Ricca Coffee | Tasting Guide

Like wine appreciation, to be a discerning coffee taster takes practice and commitment. Many factors influence the cupped product. From variety of bean, country / region of origin through to how the coffee is prepared for the cup. Once mastered coffee tasting brings a whole new dimension to enjoying your coffee. To start, try a variety of coffees and while tasting, try to note the differences in flavour, body, acidity and aroma. Here are some of the criteria that most tasters use to judge coffee:

Flavour Acidity Body Aroma Bitterness Bland Earthy Exotic Mild Rich Sour Strong Sweet Tangy Winy FLAVOUR Flavour is the total impression of aroma, acidity and body. ACIDITY Acidity is the sharp, lively quality characteristic of all high grown coffees. Acid is not the same as bitter or sour. Acidity is the brisk, snappy quality, which makes coffee refreshing and palate cleansing. BODY Body is the impression of the weight of the brewed beverage in the mouth. It may range from watery and thin, through light, medium and full. AROMA Aroma is the odor or fragrance of brewed coffee. Aroma is often distinctive and complex. BITTERNESS Bitterness is a basic taste perceived primarily at the back of the tongue. Dark roasts are intentionally bitter. BLAND Bland is the pale, insipid flavour often found in low grown coffees, neutral in flavour. EARTHY Earthy is often used to describe the spicy, "of the earth" Particularly evident in some Indonesian coffees. EXOTIC Exotic refers to a coffee with unusual aromatic and flavour notes. MILD Mild denotes a coffee with harmonious, delicate flavour. RICH Rich refers to body and fullness SOUR Sour is a primary taste and is characteristic of light roasted coffees. STRONG Strong technically refers to the degree of presence of various taste defects and virtues. In popular use it's often the assertive flavour of dark roasted beans. SWEET Sweet refers to free of harshness. TANGY Tangy is a darting sourness, almost fruit like in nature. WINY Winy is a desirable flavour reminiscent of fine red wine. The contrast between fruit like acidity and smooth body creates flavour interest.