few years ago, WWF, through their research in lampung warned the coffee lovers that some of their drinking coffee were illegally grown inside one of the world’s most important national parks for tigers, elephants and rhinos. their research findings showed that the encroachment in the national park for agriculture purpose (in this case mostly dominated by coffee) was the most serious thread for the biodiversity of the park. however, still they asked the international roasters and traders to continue to buy robusta coffee from lampung, sumatra, but develop and implement rigorous chain of custody controls that will exclude all illegal, and unsustainably grown coffee, from the supply chain.

while, since 1998, another big international NGO, conservation international also has been working closely with starbucks, as the company sources its premium coffee from the very regions CI work to preserve, including the small coffee farms in chiapas, mexico. together they launched a three-year program encouraging coffee growers in chiapas to continue their sustainable farming practices. in return, they received technical assistance from CI’s field staff and Starbucks became a dependable buyer of the farmers’ beans. recently, they renewed their cooperation with more hot issue facing today, which is global warming and deforestation.

in the next earth day (22 of april), every cup of coffee you purchase from starbucks will be donated 5 dollar cent to CI and will be used for reforestation in chiapas, mexico.

yup.. another “smart” point of marketing from starbucks.

image source: http://www.conservation.org/

***

Anomali, 9 pagi. Acara dibuka oleh Mbak Odilia dari Detikfood yang menjelaskan dengan fakta yang sangat menarik berdasarkan artikel yang ia baca. “Kopi Indonesia diperkirakan akan merajai perkopian dunia pada tahun 2025!” begitu katanya.
Gila! Edan! Dan itu juga alasan kenapa coffee cupping yang akan dilakukan hari ini akan bercerita lebih banyak mengenai kopi Indonesia. Sip! Setuju! Bahkan di undangan, seluruh peserta diminta untuk mengenakan busana bernuansa batik untuk mengentalkan suasana Indonesia pagi itu. Seru! Gue sendiri? Gue pake rok batik ungu ngejreng.

Acara langsung diserahkan Mbak Odi ke Agam, salah satu dari 2 pemilik Anomali. My goodness! Gue bisa ngerasain passion dari dua orang muda ini (iya sumpe masih muda!) waktu mereka bergantian bicara soal kopi. Agam mengamini pernyataan Mbak Odi di awal acara. Yup, kopi Indonesia merupakan salah satu kopi dengan kualitas terbaik dunia karena kandungan tanah vulkanik Indonesia yang subur. Masing-masing tanah di kepulauan Indonesia mempunyai karakter masing-masing. Ah, itu lah sebabnya kenapa kopi Sumatera lain dengan Jawa, Bali atau Toraja.

Kisah menarik dan mengenaskan dipaparkan Agam mengenai kopi Bali Kintamani. Kopi Bali Kintamani sebenarnya sudah terkenal sekali sejak dulu. Hingga pada suatu masa, harga kopi menurun drastis membuat para petani kopi ini menggantinya dengan cengkeh yang lebih menguntungkan pada saat itu. Para petani kopi semua beralih ke cengkeh. Sampai suatu saat, seorang Perancis yang disokong oleh suatu badan dana Internasional memulai kembali penanaman kopi Kintamani Bali ini hingga sekarang. Mengenaskan? Iya lah, kenapa juga mesti orang Perancis yang lebih apresiasi dengan kopi kita? Penjelasan dilanjutkan dengan menampilkan beberapa kebiasaan orang-orang di dunia melakukan ritual kopinya. Stovepot kopi yang dibawa dari Finlandia dengan bentuk dan cara kerja yang unik sempat dipertontonkan ke peserta.

“Suka tidak suka, Starbuck mempunyai peranan yang besar dalam membuat kopi menjadi sebuah life style,” Agam melanjutkan penjelasannya. Di Indonesia? Ritual kopi di kedai-kedai kopi lebih mengarah kepada bentuk socializing, kongkow-kongkow dengan teman atau kolega. Eh iya, ternyata kopi bisa menurunkan kolesterol lho! Tapi tentunya asal kopi dinikmati secara natural yaitu tanpa gula. Kalau ditambah gula yang banyak apalagi dengan whipped cream dan ditemani sepotong cheesecake, wah tentu sudah lain lagi ceritanya!

