The Interested but Uninitiated Coffee Drinkers

I have decided that the blog audience I am trying to connect with are the interested but uninitiated.

I went deer hunting yesterday. I knew most of the time would be spent sitting in my tree stand, so I decided to download a number of podcasts from coffeegeek.com. Mark Prince does a really good job educating the general public about the specialty coffee industry and the grand world that exists out there beyond Starbucks. I really appreciate what he is doing for the industry. In his podcast 64, he breaks down what he sees as the coffee drinking population: 80% consisting of Folgers/Maxwell House/etc. drinkers; 3% coffee aficionados who strive for only the best; 7% those who have tasted good coffee but feel its not worth the effort; 10% who have heard of good specialty coffee, are interested, but have never tasted it – the interested but uninitiated.

I won’t address the 80%. But first, the 3% who are aficionados are real coffee perfectionists. These are the purists of coffee. They have the educated, delicate palates that are able to distinguish all the subtleties of coffee, that culinary coffee has to offer. I hope one day my palate will be that fine.

I am in the 10% of the interested but uninitiated who have heard of the “heavenly cups of black gold” but can’t say that we’ve actually had a face to face with God yet. My interest was peaked by reading God in a Cup. But to be real honest, my palate is not yet fine nor educated. I’m more like a two-year-old who is able to experience and enjoy life, but is too limited in experience and in vocabulary to explain what is so great about life. My two-year-old can say, “Mmm,” when she has a piece of candy in her mouth. But have her explain anything more than that, I’ll only get a cute grin or a response like, “Barney?”

So I am going on this coffee journey to let my palate experience what coffee has to offer. Along the way I hope to pick up the vocabulary that will let me help others be educated as well. For the near future, I’m not aiming for the stars. If I can just get to one or two steps beyond Starbucks at half the price, I’ll be happy.

If any of you out there would like to experience the same or have suggestions let me know.

Coffee Tasting 101: Vocabulary (2)

I got a nice email from Stephen Leighton. He gave me some very encouraging words. I like meeting good people. He, by the way, has a Coffee 101 course. I signed up.

I made 8 O’ Clock French Roast in the French Press today. Still can’t put words to the five categories: fragrance,  acidity, body, flavor, finish. Let’s go a little more in depth. What follows is from Mark Prince on CoffeeGeek.com.

Acidity: This can be described as the pleasing brightness or sharpness in the coffee. It is through the acidity that many of the most intriguing fruit and floral flavors are delivered, and is usually the most scrutinized characteristic of the coffee. Acidity can be intense or mild, round or edgy, elegant or wild, and everything in between. Usually the acidity is best evaluated once the coffee has cooled slightly to a warm/lukewarm temperature. Tasting a coffee from Sumatra next to one from Kenya is a good way to begin to understand acidity.

Body: This is sometimes referred to as “mouthfeel”. The body is the sense of weight or heaviness that the coffee exerts in the mouth, and can be very difficult for beginning cuppers to identify. It is useful to think about the viscosity or thickness of the coffee, and concentrate on degree to which the coffee has a physical presence. Cupping a Sulawesi versus a Mexican coffee can illustrate the range of body quite clearly.

Sweetness: One of the most important elements in coffee, sweetness often separates the great from the good. Even the most intensely acidic coffees are lush and refreshing when there is enough sweetness to provide balance and ease the finish. Think of lemonade…starting with just water and lemon juice, one can add sugar until the level of sweetness achieves harmony with the tart citric flavor. It is the same with coffee, the sweetness is critical to allowing the other tastes to flourish and be appreciated.

Finish: While first impressions are powerful, it is often the last impression that has the most impact. With coffee the finish (or aftertaste) is of great importance to the overall quality of the tasting experience, as it will linger long after the coffee has been swallowed. Like a great story, a great cup of coffee needs a purposeful resolution. The ideal finish to me is one that is clean (free of distraction), sweet, and refreshing with enough endurance to carry the flavor for 10-15 seconds after swallowing. A champion finish will affirm with great clarity the principal flavor of the coffee, holding it aloft with grace and confidence like a singer carries the final note of a song and then trailing off into a serene silence.

Mark differs from Stephen by not including fragrance. But the comments seem very helpful. I think the only to way to learn is to actually buy some Sumatra, Kenya,  Sulawesi, and Mexican beans and taste them. Just can’t teach the taste buds from  a book or the web. Life is so difficult sometimes=).