicate
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 flavour, 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.
earthiness
Earthiness is a flavour 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 flavour 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 flavour also found in instant coffees.
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.
flavour
Flavour is the most ambiguous term of all. Acidity has
something to do with flavour, and so do body and aroma. Some coffees simply
have a fuller, richer flavour than others, whereas other coffees have an
acidy tang, for instance, that tends to dominate everything else. One can
also speak of a distinctively flavoured coffee, a coffee whose flavour
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 flavour. Some are obvious, many overlap,
but all are useful.
flavour defects
Harshness and sourness are two of the most widely used
negative epithets. Harshly flavoured coffees are unpleasantly bitter, sharp,
or irritating. Terms like grassy, hidey, barnyard fermented, musty, and Rioy
(medicinal) describe even more dramatically undesirable flavour
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 flavours
coming from contamination, for example, rubbery or mouldy.
foul
A rank, strong, fermented flavour or any other strong,
unpleasant defective flavour, 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.
french roast
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 flavour to the cup.
fresh
A positive characteristic applying to freshly harvested and
roasted coffee whose flavour 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 sulphur, evoking a
strong sensation on the olfactory membranes.
fruity
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.
good cup quality
Coffee with good, positive all-round characteristics.
grady
A background flavour of dirtiness but not qualifying as
dirty. Mostly used in the United States.
grassy
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.
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.
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.
italian roast
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.
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.
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.
medium roast
Coffee beans roasted to the American norm.
mellow
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.
mouldy
Coffee may acquire a mouldy 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 mouldy 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.
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.
nippy
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.
nose
The sensation of the vapors released from brewed coffee as
they are exhaled while swallowing. Ranges from caramelly to nutty to malty.
nutty
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 colour
and have a peanut flavour.
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 flavour. Similar to oldish
but with stronger hay-like flavour.
oldish
A complete lack of freshness. Somewhat flat taste with a
slight flavour of hay.
oniony
Has a flavour 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.
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.
peasy
A disagreeable taste of very fresh green peas.
piquant
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 flavour, body
and acidity.
poor
Qualifies a coffee of really common flavour.
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-flavours: 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 flavour from coffee cherry skins.
pungent
Applies essentially to a full-bodied and slightly aggressive
coffee.
pyrolysis
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.
quakers
Term applied to unripe, blighted, or underdeveloped coffee
beans.
quakery
A taste taint giving coffee brew a pronounced peanutty
flavour. Result of the presence of light colored, underdeveloped, roasted
coffee beans. Caused by picking unripe, green, coffee cherries during
harvesting.
rancid
A taste fault giving the coffee brew a highly displeasing
taste. The rancid flavour of a roasted coffee is caused by the oxidation of
the fats.
rich
Intensity description indicating gases and vapors are present
at highly pronounced strengths.
richness
Richness partly refers to body, partly to flavour; 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.
rio
With particular reference to Brazils, an iodine-like flavour
that can be very pungent.
rioy
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
flavour is modified by the degree of roasting, resulting in high character.
roast taste
Terms
describing the characteristic collective flavour 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."
robusta
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.
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 flavours. applies particularly to Brazilian coffee.
sound cup
A coffee with no particular positive characteristic and
without negative characteristics.
sour
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
flavour. 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 flavour or any form of damage.
sweetly floral
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.
tainted
A coffee with a slightly defective flavour.
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.
thin
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.
unclean
Having off-flavour. Generally depends on the geographic
origin of the beans and how they have been treated. A flavour slightly
similar to fermenting but without the pungent, rotting taste.
undefinable
flavour
A coffee with an "off" taste that can not be categorized.
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< | 