Ada pertanyaan dari peserta, apakah kopi yang dijual di pasaran ada yang menggunakan campuran? Karena katanya banyak kopi yang menggunakan jagung sebagai campurannya. Agam langsung senyum. Memang Pak, kami juga sedih dengan para penjual kopi yang mengclaim kopinya asli, ternyata memakai campuran jagung. Bahkan Agam mengaku pernah melihat pengusaha kopi yang mencampurkan mentega ke dalam proses kopinya untuk mendapatkan rasa yang lebih gurih itu. Biasanya kopi campuran ini terlihat dari ampasnya yang susah turun. Disebutkan juga salah satu produsen kopi terbesar di Indonesia menggunakan campuran ini di kopi yang dijualnya, meskipun memang produsen tersebut menuliskan di kemasannya bahwa terdapat kandungan cereal di dalam kopi tersebut. Aha!

Coffee cupping
Di tiap meja peserta terdapat dua buah cangkir yang ditempeli stiker kecil A dan B, 2 hasil gilingan kopi yang dimasukkan ke dalam kantung berwarna perak yang juga ditandai dengan tulisan A dan B, 2 wadah kertas berisi biji kopi dengan jenis yang berbeda dan satu buah sendok. Di masing-masing wadah kertas tersebut diletakkan biji-biji kopi yang belum dan sudah di panggang. Gue ambil satu biji kopi yang sudah dipanggang dan mengunyahnya. Enak! Hehehe.

Acara coffee cupping pun dimulai. Beberapa sendok kopi bubuk (roasted coffee bean yang sudah digiling) dimasukkan ke dalam cangkir, air panas dituang (bukan air mendidih). Sebaiknya sekitar 90 derajat celcius. Kenapa? Karena biji kopi sudah matang dari proses roasting. Air yang mendidih akan terlalu mematangkan bubuk kopi tadi, sehingga bisa menimbulkan rasa gosong yang tidak diinginkan.

Pada saat menuangkan air panas tesebut sebaiknya berjarak kira-kira 1 jengkal atau lebih dari mulut cangkir. Kenapa? Dengan ketinggian tersebut diharapkan kopi akan teraduk sendiri tanpa menggunakan sendok.
Kenapa ga boleh pake sendok? Karena suhu dan materi dari sebuah sendok bisa mempengaruhi temperature dan rasa kopi.

Nah sehabis dituangkan air panas tersebut, tunggu sekitar 3 menit untuk breaking the crust. Maksudnya? Gunakan ujung sendok (hanya ujungnya ya, bukan seluruh sendok yang dicelupkan) untuk mengaduk perlahan permukaan cangkir kopi. Busa atau krema akan muncul ke permukaan dan bubuk kopi yang tadinya mengambang di permukaan cangkir akan turun dan mengendap ke dasar cangkir. Saat mengaduk tersebut, peserta diminta untuk menghirup aroma kopi dan mulai melakukan penilaian apakah : chocolaty, fruity, smokey atau earthy. Hmmmmm.. bau kopi yang khas langsung menggoda semua peserta untuk meminum kopinya.

Stop! Irvan dan Agam langsung teriak! Belum boleh diminum.
Ternyata, men”cicipi” kopi pun ada caranya.
Kali ini bagian Irvan yang mencontohkan. Ambil satu sendok kopi dari cangkir dan masukkan ke mulut sambil membuat bunyi sllrrpppp gitu. Jangan jaim katanya. Hahaha. Ayo coba semua. Slrrppp. Ah, bagaimana menjelaskannya ya? Hmmm, kira-kira diseruput lah begitu. Dan coba identifikasi rasa yang baru masuk ke mulut. Kenali acidity-nya, bitterness nya, sweetness nya, balance nya. Semua peserta dilarang berkomentar, karena komentar bisa mempengaruhi peserta yang lain. Bunyi slrrrppp, sllrrppp, slrrppp di sana sini. Semua berusaha menilai rasa kopi di depannya dan mengisi cupping evaluation form yang disediakan.

Selain itu, semua peserta diminta juga menilai beberapa hal lain.

