"Nutty with varying tones of vanilla and aromatic pomegranate along with highlights of..." JUST STOP RIGHT THERE. There's no way that coffee can taste like all of these things. I mean isn't there just one coffee flavor? COFFEE! Duh! That makes sense doesn't it. These are the thoughts that run through my mind as I stand in line at Starbucks and begin reading the descriptions of each roast of coffee beans. In all seriousness, does anyone truly analyze the taste of their coffee on their commute to work or their cold morning walk to classes? Maybe. But the vast majority of people are just trying to find something that keeps them warm and keeps them going for the morning grind. However, it was my goal to get to the bottom of this taste debate. So after some investigation, here is what I managed to find.
I began my search at one of the better known coffee roaster's website, Counter Culture Coffee. They use a wheel of flavors and aromas that are color coordinated to determine flavors of coffee. The whole thing is pretty overwhelming. It also brought up some important questions such as "How does coffee taste like melons?" and "How can coffee be 'tea-like,' isn't it coffee?" However, after reading some other sites it turns out there is a method to this madness.
Becoming a coffee taster is quite a process as demonstrated by this article on coffee.org http://www.coffee.org/Becoming-a-Coffee-Taster-Coffee-Tasters . This basic idea behind all of it, is that there IS actually a process and resource pool for people who want to become coffee tasters. There's a certificate program and a whole association dedicated to professional coffee tasters. Now for those of you who are reading this thinking "What a bunch of B.S," I am right there with you because that's exactly what I said at first. However, there actually seems to be something more to it even if it seems like a bunch of malarkey.
So apparently, there is this thing called "Cupping" that professionals do in tasting coffee. Now, while cupping may have numerous definitions on Urban Dictionary, it means something completely different in this situation (so get your head out of the gutter!). First, the beans are weighed, ground, and separated by particle size. Next, the beans go through a smelling process and are eventually brewed. They should form a crust on the top of the cup. Finally, the coffee is tasted with a spoon. You are actually supposed to slurp the coffee from the spoon to get the best taste. From this process, it is said that professionals who are properly trained can pick out even those slightest of aromatic flavors in coffee beans.
So I guess there really isn't a defined answer to this question of tastes. You either have the gift of expert coffee tasting or you simply don't. Either way, it still seems pretty ridiculous to market a specific type of coffee as having "tones of xyz..." and "an aromatic presence of 'who cares?'...". In this coffee drinker's opinion, the jury is still out.
