What makes a good cup of coffee? It is a complicated (and often subjective) question that many consumers and companies alike have tried to answer. In the coffee industry, “cuppings” are held in an attempt to find the answer. A cupping is to coffee what a tasting is to wine; cuppers look to describe the five main factors that give a coffee its unique character: acidity, body, flavor, aroma and finish. Here we outline the meaning of these coffee terms so that you can better describe your own perfect cup.
Acidity (aka Liveliness)
A crispness and clarity associated with the most interesting coffees. Acidity produces a sensation of dryness under the edges of your tongue, and on the back of your palate. Without sufficient acidity, coffee will tend to taste flat. Words used to describe acidity are crisp, clean, lively and snappy. Don’t confuse acidity with acid level (pH). All coffees have approximately the same pH as a carrot—far less than even a glass of orange juice.
Acidity is the product of climate, region, soil, elevation and processing. In general, coffees grown in Africa and Costa Rica possess the highest levels of acidity, coffees from Indonesia the lowest.
Body
A measure of how thick or heavy a particular coffee feels in your mouth. To better understand body, imagine how milk feels in your mouth. Whole milk has a heavy body; it feels creamy and thick. Conversely, skim milk has a light body; it feels thin and watery. The body of a coffee is related to the amount of oil and solids extracted during brewing. Typically, Indonesian coffees will possess greater body than coffees from South and Central America.
Flavor
The predominant taste a coffee introduces to your palate. Flavor is highly subjective; two people can taste the same coffee and note very different flavors. Even coffee crops grown on the same estate can yield different flavors, much like grapes from the same vineyard can. Acidity, aroma and body are all components of flavor. The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) has created its own vocabulary list to describe coffee’s many flavor characteristics.
Aroma
The scent of a particular coffee. Strictly speaking, aroma cannot be separated from acidity, flavor and body. Acidic coffees smell pungent, sharp and lively, while richly flavored coffees smell heavy and rich. Without our sense of smell, our only taste sensations would be sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Aroma contributes to the much more complex flavors we discern on our palates.
Finish
The aftertaste coffee leaves in your mouth. The finish can make or break a cup of coffee. |
