Coffee Log

Over the years, I’ve realised formulating an opinion and rating coffee is both a science and an art. How do you convert the triggering of chemoreceptors on your tongue (taste) and in your nose (smell) into something meaningful? How can you turn all that intangible chemical information into a number? I’m sure every coffee taster has had the same question and mastered the craft in their own way.

I wanted to share the 5-point criteria I’ll be using to rate coffee on Coffee Log. This will be based on balance, clarity, complexity, freshness and impression. How do you like to rate your coffee?

– Anita, Your Grind Guide

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🤎 Balance:

Do the flavours compete or compliment one another? Acidity, bitterness, sourness or sweetness can be unlocked in any cup of coffee. These can fight one another or build each other up. All these flavours help change the coffee from sounding like a bunch of amateur instrumentalists to a well rehearsed smooth soul band.

🤎 Clarity:

Can I pick out each flavour element in the cup? Coffee has layers and in a good cup, each layer should be distinct and clear. Can we taste the jammy fruit, the roasted nuts, the bitter cocao, the tangy citrus, the delicate flowers or the sweet n’ sticky sugars clearly? Defects can dumb down this distinction and flavours become overshadowed and muddled.

🤎 Complexity:

How many flavour notes are present in the coffee? You may think this is similar to balance and clarity but complexity is being able to count how many layers of flavour exist in the drink (rather than it being flat and 2 dimensional). It’s more focused on the depth of our brew including how flavours may change when you experiment with brewing temperature, grind size, extraction time and even as your coffee cools.

🤎 Freshness:

When was the coffee roasted? The time between roast and brew is important because our roasted beans are in constant motion. From needing to settle and degas accumulated carbon dioxide from roasting, to avoiding the seeping out of volatile compounds and oils from our beans (storage is key here); if we wait too long, you can expect a dull, bitter and faded cup of coffee that feels flat and less punchy. There a simple rule here, the fresher the cup, the better the experience.

🤎 Impression:

How does the coffee make me feel? This one is a little on the subjective side but I think it is an important one. When you drink a cup of coffee that is truly special – the drinking of it is impressionable, even once you have drained the last dregs. A good cup will leave you thinking about the experience afterwards. This is all about how the coffee makes you feel, what memories it unlocks, emotions it may stir or thoughts it conjures. Few coffees in my experience have really stirred me but when they do – you know they are special.