4 Guides
Tasting
Reading a cup with your senses.
- Naming what you tasteA plain-language guide to describing any coffee: the six sensory axes (aroma, acidity, sweetness, bitterness, body, aftertaste) and how acidity differs from sourness.
- Using the coffee flavor wheelThe coffee flavor wheel gives you a ready vocabulary for tasting. Start at the broad center, then step outward to name what is in your cup.
- Common coffee faults and what they meanA plain guide to the most common coffee faults: sour, harsh, flat, ashy, fermenty, woody. Each off-flavor points to your brew, your beans, or the roast.
- How to taste coffeeA simple home routine to taste coffee on purpose instead of drinking it on autopilot: smell, sip, slurp, let it cool, and write a few honest words.