Journey to discover coffee flavors

How many and what flavors can coffee have? First of all it is important to highlight that there are coffees, just  coffee does not exist.

Indeed, when we taste the most widespread drink in the world, the sensations we experience and we perceive through the taste buds vary. More or less pleasant,  accentuated or slightly shaded, here are the main taste sensations that allow us to distinguish and evaluate the types of coffee.

  • BITTER: not pleasant sensation that covers the other characteristics. It occurs when it is pronounced and increases in intensity, in particular in aftertaste.
  • IMMATURE: taste that can be associated to the scent of freshly cut grass. If too strong, coffee will have a slightly unpleasant sweet taste, bitter finish and sometimes fermented.
  • WOODY: typical taste of Robusta coffees that, if too strong, is a defect. It can be associated to the scent of freshly cut wood.
  • MOLDY: moldy taste that can be found in spoiled coffees or that have absorbed a lot of humidity.
  • FERMENTED: it is an unpleasant sweet taste typical of washed coffees. The taste can be associated to the spoiled fruit.
  • EARTHY: typical of Robusta coffees, given by the contact of the product with the soil.
  • POTATO TASTE: you have the feeling of having eaten a raw potato.
  • SOUR:  it is the taste of unripe citrus fruits, always accompanied by a feeling of astringency.
  • CARBOLIC: taste similar to the iodine tincture or to the smell that releases a pool of sea water that evaporates under the sun.