What is the Sweetness in Coffee, What Does Coffee's Sweet Sensation Mean, and How Do Extracted Compounds Affect It

Understanding Sweetness in Coffee

Often, when we visit an unfamiliar coffee shop, we don't directly choose a specific coffee or bean, but instead tell the barista our preferences, hoping for a recommendation. Many people say they want something "sweeter," only to be surprised when the barista serves a dark, "bitter coffee," specifically emphasizing its high sweetness.

Wait... where's the sweetness? I can't taste it at all. Did the barista make a mistake?

The "Sweetness" Baristas Refer To

When a barista takes a sip of black coffee and says, "Wow, this coffee is so sweet!" the word "sweet" here carries two meanings: one is the high sweetness level of the coffee, and the other is its pleasant sweetness perception.

Similar to the sweetness values of fruits, the sweetness level of coffee cherries is primarily influenced by factors such as variety, cultivation management, altitude, and ripeness at harvest. For example, fully red cherries develop higher sweetness than unripe ones. Meanwhile, processing methods and roasting degree (time) determine the amount of sweet substances retained in coffee beans and the degree of sugar conversion. For instance, honey-processed and natural-processed coffees are more likely to present sweet flavors.

The sweetness level of a bag of roasted coffee beans can be considered an objective fixed value, while sweetness perception is a flavor description that includes both taste and smell when everyone tastes it. At this point, the level of sweetness perception is related to extraction methods, techniques, and the taster's sensory sensitivity. For example, when FrontStreet Coffee drinks natural-processed red label Geisha, they experience obvious cantaloupe-like fruit sweetness; when drinking washed Yirgacheffe, they perceive honey-like sweetness similar to floral aromas; and when tasting Paradise Bird, they notice a clear sweetness reminiscent of sugarcane.

Low Bitterness, High Sweetness

Many beginners who are just starting to explore specialty coffee often miss the sweetness that baristas describe, largely because the description of "sweet" differs significantly from the "bitter coffee" they typically drink. If you also think coffee is always bitter, why not start with a low-bitterness, high-sweetness coffee bean to ease your way in.

The sweetness in coffee doesn't exist in isolation. We perceive sweetness mainly through the balance between bitterness and acidity. For example, light to medium roasted beans naturally contain fewer bitter compounds. When fruit acids are properly extracted, the coffee will present a sweet-sour profile based on high acidity and low bitterness, reminding us of certain fruit flavors. FrontStreet Coffee experienced low bitterness, medium acidity, and high sweetness from light-roasted Hartmann Geisha.

Sweetness After Bitterness

Bitterness is the most sensitive of all tastes, with many perceiving it as an unpleasant sensation and the most easily detected flavor; while sweetness, which most people crave, refers to the pleasant sensation caused by sugars and is more difficult to perceive compared to other tastes. Simply put, our perception intensity of the four basic tastes follows this order: bitterness > sourness > saltiness > sweetness.

When bitterness and sweetness coexist in a cup of coffee, we often perceive bitterness first, followed by a sweet sensation that remains at the back of the tongue after swallowing. This pleasant sweetness inherent in bitter coffee is what people often describe as "aftertaste" or "sweetness that follows bitterness," most commonly found in medium to dark roasted coffees. For example, Blue Mountain No. 1 and Golden Mandheling exhibit this characteristic finish.

Aroma Creates the "Illusion of Sweetness" on the Tongue

Besides taste, we can actually perceive coffee's sweetness through our sense of smell. Olfaction is divided into two stages: orthonasal olfaction (smelling through the nose) and retronasal olfaction (smelling through the mouth). Orthonasal olfaction refers to the odors perceived by directly inhaling, which is how we experience the dry and wet aromas of coffee by smelling directly.

After coffee enters the mouth, taste buds first determine the intensity of sweet, sour, bitter, and salty flavors. Then, as we swallow, aromatic compounds travel to the nasal cavity, where our brain combines the tasted flavors with the nasal aromas, presenting the flavor of specific foods from our memory. This is retronasal olfaction.

When the specific aromas from retronasal olfaction remind us of very sweet foods, we subconsciously perceive the coffee as having high sweetness. When FrontStreet Coffee tasted Dorothy, they were reminded of biting into ripe apricot pulp, and subconsciously perceived the coffee as having the refreshing sweetness of peaches.

Still Not Sweet Enough? Then Add Sugar

In FrontStreet Coffee's view, everyone has different dietary habits, so their sensitivity to sweet, sour, bitter, and salty naturally varies. Even when drinking the same pot of coffee, some might find it very bitter while others perceive it as sweet. If you don't want the barista to serve what you consider "bitter coffee," why not add an extra sentence when ordering, specifying whether you prefer fruity sweetness, deep-roasted mellow sweetness, aromatic sweetness, or the sweetness from added sugar...

If you truly want to improve your ability to perceive coffee sweetness and discuss "the same sweetness" with baristas, you need to continuously taste beans of various styles, allowing your brain to accumulate memories of different sweet flavor profiles. Discuss more with friends who regularly drink coffee to compare and understand how coffee can express different levels of sweetness.

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FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)

No. 10, Bao'an Front Street, Yandun Road, Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473