How to become a coffee tasting expert

We're all tasting it. For what?

It is often quoted that the experience of "describing music is like dancing to express architecture" is a challenge.

Most people have the ability to taste it. The sharpness and preference for a particular taste varies from person to person and is subjective; some are born, some are related to experience and memory. To learn to be a taster, or purposeful taste, is to distinguish different tastes and colloquial them, and to feel the interaction between different taste elements. Don't worry, you not only need to express those careful official feelings as a whole, but also need to express them as a whole.

What do we taste? What do we feel?

There are 5 kinds of flavors: bitter, salty, sour, sweet and fragrant. Taste is only part of the functional analysis, and other parts include: aroma, touch (thick texture Body, taste Mouthfeel), trigeminal sensation (spicy, clear, acidity, taste).

The above official sensations all influence each other, and different qualities of one official sense will mask or strengthen another, such as the aroma of citrus acid and lemon. The individual sensory qualities of many official senses will influence each other, for example, sweetness will reduce bitterness and sour taste. Long-term immersion in any official senses will affect your sensitivity to them. When we do sensory analysis, we should keep in mind that the senses become tired after trying too many flavors, or that it will be very difficult if we eat some heavy-flavored pesto before tasting it for the purpose.

In the official sense test, we should first distinguish the characteristics of various flavors, and then distinguish their intensity. Discrimination and measurement, this is the analysis of official sense.

Training and practice

Everything is the same, the analytical ability of official sense comes from training and practice. First of all, practice the basic steps

The most important tasting steps are contact time and the aroma produced by sucking coffee. Let the coffee cover the entire taste buds, the back of the mouth, and up to the nose.

Once we understand the steps of tasting, we can train our taste buds to identify certain taste traits. The most direct training technique is to use sweet, salty and sour solutions.

First, prepare the above three solutions with sugar, salt and lemon juice and adding water.

Then, the three solutions were diluted to three different concentrations. The original first solution can be changed into half the concentration by adding water, and the second intermediate concentration solution can be formed. Finally, in the same way, water is added to the second solution into a dilute third solution.

First test: ask another person to prepare the above 9 unlabeled solutions, then try to taste them and classify them into sweet, sour and salty groups.

The second test: after tasting, they were classified into the first high concentration, the second medium concentration, and the third low concentration 3 groups.

The third test (this is wonderful): mix three different flavors and different concentrations of 9 solutions with different combinations, for example, medium concentration sour, low concentration sweetness and low concentration salt.

This test can help you learn how different flavor elements mask or reinforce other flavors. This kind of practice method is very difficult, when using this method to test professionals, often do not score, but draw a curve to grade, few people can get a score.

The fourth test (triangle crossing method): use two different kinds of coffee and prepare three cups of coffee that are not indicated, two of which are the same kind of coffee and the other is different kinds of coffee. Depending on the two types of coffee you choose, this test may be simple or difficult, but in any case, it will make you begin to notice your taste experience.

Fifth test (mixing): prepare at least three different coffees, then take the same amount from these three coffees and mix them into the fourth mixed coffee. You will taste and tell how the three kinds of coffee are different; when tasting the mixed coffee, you will try to taste the different characteristics of each different coffee in the mixed coffee.

Sixth test (temperature): prepare diluted solution at different temperatures. Which smells are missing in the heat? Which flavors are strongly displayed at different temperatures? In the diluent of more than one solution, which flavors are more visible at different temperatures? How does the taste change when the diluent cools?

How do we practice the quality and quantity of braided taste based on official experience? You can test the aroma of ground coffee powder with the trigonometric cross method mentioned above. You can also test the aroma of coffee in other more expensive ways, such as the "Le Nez Du Caf é" kit, which is a good tool for testing coffee aroma, but it is expensive.

Contact Tactile Sensation is one of the most difficult experiences of learning how to braid the quality and quantity of flavor. If you can lock on a certain flavor and think about which part of your taste bud tastes, its concentration, and how long you stay, you will begin to experience the thick texture and taste of the taste.

Show your strength.

