basicmachines-co-basic-memory/examples/Coffee Notes/Tasting Notes.md

title, type, permalink, tags

title	type	permalink	tags
Tasting Notes	note	coffee/tasting-notes	#coffee #tasting #flavor #cupping #demo

Tasting Notes

How to taste and evaluate coffee, identify flavor characteristics, and develop a personal coffee palate.

Overview

Coffee tasting, or "cupping" in professional contexts, is the practice of observing the tastes and aromas of brewed coffee. Developing a coffee palate helps identify preferences, communicate about coffee experiences, and better understand how brewing variables affect the cup.

Observations

• [principle] Flavor perception includes taste, aroma, mouthfeel, and retronasal perception #sensory
• [principle] Our taste buds can only perceive sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami #taste
• [principle] Most of what we call "flavor" is actually aroma detected retronasally #aroma
• [technique] Professional coffee tasting (cupping) uses a standardized protocol for consistency #cupping
• [technique] Slurping coffee aerates it and spreads it across all taste receptors #technique
• [technique] Allowing coffee to cool reveals different flavor notes at different temperatures #temperature

Coffee Flavor Wheel

• [tool] The SCA Coffee Flavor Wheel provides a standardized vocabulary for describing coffee #flavor_wheel
• [category] Primary categories include: Fruity, Floral, Sweet, Nutty/Cocoa, Spice, Roasted, Other #categories
• [subcategory] Fruity breaks down into: Berry, Dried Fruit, Citrus Fruit, Stone Fruit, Tropical Fruit, etc. #fruit_notes
• [subcategory] Floral includes: Floral, Black Tea, Chamomile, Rose, Jasmine, etc. #floral_notes
• [subcategory] Sweet includes: Brown Sugar, Molasses, Honey, Maple Syrup, Vanilla, etc. #sweet_notes
• [subcategory] Nutty/Cocoa includes: Nut, Cocoa, Dark Chocolate, Chocolate, etc. #nutty_notes
• [subcategory] Spice includes: Brown Spice, Pepper, Anise, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, etc. #spice_notes

Basic Tasting Components

• [component] Acidity: The bright, tangy quality (not sourness from under-extraction) #acidity
• [component] Sweetness: The pleasant, sugary quality balancing other elements #sweetness
• [component] Body: The physical mouthfeel and weight of the coffee #body
• [component] Finish/Aftertaste: The flavor that lingers after swallowing #finish
• [component] Balance: How well all elements work together #balance
• [component] Complexity: The range and layers of distinct flavors #complexity
• [component] Cleanliness: Absence of defects or off-flavors #cleanliness

Common Flavor Notes by Origin

• [ethiopia] Blueberry, jasmine, bergamot, lemon, tea-like #flavor_notes
• [kenya] Blackcurrant, grapefruit, tomato-like acidity, winey #flavor_notes
• [colombia] Caramel, red apple, nuts, chocolate, balanced acidity #flavor_notes
• [guatemala] Chocolate, spice, apple, medium acidity #flavor_notes
• [brazil] Nuts, chocolate, low-to-medium acidity, full body #flavor_notes
• [indonesia] Earthy, herbal, spice, cedar, full body, low acidity #flavor_notes
• [costa_rica] Clean, bright, citrus, balanced, light chocolate #flavor_notes

Developing Your Palate

• [technique] Taste coffees side-by-side to identify differences #comparison
• [technique] Try describing flavors before looking at roaster's notes #blind_tasting
• [technique] Keep a coffee journal with detailed notes about each coffee #journaling
• [technique] Explore different processing methods of the same origin #processing
• [technique] Try the same coffee brewed with different methods #brewing_comparison
• [technique] Use reference flavors (actual fruits, chocolates, etc.) to calibrate your palate #calibration

Personal Coffee Experiences

• [experience] Ethiopian Yirgacheffe prepared as pour over: intense blueberry, jasmine aromatics, tea-like body
• [experience] Sumatra Mandheling in French press: earthy, cedar, herbal, tobacco, full body
• [experience] Panama Gesha as pour over: intense floral notes, jasmine, bergamot, delicate body
• [experience] Brazil Cerrado as espresso: nutty, chocolate, caramel, low acidity, great crema
• [experience] Kenya AA as pour over: bright blackcurrant, tomato-like acidity, winey finish

Relations

• determined_by Flavor Extraction
• influenced_by Coffee Bean Origins
• varies_with Coffee Brewing Methods
• enhanced_by Proper Grinding Technique
• documented_in Coffee Journal
• part_of Coffee Knowledge Base