Coffee Tasting Terminology

Aroma, acidity, body, flavor and aftertaste are the standard descriptive categories used by the Coffee Review and American professionals when evaluating coffee. While that is the 'official' terminology, there are many other terms used to describe the flavor profile of a coffee drink. Below you will find a few of the most popular terms and a sample description.

• Aroma: How intense and pleasurable is the aroma when the nose first descends over the cup and is enveloped by fragrance? Aroma also provides a subtle introduction to various nuances of acidity and taste: bitter and sweet tones, fruit, flower or herbal notes, and the like.

• Body: is the sensation of weight that gives power and persistence to taste. Body can be light and delicate, heavy and resonant, thin and disappointing. Body tends to increase with darkness of roast until it peaks at about a medium-dark roast, then begins to thin again in even darker styles.

• Flavor and Aftertaste: include everything not suitably described under the categories aroma, acidity and body. An assessment of flavor may invoke general terms like balanced, complex, deep, clean, rough or flat; it may identify specific defects like grassy or fermented; or it may praise positive nuances like winey, fruity or herbal. Aftertaste reflects sensations that linger after the coffee has been swallowed (or spit out) and incorporates finish (how taste characteristics grow, diminish or change as the coffee remains in contact with the palate.)

• Acidic: Very desirable coffee quality, sharpness detected towards front of mouth; denotes quality and altitudel can be fruity (citrusy, lemony, berry-like. etc) or a pure tongue-tip numbing sensation. Acidity is the bright, dry sensation that enlivens the taste of coffee. Without acidity coffee is dull and lifeless. Acidity is not a sour sensation, which is a defect, nor should it be astringent, though it sometimes is. At best it is a tart, often rich vibrancy that lifts the coffee and pleasurably stretches its range and dimension. Acidity can be overpoweringly clear and wine-like, as in most Kenyas, sweet and delicate as in many Perus, low-toned and vibrant as in many Sumatras. The darker a coffee is roasted, the less overt acidity it will display.

• Bitter: Basic flavor sensation detected at the back of the mouth and soft-palate, often as after-taste, sometimes desirable to a limited degree (as in dark-roast, espresso). Not to be confused with acidity.

• Fruity: Flavor / aroma often found in good arabica coffees, reminiscent of a wide range of fruits: citrus, berries, currants, etc, always accompanied by some degree of acidity; this is usually positive, but can indicate overripeness or over-fermentation.

• Clean: Pure coffee flavor, no twists or changes in the mouth, no different after-taste (Costa Rica sometimes provides good examples).

• Dry: A certain type of acidity and / or mouthfeel, but not, as in wine, the opposite of sweet; often accompanies light, or even delicate coffees, such as Mexican, Ethiopian and Yemeni.

• Earthy: Aroma / flavor reminiscent of damp black earth, organic, mushroomy, cellar-like

• Neutral: Bland coffee, very low acidity, not derogatory, as implies no off-tastes; good for blending (often describes many ordinary Brazilian arabicas).