You can purposefully taste the food or drink you eat, drink, or smell, and take detailed notes in the tasting diary to practice tasting skills and memorizing taste buds. Buy some different kinds of apples and sit down to record their differences. Also buy different nuts and chocolates and record their differences. Go to the florist and ask for the most fragrant flowers (buy some for your friends or loved ones). Taste different fruits and nuts, and those sugars will build your memory and vocabulary. Apply these words and words to describe the same fruit and nutty flavors experienced in tasting coffee.

I always conclude that this is all official consciousness. The more perceptive tasters are involved in other sensory experiences. If I look at different paintings that show them from different lights and angles, the different experience of testing them will help me to become a better taster. When I'm training a newcomer to roast coffee beans, one of the things I often do is tell them to listen to Tommy James and Shondell's "Crimson and Clover" version, and then come back and tell me how many different instruments they hear. These ways teach us more detailed observation and sensory or vocal perception; this will help you become a better judge, listener, observer, learner, and may even become a better kisser. In fact, if you don't know how to kiss if you don't know how to kiss after learning to be a better taster, I owe you five cents. I mean it.

"I realize that people who drink coffee only drink coffee, not taste it. These cups of coffee are for tasting, and the coffee powder will precipitate at the bottom of the cup. In fact, you can taste those coffee deposits, which is what you do during the coffee competition. "

"this is drinking coffee. Actually, I'm kind of tasting it. "

"this is coffee, because I put it in my mouth and swallow it."

"this is tasting coffee. There are one or two ways to taste coffee. I often tell you to pretend that you have hard food in your mouth, chew it twice, and wrap the coffee around your mouth, like this. In this way, you can enjoy the coffee more. You're not the only one who looks weird. "

"another way is to fill the taste buds with your tongue, and then push the coffee up to fill the top of your taste buds, like this. That's good. The taste of the tasting is so good. Push the coffee up to the taste buds and surround the taste buds next to them. You still taste less of the fragrant part, which accounts for a lot of tasting elements. The fragrance is felt through the nose and from behind the taste buds. So, in order to feel the fragrance, you need to drink coffee aloud, like this. To be sure, you can taste those aromas, especially the more delicate taste parts. "

"this is the way the tasters taste their coffee. . (with a spoon), the reason is precisely the above explanation. That way you really taste coffee, spray coffee to your entire taste buds, delicately taste coffee, and apply it to your nose. "

"anyway... Drink coffee, taste coffee, whatever you say. "

"these are basically my own taste test solutions. That (left) side is the diluted solution of this (right) side, and this (bottom) side is the cup. Habitually, every Monday morning I test my sense of taste, and then I start my day's work. These solutions are not expensive. The solution includes sugarcane water bought at Trader Joe (the larger grocery store is famous for its own packaging products and has many organic products), tartaric acid and citrus acid, TDS solution, and sometimes I use this lemon juice, as well as salt water.

I prepared these marked solutions-salt, two kinds of acid, sweet; the cup is a dilution made of 10 drops of the above solution individually. This is part of a taste test, and I think it's an effective way to let you know how much you taste. There is a saying that someone can have a great sense of taste most of the time; I don't think it's true, it's a kind of lost. People's sense of taste varies a lot, and if you are thinking about work, or if you are angry, it may affect your ability to concentrate on taste, thus affecting your ability to test taste.

The method is simple. I marked the bottom of the cup. In fact, I know this cup is mislabeled, it's sour, I think it's tartaric acid. In fact, it should be citrus acid, tartaric acid is slightly more "tight acid", citrus acid is slightly more "sweet and sour", if it is reasonable to say so. The taste is salty, very salty, just like adding a little salt to the mineral water. I also often use 5 drops of tartaric acid and 5 drops of sugar water, which is much more complicated.

I think this method is very interesting, so let me show you that you can do it yourself, like me, or let the customer do a test that can appreciate the taste. This method is super cheap. I think the material cost is less than 100 yuan. It can really make you progress and be pleased with what you have done, and let others appreciate what you have done. It's pretty simple. I'm just sharing it with you.