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 These notes from Ian Bersten’s book “Coffee Floats Tea Sinks” may help you decide where to start but do experiment, like enjoying good wine, enjoying good coffee is a personal experience.
“The flavour of coffee is an individual thing and we all seem to have an idea of what makes a good cup of coffee. There is no absolute to tell us what we like but there is an absolute which distinguishes coffee from other hot beverages. The coffee only has to answer two questions, both of which are calculated to evoke individual responses:-
Does it taste like coffee?
Is it pleasing to the palate?
Coffee does have an identifiable flavour distinct from other hot beverages and no matter how it is made it must be recognised as coffee, not only on the first sip but for the rest of the cup as well. Both the above questions must be answered in the affirmative if the coffee is to be considered ‘good’. If it is pleasant without tasting like coffee, it is simply a pleasant beverage.
TASTING NOTES – Single Origin Coffees
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The aroma is light almondy with a matching flavour. The body can be a little on the thin side, but it has a very good acidity when lightly roasted. Using more coffee per cup gives a delicious cup of coffee. Dark roasting Costa Rica causes the coffee to lose its character but it still makes a pleasant coffee. |
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Roasted to a medium colour this coffee is smooth and creamy with a distinctive chocolatey taste |
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Lightly roasted it has it has a slight honeyish characteristic in both aroma and flavour. It has good acidity and good body. It becomes very mellow and rich in a darker roast. |
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Kenya coffee is renowned for its acidity, good flavour, body – everything. It is a well-rounded coffee. There is no doubt that a fine liquoring Kenya AA is one of the finest coffees in the world. |
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This coffee has an excellent acidity. It has a fruity flavour and is a pleasant self-drinker when medium roasted. It loses its fruitiness when dark roasted and makes an excellent coffee for espresso blends. |
Brazil
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Around a quarter of the world’s coffee is supplied by Brazil, but it is of very modest quality. It has a straw flavour, low acidity and in general is fairly uninteresting. Because its flavour level is low it is a good blender. |
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Arabica beans from Sumatra is very good coffee, with a heavy body and a sulphury flavour, derived from the volcanic soil on which it grows. |
Indian
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Indian coffee has a nice smooth flavour with little acidity. They blend well with acidic coffees such as New Guinea. Some Indian coffees look good but are flavourless – they need to be selected carefully. They are generally light roasted but are excellent in dark roast blends for espresso. |
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Very good coffee at its best – similar to Kenya. It generally has good acidity. |
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Has excellent flavour characteristics in its best grades. The processing tends to be somewhat primitive, resulting in a very definite winey, cheesey flavour. It is different and 10-20% can make a difference to a bland blend. |
Still undecided? - Try our sample pack – 4 different coffees in 60gm size – ideal as gifts too!
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