Learning speciality coffee vocabulary can sometimes feel like learning a new language. One minute someone is talking about bright acidity and silky mouthfeel, and the next they are describing a coffee with notes of torched sugar, treacle or whiskey. And sometimes it can all feel like a lot to take in.
We want coffee to feel accessible to everyone. That doesn’t just mean what’s in the cup, but also how we talk about it. We want the experience of discovering, tasting and enjoying coffee to feel approachable rather than intimidating or exclusive. And if you have ever read a coffee label that talks about acidity or mouthfeel, and wondered what on earth you’re supposed to be tasting, you’re in good company.
You don’t need a trained palate or years behind an espresso machine to enjoy coffee with confidence. At the end of the day, the most important opinion is your own. These terms are there to describe what you might experience in your cup. So when it comes to choosing your next coffee, you know what to look for and expect.
Tasting notes = familiar flavours
Flavour represents the coffee’s principal character. It’s easy to assume that if a coffee is described as tasting of caramel or dark chocolate, you should be able to taste those exact flavours. In reality, tasting notes are used as descriptions that try to explain recognisable flavours that remind us of other familiar food, rather than actual ingredients that have been added to the coffee. It’s similar to describing wine or chocolate, it’s all about reference points and shared language to help explain what you’re tasting and experiencing in the cup.
Acidity
In speciality coffee, acidity is actually a positive characteristic. At its best, acidity contributes to a coffee’s liveliness, sweetness and fresh-fruit character. Coffee with high acidity might remind you of citrusy flavours such as lemon, grapefruit, orange or berries.
At its core, coffee contains a range of naturally occurring organic and chlorogenic acids. These compounds are found in the coffee bean itself and play a key part in shaping its flavour. How those acids then come across in the cup makes all the difference and depends on processing methods, roasting and brewing. When they’re well balanced, they create bright, fruity and vibrant flavours. But if the balance is off, they can taste quite sharp and sour.
Our seasonal coffees from Brazil and Colombia are a celebration of vibrant acidity, offering a bright and fruity cup. This season they are produced using experimental processing methods that help highlight the coffee’s unique character and bring out these distinctive flavours.
Body
The body of the coffee describes the apparent viscosity, fullness and weight in the mouth. It also refers to the ‘mouthfeel’ – the sensation or texture you experience as you drink it, rather than its flavour. The easiest way of understanding is to use milk as an example. Think about the difference between white and red wine. The flavour might be similar, but the mouthfeel is completely different. White wine feels light and crisp, while red wine feels silkier and velvety. Coffee works in a very similar way. Some coffees have a very light, almost tea-like body while others feel silky and creamy.
The way you brew your coffee also has an impact on the body. Different filter brewing methods like French Press or V60 will give you slightly different results. A french press usually produces a fuller-bodied cup while V60, for example, creates a cleaner and lighter mouthfeel.
Sweetness
Sweetness isn’t about adding sugar to your cup of coffee. When it comes to coffee tasting, sweetness refers to a pleasing fullness of flavour and sweet perception rather than any obvious sweetness. The opposite of ‘sweetness’ in this context would be sour.
Coffee naturally contains sugars from the coffee cherry, and how those sugars are preserved throughout the coffee’s development, from growing altitudes and processing to roasting and brewing, has a big impact on how sweet the final cup is.
Processing methods play a big part in the sweetness of the coffee. Natural and honey processing keep the coffee bean in contact with fruit during the drying process. This results in noticeably sweeter coffee than washed processing where most of that sugar is removed early in the process.
Roasting is where many of coffee’s sweet flavours really come to life. The natural sugars in the coffee bean are transformed through reactions like caramelisation and the Maillard reaction. Creating flavours we associate with sweetness. Lighter roasts tend to preserve more of the coffee’s original character and can taste quite sweet when the acidity is well balanced. Medium roasts often bring out notes of caramel, chocolate and brown sugar, while darker roasts reduce some of the more delicate sweet flavours.
Balance
A balanced coffee is exactly what it sounds like. No single characteristic dominates the cup. Instead, the acidity, flavour, aftertaste and body all work in synergy. Or contrast to each other. While some coffees are intentionally bold or high in acidity, balance is often a sign of carefully developed blend.
A thoughtfully crafted and balanced coffee doesn’t necessarily mean a coffee with no distinctive flavours and characteristics. It just means that every characteristic has its place.
Smooth
Describes the mouthfeel and overall drinking experience. Mouthfeel refers to the physical sensation or texture of the coffee in your mouth rather than its flavour. A smooth coffee is easy to drink, with little bitterness or harshness. It often has a creamy or silky texture and a gentle finish.
Our medium roast HOUSE blend is a great example of this. Crafted with coffees from Brazil and Honduras and the tasting notes of noisette, treacle and pomegranate, the blend delivers a balanced, smooth and rounded cup.
Aftertaste
Aftertaste is defined as the length of positive flavour (taste and aroma) qualities emanating from the back of the palate and remaining after the coffee is swallowed.
While the length of the aftertaste is important, quality is even more significant. A long aftertaste that is harsh or bitter is considered a defect, whereas a medium or long aftertaste that is balanced is a sign of a coffee that’s crafted really well. The aftertaste should complement the coffee’s overall flavour profile.
Clarity
Clarity refers to how distinct and easy it is to identify individual flavours, almost like a ‘transparency’ of a cup. A coffee with high clarity allows you to notice separate tasting notes. Filter brewing methods often highlight clarity better than espresso.
Over to you
We hope this helps you appreciate your coffee even more. Like anything, understanding coffee takes time, curiosity and practice. The more you taste and explore different coffees, the more familiar the experience will become, and the more confidence you’ll have when discovering and enjoying new coffees.
