What’s the purpose of filtering? To separate the grounds from the coffee beverage after the brewing cycle has concluded. Filtering coffee usually consists of two parts: 1) the structure of the device and a shape that contains the bed of coffee grounds as well as the water that passes through them; and 2) the filter […]
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Jonathan
Holding & Serving Coffee
Holding Temperature The shelf life of green, unroasted coffee is usually expressed in years – for example, new crop, current crop and past crop. Once it has been roasted, the shelf life is measured in days. The stale flavors in coffee can become detectable as early as 4 days after roast, or as late as […]
Aromatic Components
Aromatic Components by Source Based on their source, aromatic components can be divided into three sets: Set One: Enzymatic By-Products (most volatile aromatics) This set contains aromatic compounds that are the result of enzyme reactions that occur in the coffee bean while it is a living organism. They are the most volatile set, and most […]
Analysis of the Finished Brew
When coffee is brewed, hot water removes most of the water-soluble material by a process that combines dissolving and extracting. The water first penetrates the grounds, dissolves some of the chemical components it encounters, makes a solution of these materials, and then exits the grounds to produce the familiar beverage. We measure the solubles yield […]
Water Quality Standards
Water (H2O) is comprised of one oxygen and two hydrogen molecules, and the bonds between and among them lead it to be a unique and fascinating biological molecule. As we know, depending on the coffee beverage (espresso versus drip-based) water can contribute 94-98% of the ‘coffee’ beverage as we consume it (Illy and Viani 2005). […]
Olfaction Terms
Aftertaste The sensation of brewed coffee vapors, ranging from chocolaty to carbony, spicy and turpeny, as they are released from the residue remaining in the mouth after swallowing. Aroma The sensation of the gases released from brewed coffee as they are inhaled through the nose by sniffing. Ranges from fruity to herby to nutty. Bouquet […]
Understanding Gustation
The Four Basic Tastes Gustation is the taste sense whose receptors lie in the mucous membrane covering the tongue and whose stimuli consist of soluble chemical compounds. As a general rule, the tongue can detect four basic tastes. Sweet Characterized by solutions of sugars, alcohols, lycols and some acids. Sweet is perceived primarily by the fungiform […]
Primary Taste Sensations
Taste Modulation and the 6 Primary Taste Sensations Through a process called taste modulation, the basic taste sensations interact with one another, depending on the relative strength of each. In gustation, there are six combinations that can occur. Sweet, sour and salt taste interact and form the following combinations: Acids increase the sweetness of sugars […]
Secondary Taste Sensations
After identifying the primary taste sensation, one can further specify the character of the coffee brew by determining the degree to which the taste sensation fits into the primary category. To do this, one selects the appropriate secondary taste term that describes the direction of the taste sensation. For example, a winey taste that tends […]
Coffee Acidity
One of the most misused and misunderstood sensory terms in evaluating coffee’s taste is acidity. It is a quantitative term that refers to the relative strength of the acids present in the coffee. And though the terms acidy and acidity are related, the two are not interchangeable. Acid is a chemical compound that contains hydrogen […]