Un Cafecito Coffee School
How to taste coffee
Four small steps, one cup at a time. You do not need a trained palate — you already taste more than you think, and this just gives you words for it.
Smell it twice
Smell the dry grounds first, then the brewed coffee. Most of what you call flavour is aroma, and the dry grounds are the clearest picture of what the coffee is.
Slurp it
Take a spoonful and slurp it so it sprays across your whole tongue. It sounds ridiculous and it works: it spreads the coffee onto every part of the palate at once and pushes aroma up the back of your nose.
Let it cool
Judge the same cup warm and again when it has cooled for a few minutes. Sweetness and fruit show up as it cools; bitterness shows up early. A coffee that improves as it cools was well brewed.
Cleanse and compare
Rinse your spoon in water and take a sip of water between cups. Then taste the next coffee and go back to the first one. Comparison is the whole trick — no coffee is sweet or acidic on its own.
What to look for
Aroma
What does it smell of?
Fruit, flowers, cocoa, bread, nuts, spice
Say it in your own words — “like orange peel” is more useful than “bright”.
Acidity
Does it make your mouth water?
From soft and round to juicy and sharp
This is the good kind of sharp. It is what makes coffee taste alive rather than flat. Sour, thin sharpness is under-extraction instead.
Sweetness
Does it remind you of sugar, honey or fruit?
Caramel, honey, brown sugar, ripe fruit
No sugar is added to the coffee. This is sweetness the roast and the brew bring out of the bean.
Body
How heavy does it feel?
From tea-like and light to syrupy and thick
Think of the difference between skim milk and cream on your tongue.
Finish
What is left behind?
Clean and short, or long and sweet
A good finish is pleasant and fades; it is never dry and bitter.
Balance
Does anything stick out?
Nothing in charge, everything in proportion
Balance is not blandness. It is when no single thing — acid, bitterness, roast — shouts over the rest.
Your tasting card
| # | The coffees on the table | What I tasted | 1–5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | |||
| B | |||
| C | |||
| D |
Worth knowing
- · There is no wrong answer. If you taste strawberry and the person beside you tastes plum, you are both right.
- · Do not judge strength as quality. A weak cup and a strong cup can both be good; a bitter or sour cup is the one to fix.
- · Bitterness at the very end is not “strong coffee”, it is over-extraction — the fix is a coarser grind or cooler water.
- · Hot coffee hides sweetness. Give it two minutes and taste it again.
- · Like the coffee? Ask which bag it is and what grind it wants. That one question is the whole point of a tasting.
