It delights the greatest number of people every day, releases multiple aromas, can be offered to friends, can be drunk cold or hot and can be enjoyed in small sips… No, we are not talking about wine, but about coffee! Although it has 800 aromatic compounds, this drink also draws its richness from its terroir, which explains the wide variety of aromas. For a coffee, as for a grand cru, we use a precise vocabulary that describes its roundness, its body, its acidity or even its bitterness, qualities which, to be detected, appeal to our 4 senses. So, if you want to become a real coffee expert, here are some tips.
Coffee first draws its unique taste from its origin, its cultivation and its harvest, but it also owes it to the way it is roasted and prepared. Depending on the degree of roasting, for example, it will be more or less strong and bitter, but also more or less consistent (we then speak of body). To savor it, it is advisable not to smoke before (nor during) consumption, so the flavors are not transformed. We also think of rinsing your mouth, or chewing a small piece of bread beforehand. For the service, we prefer a porcelain cup, more suitable for tasting (after all, we would not drink our wine in just any glass!) and we drink it very hot. We then look at the color with a partially filled spoon:the lighter it is, the weaker the coffee. Once the sip is taken, we slide the liquid over the entire surface of the tongue, so as to capture all the aromas (well, if we hope to detect the 800 compounds, we forget…). Finally, we analyze the roundness, in other words, the balance (or the synthesis) of the aromas. If the taste of the coffee remains well in the mouth without becoming unpleasant, we can say that it is rounded… All that remains is a little practice to develop your taste buds. Good tasting!