1. Clean cup : apakah terdapat rasa asing di kopi itu, seperti bau langu misalnya.
2. Body : tingkat kekentalan yang bisa dilihat dan dirasakan teksturnya di mulut. Nah, berarti kalo pas lagi nongkrong di café dan dapat kopi yang rasanya flat bisa jadi karena body biji kopinya sendiri, bukan karena komposisi airnya yang kebanyakan.
3. Aftertaste : Rasa setelah kopi ditelan. Aftertaste yang baik tidak meninggalkan rasa aneh atau pahit yang nyata.

Setelah semua formulir selesai diisi, Agam melakukan summary dari semua pendapat para peserta, sementara Irvan menyiapkan biji kopi untuk dipanggang di roasting machine di lantai bawah agar semua peserta bisa menyaksikan prosesnya. Wuih, komentar para peserta sudah seperti pakar kopi saja. “Kopi A rasanya chocolaty, kopi B acidity nya tinggi sekali, balance kopi A pas dan lain lain dan lain lain.

Sebelum menutup acara, Agam membuka identitas kedua jenis kopi yang kita tes di acara coffee cupping tadi. Ternyata kopi A adalah kopi Jawa dan kopi B adalah kopi Toraja. Hebat hebat. Sepertinya para peserta behasil mengidentifikasi rasa-rasa yang merupakan ciri kedua kopi tadi. Memang kopi Toraja mempunya keasaman yang lebih tinggi dari kopi Jawa, kopi Jawa rasanya lebih chocolaty dan masih banyak karakter-karakter lain dari masing-masing kopi tersebut. Seru kan?

Kalau disuruh milih antara kopi Jawa dan Toraja, gue sih jelas milih kopi Jawa, abis acidity nya Toraja itu lho *jieee sok tau kan gue sekarang*. Tapi, kalau perbandingannya dengan kopi Sumatera pasti gue lebih milih kopi Sumatera. Apapun itu, yang jelas kopi Indonesia lah. Hidup kopi Indonesia dan tentu saja para petaninya! ?

Sebelum pulang dan sehabis menikmati makan siang yang Indonesia banget (nasi uduk, sambel kacang, ayam kremes, tempe, tahu goreng dan semur daging), Irfan membagikan satu kantong kopi bubuk ke semua peserta. Espress-o yourself! begitu kata dua orang muda dengan passion- nya terhadap kopi yang asli! kudu gue acungi jempol sekali lagi.

Sukses guys!

*thanks to Wiwin yang udah susah payah tapi senang dateng ke sana dan membuat gue serasa berada di sana. ugh.. i envy you!!*

image source: http://www.olympiacoffeeroasting.com

Proporsi air dan kopi yang baik menentukan tingkat kenikmatan sebuah minuman kopi. Starbucks menggunakan 2 sendok makan bubuk kopi untuk 180 mm air. Saya? More or less juga dalam ukuran yang sama. Jika ternyata masih terlalu kental juga, kita bisa menambahkan sedikit air panas pada kopi yang sudah di-brewed.

Cara menyeduh (brewing) menentukan kebutuhan tingkat dan kualitas gilingan kopi. Semakin sedikit waktu menyeduhnya, contohnya dengan menggunakan espreso machine, maka dibutuhkan kopi dengan tingkat gilingan yang baik (semakin halus). Berbeda halnya jika kita menggunakan coffee press, dimana waktu penyeduhan bisa mencapai 4 menit, maka gilingan kopi yang kasar sudah cukup.

Gunakan air yang segar, dingin, bersih dan murni jika kita akan menyeduhnya. Suhu yang dibutuhkan untuk mendidihkan air secara sempurna dan mendapatkan aroma serta rasa kopi yang baik adalah 195° -205° F atau 90° -96° C. Karena itu, pastikan alat penyeduh air anda ataupun mesin kopi anda dalam kondisi yang baik.

Bubuk kopi yang segar juga menentukan. Musuh kopi yang baik adalah oksigen, cahaya, suhu yang terlalu panas dan udara yang terlalu lembab. Masukan kopi ke dalam tempat yang rapat, bebas dari udara, dan letakan pada suhu kamar. Cara terbaik memang menggiling kopi sebelum diseduh, tapi tidak semua orang punya waktu untuk itu bukan? Namun untuk beberapa penikmat kopi ritual itu bisa jadi sangat menyenangkan, terutama pada saat mencium aroma yang keluar ketika biji kopi itu digiling. Hmmmm.. harum.

