How the Professionals Describe the Taste of Coffee

Everyone loves coffee, but do you know how to describe its taste in the same way as the professionals in the industry? Why not give it a go?

Below are some common terms used - it is not meant to be an exhaustive list

Astringent - A secondary taste sensation noted by a salty sensation on the sides of the tongue. Caused by acids increasing the saltiness.

Baggy - An unpleasant taste often found in weakly roasted coffees that have been stored for a long time in inappropriate conditions.

Baked - A flat aroma with insipid taste often caused by roasting for too long at too low a temperature.

Beany - The smell associated with insufficiently roasted coffee that has not been able to allowed to develop its full aroma.

Bitter - Sharp or biting sensation felt at the back of the tongue often the result of over roasting the coffee bean.

Bland - Lacking in any noticeable flavour characteristics.

Bready - A bread-like taste that can occur in coffees that have not been roasted long enough or at a high enough temperature to bring out the flavour of the oils.

Bright - A dryness or sharpness (typical of Central American coffees).

Buttery - Rich and oily.

Caramelly - Suggestive of toffee or caramel.

Carbony - A burnt of charcoal flavour.

Chocolatey - Suggestive of vanilla or chocolate.

Creamy - High levels of coffee oils suspended in the brew.

Delicate - A secondary taste sensation noted for its weak sweet-subtle feeling just past the tip of the tongue.

Dirty - Unclean smelling or mustiness.

Earthy 'Characteristic smell of soil or dirt often caused when the coffee beans are stored on the ground after harvesting (typical of Sumatran coffees)

Exotic - Unusual aroma and flavour, such as berry or floral.

Fermented - An unpleasant taste producing a sour sensation. The result of enzyme activity in the green coffee beans changing the sugars to acids in the drying process during harvesting.

Flat - A loss of aroma.

Fragrant or floral - Subtle hints of fragrant flowers such as jasmine.

Fruity - A sweet fruity aroma suggestive of berries or citrus fruit.

Grassy - Suggestive of freshly cut grass.

Green - A faint herbal taste due to the incomplete development of the sugar compounds in the roasting process.

Hard - A hard coffee is poorly balanced. It is a secondary taste sensation of sourness on the bottom sides of the tongue. Caused by higher-than-normal percentage of sour acids. Ranking of hardness ranges thus: strictly soft, soft, softish, softish/hardish, hardish, hard, Rioy.

Harsh - A hard or caustic taste.

Heavy - Higher than average levels of suspended material in the brew.

Herby -. Suggestive of onion or green vegetable.

Hidey - A leather-like odour caused when too much heat is applied during the drying process causing the coffee beans fats to break down.

Insipid - A brew of lifeless character often the result of oxygen and moisture penetrating the bean fiber after roasting.

Lifeless - Thin and flat.

Light - Lower than average levels of suspended material in the coffee brew.

Malty - Suggestive of toasted grains.

Mellow - An overall smooth, mild and delicate flavour lacking in acidity.

Muddy - Thick and lifeless.

Musty - A stuffy or mouldy smell which can be a positive trait for aged coffees such as Java.

Neutral - The absence of a predominant taste sensation.

Nippy - A secondary taste of sweetness, associated with a nipping sensation at the end of the tongue.

Nutty - Smell and taste suggestive of roasted nuts.

Oily - The description given to a coffee that has an oily taste.

Oniony - Suggestive of onions.

Peasy - A disagreeable taste that is reminiscent of peas.

Piquant - A sweet, prickling sensation at the tip of the tongue, typified by a Kenya AA coffee.

Point - A coffee with good overall characteristics of acidity, body and flavour.

Potatoy - Suggestive of raw potatoes.

Pulpy - A pungent fruit-like flavour derived from coffee cherry skins.

Pungent - Description given to a full-bodied and forceful coffee.

Quakery - Suggestive of peanuts, often the result of using unripe, green coffee beans.

Rancid - A highly disagreeable taste caused by oxidization of the coffee.

Rich - A very powerful coffee smell or aromas.

Rioy - An iodine-like flavour caused by continuing enzyme activity that occurs when the fruit partially dies on the coffee tree before harvesting.

Round - The coffee characteristics are so well balanced that no particular taste dominates to experience.

Rough - A secondary sensation noted by its grating, salty sensation on the tongue.

Rubbery - reminiscent of burnt rubber.

Scorched - A smoky or burnt aroma and taste caused when the beans are roasted too quickly at too high temperature which char the surface of the beans.

Stale - An unpleasant taste caused by oxygen and moisture penetrating the beans surface.

Sharp - An astringent taste derived from salty tasting compounds within the coffee.

Smooth - Low levels of oily compounds suspended in the beverage.

Soft - A secondary sensation noted by an absence of any predominant taste on any part of the tongue, except maybe for subtle dryness.

Sound - A coffee with no particular positive or negative characteristics.

Sour - A piercing, sour over acidic taste commonly caused by under-ripe beans.

Spicy - An aftertaste suggestive of cinnamon or clove.

Strawy - Suggestive of hay or straw, often from the result of the loss of organic material from the green coffee beans while in storage.

Strong - A coffee, rich in flavour that gives a strong powerful taste.

Sweaty - A coffee that may have been stored inappropriately resulting in a distinct sweaty taste.

Sweetly Spicy - An aroma suggestive of aromatic spices such as cardamom.

Sweet - free from harshness.

Tangy - A secondary sensation noted by a predominantly sour sensation along the sides of the tongue hinting of a fruity sensation.

Tart - A sour puckering sensation experienced on the tongue.

Tipped - A cereal-like taste caused by the beans being roasted too quickly that chars the tips of the beans.

Thick - A high level of solid material suspended in the beverage giving it a heavy feel.

Thin - A low level of solid material suspended in the beverage giving it a watery feel.

Twisty - A coffee with different negative qualities that vary from cup to cup.

Turpsy - Suggestive of turpentine.

Unclean - Coffee with a distinct off-flavor suggesting they have been kept in an unclean environment. A taste and aroma with a hint of fermenting.

Variety - A qualitative depiction of the gases present in the aroma, nose and aftertaste of coffee's bouquet.

Watery - Lacking in body.

Weak - A beverage that is not flat but definitely lacks body.

Winey - An agreeable taste that gives the impression of a good wine.

Wild - A distinctive wood-like taste caused by storing the beans too long.

Woody - A coffee with an unpleasant smell and taste similar to dry wood. This can be due to the loss of organic material in the green beans during storage.