Coffee

I love coffee. I always have. I like some coffees better than others, but I don’t know why. I’ve decided to conduct my own taste test to determine which qualities in coffee I like and which ones I don’t.

Coffee tasting is a lot like wine tasting. The correct term for coffee tasting is “coffee cupping.” The recommended method for “cupping” requires coffee to be ground into an 8-oz. porcelain or glass cup. Water is then poured in the cup and the coffee steeps for a few minutes. The grinds rise to the top, forming a crust which is broken with a silver spoon. The coffee’s aromas are evaluated first; then, after the coffee has cooled a bit, the taster (cupper) slurps the liquid, evaluates the flavors, and spits the coffee out to avoid caffeine intake.

That’s not quite the way I drink coffee. I make it by the pot and drink it by the gallon. Nevertheless, if I’m going to try to determine which qualities I like most in a coffee, it would be helpful to define the four terms used to evaluate coffee: acidity, aroma, body, and flavor.

ACIDITY: sensation of dryness that the coffee produces under the edges of your tongue and on the back of your palate

Acidity refers to the sharp and pleasing aftertaste, often referred to as the liveliness of the coffee. It is a desirable quality that describes the brightness of flavor. Acidity ranges from low (smooth) to high (lively). A coffee without any acidity is referred to as flat.

AROMA: the feeling that the steam produces similar to the “bouquet” of a wine

Aroma is the smell of the coffee. Without our sense of smell, we would only have our taste buds, which are only capable of detecting the four basic taste sensations of “sweet”, “sour”, “salty” and “bitter”. The more subtle nuances of coffee flavor such as “floral” or “winy ” come more from the aroma or smell of the coffee.

BODY: the body is the thickness, heaviness, viscosity, or richness perceived on the tongue.

FLAVOR: the perceived taste of the coffee

Flavor is the overall perception of the coffee and is also a balance of the acidity, body and aroma of the coffee.

This is very much like wine tasting, except I have to make the coffee myself.

Diena Zavetsky has been a coffee gourmet for over 15 years. She is the owner of Hot Gourmet Coffee, a subsidiary of dmskye. She believes that whole bean coffee should be ground just before brewing to get a fresh coffee flavor.

Author: Diena Zavetsky
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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First, let’s talk about why you should use coffee grinders for better coffee. Most people don’t bother to grind their own coffee. This is purely because of convenience. I hear excuses like “I don’t have the time,” or “coffee grinders make too much noise”, or “I don’t want to clean up the mess” and on and on. The simple fact is this: you should grind the coffee just before you brew it. Here’s a simple test. Go ahead and open up a can of ground coffee. Smell the aroma? Now go ahead and grind some coffee at the supermarket. Smell the bag. Do you smell the difference? Well, you’ll taste the difference too. The reason for grinding the coffee is to get more surface area to extract more coffee taste. As soon as you grind the coffee, the grounds are exposed to air and the flavor and aroma begin to dissipate. You should brew the coffee immediately after using the coffee grinder for maximum flavor.

Coffee Grinders – Cheapie Blade Grinders

The cheapest type of coffee grinder is the blade grinder. Blade grinders work like your blender does. Spinning blades chop the coffee until the desired grind size is achieved. The benefit is that the blade grinder is inexpensive. The problem is that the coffee is ground unevenly. To the coffee expert, this yields a cup of coffee that is uneven and undrinkable. My take on this is that it is still better than not grinding the coffee yourself. All is not lost, however. On to a better option.

Coffee Grinders – The Burr Grinder

Burr grinders are used by professionals for good reason. Metal discs called burrs are set apart by a precise distance. Coffee beans are ground until they are the size of the gap between the burrs and they fall down the chute into the hopper. The benefit is an even grind. This results in a better coffee experience. The better burr grinders have precision settings for all types of coffees and brewing machines.

If you want a better cup of coffee, use a coffee grinder and grind the coffee beans immediately before brewing. If you want even grounds for smoother flavor, get a burr grinder. Take these two pieces of advice and you’ll be on the way to your best cup of coffee yet. There are many more topics and articles on coffee on our website. Please take a moment to visit us. Pull up a chair and bring a cup of coffee, we would love to have you drop by.

Athanasios G. is very passionate about making perfect coffee. His website is dedicated to everything coffee related. Visit our site to learn more about how to make coffee. Here’s a list of articles on coffee, coffee history and more.

Author: Athanasios G.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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