Source: Starbukcs

tapi, kopi harian terenak gue adalah jika gue buat dengan moka express. sudah beberapa tahun yang lalu sebenarnya gue kenal moka express ini, tapi baru tiga bulan yang lalu alat ini secara reguler gue pake. moka express ini ditemukan oleh bialetti pada tahun 1933 dan melesat menjadi salah satu alat pembuat kopi yang terkenal di seluruh dunia. sebagaimana dikatakan oleh bialetti, bahwa dengan alat ini: “without requiring any ability whatsoever” yet one could enjoy “in casa un espresso come al bar” (“An espresso in the home just like one in the bar”)... dan itu benar sekali. gue bisa menemukan kenikmatan mengopi dengan alat ini. namun, pengaturan kuantitas dan (pastinya) kualitas kopi juga menentukan kesuksesan kita mendapatkan kopi enak dengan alat ini.

saat ini, sudah banyak alat sejenis yang dibuat oleh produsen lain, entah dengan bentuk yang sama ataupun berbeda, namun tetap dengan sistem kerja yang sama *i will explain about the system in other post*. o ya, bialetti juga membuat alat serupa untuk cappuccino. inovasi di dunia kopi memang tidak pernah ada habisnya. jadi, bagaimana cara kalian menyiapkan kopi?

Seorang penguji kopi profesional (cuppers) dapat merasakan dan membedakan kualitas kopi (cupping) , dari segi aroma, tingkat keasaman, body kopi (tingkat tebal tipisnya bubuk kopi) dan rasa. Tahapannya sebagai berikut: pertama-tama mereka akan membaui kesegaran bubuk kopinya, lalu menyeduhnya dengan air panas, mengaduk bagian atas minuman kopi dengan hidung untuk mendapatkan aromanya langsung, menyeruputnya, dan merasakan kembali setelah kopinya hangat. Jika mereka melakukannya pada banyak jenis kopi, biasanya mereka memulai dengan jenis kopi yang (dikenal) kurang kuat. Mereka juga harus berkumur dengan air setelah mencoba satu jenis kopi supaya tidak mengganggu rasa dan aroma kopi lainnya.

Satu jenis kopi memang berbeda dengan jenis lain, bisa jadi karena asal kopi tersebut, tipe dan tingkat pemanggangan, tingkat kesegaran, termasuk proses pasca panennya. Pemilihan jenis dan kualitas oleh para profesional biasanya dilakukan jika mereka harus menguji kerusakan biji kopi, perubahan rasa diantara tahun tanam ataupun jika mereka harus melakukan transaksi pembelian kopi.

Untuk kita-kita yang penikmat kopi biasa, tidak perlu terlalu detil seperti itu. Kita bisa menghargai ataupun merasakan kenikmatan kopi dengan melihat meminumnya segelas penuh dan ditemani makanan pendampingnya, baik kue-kue ataupun goreng-gorengan. Belum lagi kalau hujan.. uuugh.. benar-benar waktu yang tepat untuk menikmati kopi.

Berikut ini adalah beberapa terminologi dalam pengujian kopi (in english).

Acidity
Acidity, used as a coffee term, refers to the bright, tangy, fruity, or wine-like flavor characteristics found in many high grown Arabica coffees. Coffee with high acidity is described as acidy, which has nothing to do with amount of acid, or pH. Coffee actually has a relatively neutral pH of between 5 and 6. When green coffee is stored for more than a year it will have a perceptible loss of flavor and acidity. Also, acidity is reduced as coffees are roasted darker.

Acrid
A harsh sour taste. An acrid coffee can be described as tart, sharp, or acerbic.

Aftertaste
The taste of brewed coffee vapors released after swallowing. Also called “finish”, aftertastes can be chocolatey, burnt, spicy, tobaccoy, tangy, etc.

Alkaline
The taste term “alkaline” describes a dry taste sensation mostly at the back of the tongue. While somewhat bitter, an alkaline taste is not necessarily disagreeable and is characteristic of many dark roasts and some Indonesian coffees.

