Is Aftertaste and Sweetness the Same Thing in Coffee?

"Returning sweetness and promoting saliva production, bitterness gives way to sweetness" is the highest praise people give to a good cup of tea. In coffee tasting, the term "huigan" (returning sweetness) is also often used, typically referring to coffee with a pleasant mouthfeel. So what exactly is the taste experience when perceiving huigan in coffee? And how does it differ from the sweetness of coffee?

Understanding Aftertaste in Coffee

The aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel exhibited by coffee compounds remaining in the mouth after swallowing are what we call aftertaste. Before swallowing, the perceived coffee flavors, aromas, and textures are categorized as flavor and mouthfeel performance; while these characteristics exhibited after swallowing coffee are called aftertaste. You can simply understand this as a matter of time difference. This way, when tasting coffee in the future, you can determine which part belongs to flavor and mouthfeel, and which part belongs to aftertaste based on this time period.

Aftertaste is typically divided into two types: positive and negative. Good coffee naturally has positive aftertaste, such as floral notes, fruity sweetness, tea-like qualities, honey-like sensations, and so on. Huigan belongs to this category of positive aftertaste. Negative aftertaste manifestations commonly include earthy, rubbery, woody chip flavors, as well as unpleasant mouthfeel such as dryness, roughness, and throat-catching.

In addition to quality, we also evaluate aftertaste based on its duration. The longer good flavors linger, the better the aftertaste performance. For example, a cup of Warm Sun espresso with good aftertaste will leave residual fermentation and cocoa aromas in the mouth for up to ten minutes after drinking, while espresso with short aftertaste, even without negative mouthfeel, will have its aromas completely disappear within seconds.

The Nature of Huigan (Returning Sweetness)

Next, let's take a closer look at the manifestation of huigan. It's a taste bud experience where coffee initially has slight bitterness or astringency upon entry, followed by sweetness gradually surpassing the bitter (or sour) astringent sensation, ultimately concluding with a sweet finish. The so-called "bitterness first, then sweetness" means the clear sweet aroma that returns after the bitterness dissipates in the mouth. For example, the oil citron from Chaoshan region: the first bite brings a stimulating sourness with slight tongue surface astringency, followed by the mouth beginning to produce saliva while filling with clear sweet flavor.

From this, it can be seen that huigan here is a flavor that manifests based on a certain degree of bitterness or astringency. Unlike the direct sweetness felt when eating candy, it must experience "bitterness" and be highlighted by "bitterness" to be called "huigan." However, it should be noted that the degree of bitterness and the intensity of huigan do not necessarily have a direct correlation. An over-extracted coffee might be very bitter but may not necessarily have huigan.

When we evaluate dark roast coffee beans that emphasize bitterness, huigan becomes a very good indicator. For example, when FrontStreet Coffee tastes Brazil Queen Estate coffee, it first experiences a bitter aroma like roasted peanuts and dark chocolate, followed by the bitterness gradually fading, accompanied by a sweet taste that continues for some time without diminishing—this can be described as having good huigan.

Different Roast Levels and Their Aftertaste

Nowadays, many coffees adopt light roasting methods, which highlight floral notes and rich fruit acidity while reducing the mellow, solid bitterness. Coffee brewed this way contains more small molecular compounds with strong hydrophilicity and volatility. Combined with rich organic acid components, it promotes saliva secretion upon entry, thereby accelerating the loss of flavor. This is also why when drinking light roast coffee, the aftertaste experience is often not as strong and persistent as with dark roast coffee.

For this reason, compared to the term "huigan," baristas prefer to describe the aftertaste of these floral and fruity coffees by combining their lingering aroma and sweet-sour aftertaste in the mouth. For example, when FrontStreet Coffee cups the washed Boquete Geisha, it would describe the aftertaste as having Tie Guan Yin tea-like qualities, sugar orange-like fruit acidity, and honey-sweet aromas.

The Science Behind Sweet Perception

Finally, FrontStreet Coffee has noticed a phenomenon where some friends interpret the sweetness perceived after drinking coffee and then water as huigan. In fact, this is an oral illusion caused by sensory contrast under the impact of bitterness. Because sweetness and bitterness are relative concepts, when you taste sucrose, you'll find that water has some bitterness, while when you've tasted bitter coffee, you'll find water is sweet. This phenomenon is a contrast effect. Similarly, huigan can also be understood as an illusion in the mouth under the impact of bitterness.

- END -

FrontStreet Coffee

No. 10, Bao'an Qianjie, 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