- Posted by Bill Lush
- Thu, 11/12/2009 - 08:48
One More Complication on the Way To Judging Coffee
As if it wasn't complicated enough.
Sometimes I think that coffee is more complicated than wine. Forget about the up-front factors, like location, weather, ripeness of the fruit, processing, aging, etc. They both have those things in common. I'm just talking here about the final enjoyment.
With a bottle of wine, about the only thing that can change is the temperature of the pour. Sure, there are factors such as how the wine was stored, and the shape of the glass. But the latter is just a theory, and the former is pretty much out of your control (unless you have your own cellar). But with coffee, when you start with whole beans, you have control over so many variables; the fineness of the grind, the method of brewing, the temperature of the water, the purity of the water, the time of the brew, and probably a few others that I've forgotten.
So, let me add another. I've found that the flavor, or better said, the enjoyment of a cup of coffee can change dramatically depending on what you're eating along with it. In this, it's not any different from a glass of wine. There are some coffees that are best sipped alone, with nothing but maybe some good conversation on the side. Then there are others that taste terrible by themselves, but go great with something sweet, like the traditional apple pie. Strong brews go with maybe a hard biscotti, while others are better with a piece of soft chocolate. And how about a corn muffin? I LOVE those things with my morning pick-me-up.
Then there is the complication of adding milk. Personally, I'm a black-coffee drinker (no sugar either, thank you), but I can sympathize with others who add the stuff. On the other hand, I can't stand to watch skimmed milk poured into a cup. It does nothing worthwhile: first it disappears, and then, to make matters worse, it waters down the flavor.
I like experimenting with taste. It's like doing math. You change either side of the equation, and see how it affects the result. It's just COMPLICATED, that's all.
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REVIEWS & COMMENTS
COMPLICATED BUT MORE ACCESSIBLE?
Son Ton | Mon, 01/23/2012 - 19:59I agree that there are a lot more to enjoying great coffee! First of all, if you want great coffee, you must brew it yourself! second, coffee is much more accessible esprecially for someone who is financially constrained like myself!
INCLUDING THE BREWING OF
intrepid510 | Wed, 12/07/2011 - 15:03Including the brewing of that cup of coffee. I am right with you skimmed milk thing in regular coffee, it's just disgusting. In a real strong cup of coffee I like a touch of half and half as it cuts bold flavors and gives a slightly better mouthfeel in my opinion.
MUCH HARDER THAN WINE
Wakeknot | Tue, 09/27/2011 - 18:58with wine you don't have to do anything but pour it, with coffee each one is best pulled or drunk in its own way so rating them is far from easy. some of my favorites I didn't even like at first because I didn't know how to get the best out of them. that is not true of any wine.
ON TIME
EricBNC | Mon, 09/05/2011 - 18:03Even the time of day can affect your ability to taste.
COMPLICATED AND DELICIOUS
Gabriela Cordón | Fri, 11/13/2009 - 16:46I agree, enjoying coffee is just the final step of thousands of people's cultivation, harvest, processing, storing, roasting, cupping, exporting, importing, distributing, roasting, cupping, buying and then brewing.
If just one of this single activities goes wrong, because one of those thousand people ruined it, it is impossible to enjoy the cup of coffee and it is better to ad milk and sugar. But if all of them were skilled, professional and passionate about their jobs, then one can enjoy every single flavor and aromas it can provide.
It is one of those, if not all pleasures in life, where everything has to be right on so you can enjoy. And that is where its complexity and richness combine. Just a delicious pleasure!