Aroma
Coffee aroma is the fragrance of brewed coffee and is closely related to coffee flavor. Without our sense of smell, flavor would be limited to the tongue senses of sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Many nuances of a coffee are reflected in the smell, or “the nose”. Subtle floral notes, for example, are experienced most clearly in the aroma, particularly at the moment when the crust is broken during the traditional cupping process. Typical coffee aromas include floral, winey, chocolatey, spicy, tobaccoy, earthy, and fruity. Coffee aroma is also experienced after drinking the coffee when vapors drift upward into the nasal passage. This “retro nasal” aroma is responsible for much of a coffees aftertaste. A coffee’s aroma is highest shortly after roasting and then declines rapidly. Coffee freshness, including aroma, can be maintained for months if placed in proper storage immediately after roasting.

Ashy
Coffee odor similar to that of an ashtray or fireplace. An “Ashy” aroma indicates a dark roast, and is not necessarily a negative attribute. Ashy coffees generally have a carbony flavor.

Aspiration
Drawing coffee brew into the mouth by vigorous suction to spray it evenly across the tongue to release vapors. Aspiration helps cuppers attain a better sensory evaluation of a coffees nuances.

Astringent
A dry, sour, salty, and generally disagreeable sensation detected mostly at the sides of the

Baggy
A taste characteristic of coffee stored too long in burlap (jute) bags, causing the coffee beans to acquire a straw-like coffee bag flavor. Also used to describe light roasted coffee with mildewy qualities.

Baked
Flat, dull, and uninteresting coffee. A baked flavor may be caused by roasting too slowly. Coffee roasted in a drum roaster for much more than about 17 minutes will likely be either burnt or have a baked

Balance
A balanced coffee may be complex, but does not have any overwhelming flavor or aroma characteristics. For example, Yemen Mocha is typically bold and flavorful, but is also well balanced. In contrast, Kenya AA, generally has a dominating wine-like fruity flavor. A well balanced coffee has flavors that can be sensed evenly across the tongue. Blending several different coffees together, if done correctly, can create a flavorful and balanced coffee. Balance, however, is not necessarily a positive taste attribute, since some people prefer coffees with particularly strong flavor distinctions.

Bitter
A harsh, generally unpleasant taste detected mostly in the back of the tongue. Bitterness is characteristic of over-extracted, defective, and extra dark roasted coffees.

Body
The physical mouth feel and texture of a coffee. Full bodied coffees have a strong, creamy, and pleasant, mouth feel. A coffees body (light, medium, or full) is its thickness due to the amount of dissolved and suspended solids and oils extracted from the coffee grounds, and may range from thin and watery to thick and creamy.

Bouquet
The aroma of freshly ground

Bready
A bread-like, or grain-like, aroma. Insufficiently roasted, sour tasting, coffee will often have a bready aroma. Bready coffees may also be described as “green” or “beany”.

Bright
Coffees with a pleasant, almost tangy, flavor. Bright coffees may also be described as having a wine like acidity.

Briny
A salty taste often caused by continuously heating coffee after brewing is complete. Brewed coffee that sits on a burner overnight is likely to taste briny.

Caramelly
A flavor and aroma characteristic of candy or syrup in which sugars have oxidized and become caramelized. Coffee beans contain sugars which caramelize during roasting and, if not burned, may be detected as caramelly notes in the cup.

Carbony
The flavor and aroma characteristic of burnt food, or burnt wood. Carbony flavors and aromas are often used as an indication of roast degree when cupping darker roasted coffees. Also called “burnt” or “smoky”.

Chicory
An herb used as a coffee substitute and to flavor coffee. Chicory, or Cichorium Intybus, has been used as a coffee additive for centuries, both to enhance flavor of coffee and to stretch coffee supplies. In New Orleans, Louisiana, many have developed a preference for chicory coffee.

Chocolatey
The taste or aroma of chocolate. Coffees rarely have a very strong chocolatey flavor or aroma, but some, such as Yemen Mocha Mattari, have a distinct chocolatey aroma and a slightly bitter-sweet chocolatey taste.

