Coffee Blind Tasting: Does Expensive Coffee Really Taste Better?
Contents:
1. What is Coffee Blind Tasting?
2. Through coffee blind tasting, does expensive coffee really taste better?
When you don't know what coffee you're drinking, you can actually taste it more clearly. The interesting practice of "coffee blind tasting" allows you to fully engage your senses without any preconceived notions. We blind tests expensive and cheap coffee. Does expensive coffee really taste better?
What is Coffee Blind Tasting?
Normally, before brewing coffee, you know what kind of beans you're using. However, in coffee blind tasting, you intentionally keep yourself unaware of the coffee's origin. This enhances your sensory experience and trains your sensory sensitivity. When the answer is revealed, you will remember the sensations you experienced more vividly. The goal is to figure out the coffee's origin, estate, processing method, roast level, etc., solely through the brewing and tasting process.
There are various ways to conduct a blind tasting. For example, in a pour-over blind tasting, you can prepare multiple packages of coffee, each containing 20g of beans, with the backside facing you. Randomly select one package without knowing its contents. In a cupping blind tasting, use two or more different coffees, tape the bottom of the cups with the coffee names written on them, and mix up the order. The key is not to remember which coffee is which. If multiple people are participating in the blind tasting, the process becomes even easier. Another option is to buy two or more half-pound bags of coffee with no label on the opening side (such as Justin Coffee), and randomly choose one for the blind tasting.
During the blind tasting process, try to maintain consistency in brewing and tasting each coffee. Following the cupping method, use the same standards for water temperature, coffee-to-water ratio, grind size, dry aroma evaluation, brewing time, wet aroma evaluation, tasting method, and evaluation criteria, including aroma, flavor, aftertaste, acidity, body, balance, etc. Record your observations and ratings to accumulate subjective experiences over time, which will ultimately become a relatively objective reference. Throughout the process, take notes to facilitate comparisons and discussions with fellow tasters.
After practicing this method, you can usually first distinguish the processing method, whether it's washed, natural, or honey-processed. Then, you can differentiate between African countries, Central American countries, or other regions. Through subsequent tasting, you gradually build a profile and enhance your understanding through discussions. Sometimes, tasting with friends who have different preferences can spark interesting perspectives. For example, tea enthusiasts may be sensitive to tea aromas and smooth textures, while wine lovers often have a keen sense of fermentation flavors. Surprisingly, even those who don't usually drink coffee may provide unexpected tasting descriptions, making the experience quite fascinating.
Through coffee blind tasting, does expensive coffee really taste better?
We conducted a blind tasting of two types of beans, priced at NT$550 and NT$1,250 per half pound, from the same country and processed in the same way. Initially, during the dry aroma evaluation, both had the unique plum fragrance of Kenyan coffee. I was a bit worried that I might not be able to taste the differences. However, upon closer inspection, one of them was more fragrant, sweet, and delicate, with a hint of sweet plum. After evaluating the wet aroma, the answer became quite clear. And upon tasting, the difference in flavor profile was very obvious. The coffee from the Handege Factory had a high level of body, but the TOH Champion batch was mellow, smooth, with a refined sweetness, and immediately stood out in the mouth! Here is our cupping evaluation record:
Bean No. 1, NT$550 per half pound
Kenya Kiambu Handege AA TOP Washed
Tasting Notes: Plum, bright acidity, full-bodied, lingering plum aftertaste
Bean No.2, NT$1,250 per half pound
Kenya Embu Guchienda AA Plus Washed - TOH No.1
Tasting Notes: Plum, sweet plum, sugarcane sweetness, bright and mellow acidity, full and smooth body, long and delicate plum aftertaste
The key to coffee blind tasting is to fully engage your senses and experience flavors that you may not encounter in your regular coffee consumption. Through blind tasting, you can train and enhance your sensory sensitivity. You'll realize that familiar tastes can only be truly perceived among a multitude of aromas, and the taste you experience is your most genuine flavor experience. Each coffee blind tasting session adds depth to your tasting skills. Give coffee blind tasting a try and see if expensive coffee really tastes better. Can you guess the differences during the brewing and tasting process?
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