In recent weeks, I’ve had several conversations that kept leading me to the same realization: coffee is a matter of taste. And taste, of course, is subjective. While it’s always based on the same mechanisms, perception varies. What exactly I mean by this and what implications it has, I’d like to explain in this article.
How Do We Actually Taste Coffee?
On our tongue, we have taste buds that allow us to perceive the well-known taste profiles: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Relatively new and not entirely clear to many is umami. We probably all learned this in school. When we talk about coffee taste, we primarily perceive bitterness. However, with high-quality coffees that aren’t roasted too dark, sweetness and acidity are also present.
But coffee can also taste chocolatey, nutty, or fruity. So how do we perceive these? These aromas are actually only recognized when swallowing. That’s when the aromatic compounds travel through the throat to the nasal cavity and from there to the olfactory epithelium. Here, there are approximately 10 to 30 million olfactory cells with sensory hairs equipped with receptors. 1
When an aromatic compound reaches these receptors and binds to them, an electrical impulse is triggered. This impulse is then transmitted to the olfactory bulb, which consists of around 30,000 spherical processing centers (glomeruli), each with about 1,000 sensory cells. So, we actually perceive aromas through our nose. If you don’t believe it, you can test it yourself. Pinch your nose while swallowing and try to perceive aromas or taste. This is why many people instinctively pinch their nose when swallowing unpleasant liquids, like medicine.
Why Does Coffee Taste Chocolatey?
Coffee has over 800 natural aromas. That’s why many packages of high-quality coffee list specific aromas you’re supposed to detect. For example, in our Lichtblick from Brazil, we’ve identified aromas of hazelnut, orange, and chocolate. The Freiheit coffee beans from Honduras are more fruitily complex, with aromas of blueberry, tangerine, and cane sugar. Especially these fruity aromas probably sound unusual to most coffee drinkers.
But how do we actually perceive these aromas? To explain this simply, I’ll skip the complexity of a biology or medical degree. So, if you’re an expert, please forgive the simplification. When we taste chocolate, certain receptors are activated. The same happens when eating chocolate. If enough receptors overlap, we associate the coffee’s taste with chocolate.
Let’s take a highly simplified example. Suppose eating a certain type of chocolate activates receptors 1, 2, 3, and 5. Now, we drink an espresso that activates receptors 1, 2, 4, and 5. Since receptors 1, 2, and 5 are triggered in both cases, we perceive the espresso’s taste as chocolatey. Of course, the coffee doesn’t taste exactly like chocolate. But enough identical receptors are activated for the taste or aroma to remind us of chocolate.
But Beware – Coffee Taste Is Subjective
Of course, taste is subjective. What one person finds delicious, another might not like at all. Anna still doesn’t understand why I don’t like cilantro and parsley. But taste isn’t just subjective; it’s also influenced by various factors. What do I mean by that? Simply put: taste is perceived differently. This can depend, for example, on genetics and age.
But habits, culture, and environment can also play a role. Why does food often taste better on vacation than at home? For example, if I’m in a country with higher temperatures and humidity, I might perceive the taste of food differently. Emotions and expectations can also affect taste perception. If I promise you a coffee but it tastes like tea, you’re probably confused and don’t like it. But if I had told you it was tea, you might have enjoyed the drink a lot.
Because there are so many factors influencing perception, certain things are considered during cupping—the professional tasting of coffee. For example, a uniform, preferably white cup is used. If the cup holding the coffee is red, for instance, we might perceive the coffee as sweeter than it actually is. Naturally, the use of perfume or similar is avoided during this time to prevent additional odors from interfering. When tasting coffee regularly as a team, a kind of calibration within the team is also useful. This helps better understand what someone means, for example, by an acidity of 2 out of 5.
When Specialty Coffee Doesn’t Taste Good
In another article, we already discussed what specialty coffee actually is. Those familiar with specialty coffee know that quality and information are at the forefront. But, of course, it’s also about taste. As roasters, we strive to preserve the original, natural aromas of the coffee beans. Roasting small batches gently in a drum roaster can preserve or bring out many aromas. In mass production, on the other hand, beans are often roasted very dark. This results in the familiar bitter taste but rarely retains fruity aromas.
Of course, I also exchange experiences with other roasters, and I’ve increasingly noticed that we share similar experiences with traditional coffee drinkers. Those who typically buy cheap coffee on sale in supermarkets perceive coffee taste differently. As roasters, we hope that the first impression of specialty coffee leads to an epiphany. The realization that coffee can taste fruity, sweet, and like berries doesn’t always happen. Instead, consumers of traditional coffee are often confused. Where’s the extremely bitter taste? Specialty coffee often tastes unfamiliar to them and therefore not good.
As mentioned above, taste is influenced by habits and expectations. Those who have been drinking cheap, often very darkly roasted coffee for years are usually not accustomed to the taste of specialty coffee. What always makes me happy, though, are people who embrace this new coffee world. Especially interesting are encounters with people who haven’t liked coffee so far. Usually, it was just too bitter for them, and they could only drink it with a lot of milk or even syrup. Often, it was just used as a stimulant. “If coffee can taste like this, maybe I’ll like it after all,” is a typical statement.
Coffee Taste – My Statement
Taste is subjective, and that’s a good thing. Diversity is now embraced and celebrated in so many areas. Why not with coffee too? Those who are used to bitter coffee usually like it best that way. Of course, I’m happy when adventurous people try different coffees. But I’m even more delighted about the variety of coffee we can now enjoy here. From the origin of the beans to roast levels, preparation methods, and the range of aromas, the selection is growing. So, my call to all of us is: Enjoy coffee and revel in its diversity!
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions About Coffee Taste
Sources
1 https://aromenverband.de/riechen-und-schmecken/