Citrus
The aroma and taste of ripe citrus fruit. Citrus notes are often found in coffee, which is not surprising considering the fact that coffee beans are the seeds of coffee cherries. Coffees with flavor characteristics of unripe citrus are described as “sour”.

Clean
Flavorful, but without any pungent or unusual flavors.

Complexity
The array of flavors and flavor shifts experienced when smelling and tasting a coffee. While not necessarily a positive attribute, complexity can sometimes be gained by blending one coffee with another or by blending a dark roast with a light roast. Some excellent single origin coffees are by themselves both complex and balanced, but agreeable complex flavors are most often achieved by blending two or more complimentary single origin coffees.

Crust
The layer of saturated coffee grounds that floats to the surface when cupping (tasting) coffee. As part of the traditional coffee cupping method, called breaking the crust, the grounds are agitated to release trapped vapors allowing the cupper note the coffees unique characteristics. The crust is then scooped out with a spoon before tasting the brewed coffee.

Earthy
The aroma characteristic of fresh earth, wet soil, or raw potatoes. While not necessarily negative characteristic, earthiness may be caused by molds during the processing of harvested coffee cherries. Earthy notes, for example, are commonly found in semi-dry processed coffees from Indonesia.

Ferment
A sour and oniony taste characteristic of over-fermented coffee. After de-pulping coffee cherries, which removes the skin and some attached mucilage (pulp), the separated beans will still have a significant amount of pulp attached. The remaining pulp is often loosened by fermentation, allowing it to be washed away prior to drying. If fermentation is not stopped as soon as the remaining parchment (husk) is no longer slimy, and has a rough texture, the coffee may acquire a ferment flavor.

Flat
Lacking flavor and aroma.

Floral
The scent of flowers including honeysuckle, jasmine, dandelion and nettles. Mildly floral aromas are found in some coffees and are generally perceived along with fruity or herbal notes.

Fruity
The aroma and taste of fruit. Many coffees have fruity notes, which is not surprising considering that coffee beans are seeds of a fruit (coffee cherries). A coffees acidity, or wine-like brightness, is often related to fruit, or citrus. Professional cuppers are careful to not use the term “fruity” when describing the aroma of unripe, or over-ripe, fruit.

Grassy
Aroma associated with freshly mowed green grass, herbs, green foliage, green beans, and unripe fruit. A grassy aroma, also called green, herby, or herbal, is characteristic of sour tasting under-roasted coffee beans and under-dried or water damaged coffee beans.

Harsh
Pungent and disagreeable, such as a low quality bitter Robusta.

Herbal
An aroma associated with freshly mowed lawn, green grass, herbs, green foliage, green beans, and unripe fruit. Herbal characteristics are typical of coffees not fully dried to the usual 10% to 12% moisture content during processing. An herbal aroma is also called green, grassy, or herby.

Hidey
The smell or taste of hide (leather). Hidey notes, for example, may be found in some east African coffees.

Instant taste
A taste characteristic of freeze dried instant coffee. Many find the taste of instant coffee objectionable. Ironically, instant coffee is commonly served in Colombia and Brazil, the top coffee exporting countries.

Malty
The aroma of malt. Often used together with Cereal and Toast-like to include the aroma of cereal, malt, and toast. “Cereal”, “Malty”, and “Toast-like” describe grain-like aromas and flavors of roasted grain (including roasted corn, barley, or wheat), malt extract, freshly baked bread, or toast.

Medicinal
The smell of medicine, or iodine. Coffees with a Rioy or chemical aroma.

Mellow
Balanced and mild, without strong tastes or aftertaste. Medium roasted, low grown (less than 4000 feet) Arabicas, for example, generally have a mellow flavor.

Neutral
Neutral coffees do not have a predominant taste sensation, but may still have a pungency felt by the tongue and are often used in blending. Coffees from Brazil and Colombia, for example, commonly have a neutral flavor.

Nose
The aroma and taste characteristic of a coffee sensed by the nose, especially when exhaling coffee vapors after swallowing.

Nutty
The aroma and flavor characteristic of fresh nuts. Coffee cuppers are careful to avoid using the term “nutty” when describing coffee with taste or aroma characteristics of rancid nuts or bitter almonds. Coffees from South America commonly have a nutty flavor.

