Championship Flashcards
Name the four steps of tasting coffee.
Smell, Slurp, Locate, Describe
Tasting coffee: Smell
Your mouth distinguishes only four tastes: salty, sweet, bitter, and sour - but your nose can detect thousands of smells. Cup your hand over the coffee, hold the cup close to your nose and inhale.
Tasting coffee: Slurp
This sprays the coffee across your entire palate and lets the subtle flavors and aromas reach all the tasting zones of your mouth.
Tasting coffee: Locate
Consider the coffee’s weight and feel in your mouth. Where are you experiencing the flavors? On your tongue?
Tasting coffee: Describe
Finally, think about how you would describe your coffee-tasting experience. What words would you use to characterize the aroma, flavor and how the coffee feels in your mouth? What other food flavors or aromas can you compare the coffees to?
Name the four characteristics of coffee.
Aroma, Acidity, Body, Weight
Coffee characteristics: Aroma
The way a coffee smells. Sometimes subtle, aromas can be earthy, spicy, floral, nutty, etc., and are directly related to the coffee’s flavor.
Coffee characteristics: Acidity
The tanginess or tartness of a coffee, not the pH level, described as low, medium, or high. Acidity is a lively, palate-cleansing characteristic you’ll taste and feel on the sides and tip of your tongue, and sometimes the back of your jawbone, like when you taste citrus fruits. Coffees with high acidity are described as bright, tangy and crisp with a clean finish. Low-acidity coffees feel smooth in your mouth.
Coffee characteristics: Body
The weight of a coffee on your tongue, described as light, medium, or full. Like comparing nonfat milk with whole milk, light-bodied coffees feel light on the tongue and have a clean finish. Full-bodied coffees feel heavier and have lingering flavors.
Coffee characteristics: Flavor
The way a coffee tastes. Sometimes obvious, sometimes subtle, flavors can vary greatly between coffees-from citrus to cocoa to berry, to name a few - and register in different parts of your mouth.
Name the four fundamentals of brewing coffee.
Proportion, Grind, Water, Freshness
What is the proper proportion of coffee?
2tbsp of ground coffee for every 6oz of water.
What happens if you brew with too little coffee?
It makes a bitter cup because too much water passes through the grounds pulling out undesirable components.
What happens if you brew with too much coffee?
Creates an underextracted cup with off flavors.
How do you reduce the strength of a cup of coffee?
Add hot water after you brew.
What happens when you use a grind that is too fine?
Produces bitter-tasting coffee.
What happens when you use a grind that is too course?
Produces watery tasting coffee.
Why does whole bean coffee stay fresh longer?
Because there is less surface area exposed to oxygen.
At what temperature does full extraction of the coffee’s flavor occur?
Between 195-205 degrees
What happens to coffee when you store it in the fridge or freezer?
Moisture condenses onto the coffee each time the container is opened, affecting its flavor.
How long will coffee last on a burner?
20 min
How long will coffee last in a thermal carafe?
30 min
How much coffee do you use for an 8 cup press?
Five 2 TBSP scoops or .12 LB
How much coffee do you use for a 12 cup press?
Eight 2 TBSP scoops or .18 LB
