Why is Espresso Served with Ice Water? How Does Ice Water Cleanse the Palate? How to Enhance Coffee Flavor Perception?

In the past couple of days, regular customers at FrontStreet Coffee have noticed an interesting phenomenon! Some customers who clearly ordered a hot coffee still asked FrontStreet Coffee for a glass of ice water. Then before drinking their coffee, they would take a sip of ice water first. This left some wondering - what benefits does this practice have? Alternating between hot and cold, wouldn't it cause stomach upset...

Don't underestimate this seemingly simple action! It can actually be quite helpful for coffee tasting!

What Are the Benefits of Drinking Ice Water for Coffee Tasting?

The so-called "ice water" is simply cold water made from ice and water. While it's quite simple to prepare, as mentioned above, its effects shouldn't be underestimated! (Remember to check the precautions at the end of this article)

After we eat or drink something, food residues remain in our mouth. These residues continuously release volatile compounds that coat our oral cavity, filling it with the aroma of food. To give a simple example: the sweet aftertaste we experience after drinking coffee comes from substances released by residual coffee oils in our mouth, which are detected by our taste buds and retronasal olfaction. Since these substances release flavors, their presence affects our perception and ability to distinguish coffee characteristics. At this point, we need a "cleaner" to remove them and reduce obstacles to coffee tasting. But surprisingly, this "cleaner" is not ice water!

Unexpected, isn't it? Just kidding! The actual "cleaner" is our saliva. Enzymes in saliva help us clear substances from our mouth and inhibit the release of volatile compounds. When we drink ice water, its low temperature stimulates the mucous membranes in our mouth and throat, causing us to secrete more saliva. This saliva then helps clean these substances. When we drink coffee afterward, we can better perceive the coffee's own flavor compounds!

Origin of This Practice

Many people have developed this habit mostly because they've tried espresso at coffee shops. Since espresso has a higher concentration and more intense flavors, when flavors are too concentrated, our ability to perceive them decreases. If we drink it directly, excessive substances in our mouth might create obstacles, making it harder to perceive the espresso's flavors. That's why coffee shops typically serve a glass of ice water with espresso - allowing us to "rinse our mouth" before drinking, so we can better perceive the flavors of this concentrated beverage!

Important Considerations

However! FrontStreet Coffee does not recommend drinking large amounts of ice water this way! Ice water itself is quite stimulating, and when combined with hot coffee (another temperature extreme), drinking large amounts can easily cause constriction of gastric mucosal blood vessels, increasing the burden on your digestive system. If you want to cleanse your palate to better taste coffee, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using room temperature water instead. While the effect might not be as pronounced, it offers better health protection. After all, your health is most important.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473