Oniony
Flavor characteristic of onions, and often associated with the use stagnant water when processing coffee by the wet method. Oniony characteristics are often avoided by recycling the pulping water during processing.

Papery
A taste characteristic coffee stored in paper bags or prepared using low quality filter paper.

Past Crop
Coffee from a previous years harvest. Past crop, old crop, old, or oldish are also used as a taste terms to describe coffees stored for more than a year. Past crop coffees tend to have a woody, strawy, or hay-like, flavor and less acidity.

Peasy
An unpleasant bitter taste similar to fresh green peas.

Primary tastes
Professional coffee cuppers may describe flavors detected by the tongue (primary tastes), and flavors detected through the nose (secondary tastes). Primary tastes are salty, sweet, sour, and bitter. Taste buds are located on our tongues, and while many subtle tastes can be recognized, there are only four distinct tastes (salty, sweet, sour, and bitter). Each taste bud contains between 50-100 taste cells, and each taste cell has receptors. While receptors are capable of recognizing all tastes, some tend to recognize sour foods and are usually located around the sides of the tongue. Sweet and salty foods are usually tasted best near the end of the tongue. Bitter foods are usually tasted at the back of the tongue. The middle of the tongue usually has no taste buds.

Quakery
A peanut-like flavor that results from processing unripe, or underdeveloped, coffee beans.

Rancid
The terms “rancid” and “rotten” are used to describe characteristics of decomposing coffee. Professional coffee cuppers are careful to not describe a strong and unpleasant aroma as “rancid”, if there are no other signs of deterioration.

Rioy
A medicinal flavor with notes of iodine which can result from cherries drying while still on the coffee plant.. Rioy coffee, or Rio, cannot be hidden well by blending. Rio has, in the past, been associated with coffees grown in the Rio district of Brazil.

Rubbery
The aroma and flavor characteristic of hot tires or rubber bands. A rubbery characteristic, while not always negative, is highly recognizable in some coffees, especially fresh Robustas.

Scorched
Roasted coffee with burn marks caused by inadequate tumbling or by roasting too hot. Also called “tipped” or “charred”. Scorched beans may look completely roasted, but are likely to have soury and bready flavors.

Smooth
A taste characteristic of balanced coffee without any pronounced tastes or aftertastes. Also called round, or rounded or soft.

Sour
An excessively sharp, biting and unpleasant flavor (such as vinegar or acetic acid). Sour, or soury, flavors are sometimes associated with the aroma of fermented coffee. A sour taste can be caused by overripe or already fermenting cherries, or by improper fermentation where yeasts and alcohol form vinegar-like acids To avoid this defect, coffee still in its parchment, or husk, is washed immediately after fermentation when the parchment coffee is no longer slimy and has a rough texture. Soury flavors are often confused with acidity, which is the slightly tangy sensation associated with brighter coffee flavors.

Spicey
The aroma of sweet spices such as cloves, cinnamon, and allspice. The term “spicy”, when describing coffee, does not include the aroma of savory spices such as pepper, oregano, and curry.

Taint
An unexpected off-flavor not clearly defined by usual taste categories. Too much pulp in fermenting parchment, for example, will produce tainted coffee.

Tobacco
The aroma and flavor of fresh tobacco in brewed coffee. A tobacco-like taste is not necessarily disagreeable and is found in various specialty coffees throughout the world. A tobaccoy taste or aroma should not be confused with characteristics of burnt tobacco (ash).

Winey
The combined sensation of smell, taste ,and mouth feel experienced when drinking wine. A winey taste is generally perceived along with acidy and fruity notes. Often used incorrectly to describe a soury or over-fermented flavor.

Woody
A taste characteristic of old coffee. Woody coffee has a smell of dry wood, an oak barrel, dead wood, or cardboard. This defect results when beans are improperly stored for an extended period of time. Coffees stored at low altitudes in high temperatures and humidity (as in many ports of shipment) tend to deteriorate quickly and become woody. All coffees can become woody if stored long enough.

Source and further reading:

http://www.coffeeterms.com/

http://www.coffeeresearch.org/coffee/cupping.htm

http://www.coffeeuniverse.com/university_taste.html

http://uppermidwestgourmet.net/archives/458/

Image:

http://www.starbucks.com/