How to Describe Coffee Aftertaste: Introduction to the Concept and Characteristics of Pour-Over Coffee's Lingering Sweetness

Understanding Coffee's Subtle Aftertaste

FrontStreet Coffee previously shared detailed content about how to distinguish coffee flavors and textures. These aspects represent the "primary subjects" of coffee tasting and are relatively easy to master with the right methods.

Now, FrontStreet Coffee will share insights about the "subtle" aftertaste. Compared to the primary sensory experiences of coffee flavor and texture, aftertaste is an aspect that many people tend to overlook. Some may perceive it but struggle to express it or determine whether it's good or bad.

What is Coffee Aftertaste?

To put it simply, coffee aftertaste refers to the expression of aroma, taste, and texture that remains after drinking coffee. You can think of this as a matter of timing—before swallowing coffee, the flavors, aromas, and textures you perceive are categorized as flavor and texture performance; what manifests after swallowing coffee is called aftertaste. This way, when drinking coffee in the future, you can determine which aspects belong to flavor and texture versus aftertaste based on this timeframe.

Why Does Aftertaste Exist?

Abstractly explained, when coffee liquid is in your mouth, its flavor is constructed by large molecules, weakly water-soluble coffee grounds, and well water-soluble small molecules. After swallowing coffee, some easily water-soluble small molecular substances leave with the coffee liquid, leaving behind some water-insoluble or weakly water-soluble molecules that adhere to the oral cavity, thereby creating different flavors from before.

Retro-nasal Olfaction and Aftertaste

Although aftertaste is the combined expression of aroma, taste, and texture in the mouth after swallowing coffee, the flavor of aftertaste is mainly dominated by the aroma remaining in the oral cavity. To experience this aroma, you need to rely on retro-nasal olfaction.

The method is quite simple: after swallowing coffee, close your lips tightly, then slowly exhale through your nose. The coffee aroma in your mouth will return through the nasopharyngeal passage to your nasal cavity, allowing you to perceive the coffee's flavor.

Therefore, if you want to experience coffee's aftertaste, your drinking method also matters.

How to Distinguish Good vs. Bad Aftertaste

Evaluating whether a cup of coffee is good or bad involves two dimensions. The first is the persistence of the aftertaste, and the second is the positive versus negative flavors of the aftertaste.

Logically, all coffee has aftertaste, but the duration varies among different coffees. For example, a good espresso's aftertaste might leave a caramel aroma in the mouth for about 10 minutes after drinking. An espresso with poor aftertaste loses its aroma within seconds after consumption.

In coffee cupping, aftertaste is also a scoring category, where the length of aftertaste serves as one of the scoring criteria. If a cup of coffee performs excellently in all aspects except for very short aftertaste duration, it can only receive a low score in this category.

Aftertaste also manifests in both positive and negative flavor expressions.

Negative Aftertaste Manifestations

Common negative aftertaste manifestations include dry, rough, throat-catching textures; persistent bitter flavors; astringent notes; strong fermentation aromas resembling fermented bean curd or overripe fruits...

Positive Aftertaste Manifestations

There are many positive aftertaste manifestations, with the most easily noticeable being "sweet return" (huigan). This occurs when drinking bitter-toned coffee—initially experiencing nutty chocolate bitterness, but after swallowing, the bitterness gives way to sweetness, filling the mouth with a "sweet" sensation.

In terms of aromatic aftertaste, bitter-toned coffees typically exhibit caramel, roasted nuts, and spice flavors. For example, Golden Mandheling coffee beans display sweetness with caramel and spice aromas in their aftertaste.

Acidic-toned coffees generally present oolong tea aromas, fruity sweetness, and honey notes. For example, classic washed Yirgacheffe coffee beans show green tea sensations and fresh orange peel aromas in their aftertaste.

Important Notice :

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