How to Taste Coffee Like a Barista Pro! – Make the Most of Your Coffee Experience

Coffee is an exquisite drink that many around the world love. However, mastering the art of tasting coffee like a professional barista cannot be achieved all at once. To gain this ability you must focus on the elements that differentiate one kind of coffee from another. By analysing the coffee you are tasting according to these factors, you will be able to judge its quality and appeal, as described below.

Consider the sweetness

Although coffee is sometimes thought to taste bitter, in actual fact, fine coffee will taste sweet; this sweetness is one reason coffee connoisseurs prefer Arabica coffee beans to the more bitter Robusta beans. When you drink coffee, consider the kind of sweetness that you can detect; this could be like fresh fruit, caramel, molasses or honey. Similarly, when eating, focus on the unique tastes that make honey different from maple syrup and white sugar from brown sugar. You should store these different memories and recall them as you taste coffee. Later, you may brew a couple of coffees and judge their sweetness. You may find that the sweetness of a single-origin coffee from East Africa resembles honey whereas a coffee from Colombia may make you think of butterscotch.

Think of the body

Understanding the body of a coffee is usually one of the easier aspects of the art of tasting coffee to grasp. This will be the feel and weight of the coffee as it touches your tongue. You may consider whether the coffee feels heavy resembling whipped cream or light as skim milk may be. You must also learn about the method of brewing and the coffee dose, both of which affect the overall body of the coffee.

Judge the acidity

The acidity is a prized attribute of coffee, adding dimension and brightness to the brew, though it is also sometimes misunderstood. In this context, acidity does not refer to pH, which is similar in all coffees. On the other hand, the important quality would be the kind of acidity. The acidity could be a mild tang or a lemon-like tartness. It could be very slight and muted, as it would be in a chocolaty dark-roasted blend. The level of roasting will affect the acidity of the coffee. In a dark roast, one tends to taste elements like caramelised sugar which overwhelms the tart or juicy aspects that are identified with acidity.

Taste the flavours

People just starting on their coffee tasting journey, often think that they taste coffee and nothing more. There is nothing wrong with that observation, but you must think deeper. Have another sip and see if you can identify perhaps candied walnuts or toasted almonds. There may be fruity notes of nectarine or blueberry. There could be floral elements such as gardenia or rose. Whenever you eat, try to use the food as a source of sensory information. For example, when you eat a raisin try to store the flavour in your mind; when you taste coffee, you should attempt to recall the flavours and consider which one matches the coffee. When it comes to buying high-quality coffee in Sri Lanka that you could both enjoy and analyse in this way, consider authorised agents like Fits Retail that offer a wide range of premium brands.

Enjoy the finish

Amongst the magical attributes of a delicious cup of coffee would be the great aftertaste that it leaves behind; you may find that even after five minutes, you could still enjoy its flavours. This finish is typically described according to its texture and duration. You should consider whether the finish is lingering or fleeting, whether it is smooth or rough, and so on. Think of the final impression and whether you are reluctant to have it depart!