Coffee and Taste.
Coffee flavor is primarily determined by the quality of the green beans, roasting method, and brewing technique, but surprisingly little is said about "taste" itself—the very sense that allows us to perceive it.
This time, we will briefly cover the key points regarding the relationship between Coffee and taste.
1. What is Taste?
Taste is the perception created when taste receptor cells on the tongue chemically react with substances in the mouth. It is also deeply connected to smell and the trigeminal nerve (which perceives texture, temperature, etc.), creating flavor. Naturally, taste varies from person to person. It is also a perception that still has many unexplained aspects.
2. The Relationship Between Taste and Temperature
Human taste varies depending on the temperature of the substance in the mouth.
3. The Five Basic Tastes and How Temperature Affects Perception
Five basic tastes = sweetness, sourness, saltiness, bitterness, and umami
Generally, the temperatures at which humans find things most delicious are said to be 60–70°C for warm foods and 5–12°C for cold foods.
Sweetness is perceived most strongly around 35°C, close to body temperature; saltiness and bitterness are perceived more strongly as the temperature decreases; and sourness is said to be almost unaffected by temperature.
- Perception varies from person to person, and because certain substances can cause unique chemical reactions, not everything necessarily falls within this range.
For example, light-roast Coffee is often said to taste better after it has cooled slightly, and looking at it from a chemical perspective shows that this is generally true.
Due to its characteristics, light-roast Coffee is often brewed at a high temperature around 90–95°C to thoroughly extract its components. For this reason, while the aroma is pronounced immediately after brewing, the temperature is higher than the ideal range, and human taste cannot fully perceive the flavor. The sourness, which is said to be unaffected by temperature, should therefore taste particularly strong. Once the temperature drops to a range where taste can perceive the flavor, the Coffee's original complex taste becomes more apparent.
On the other hand, in the case of cold Coffee, such as cold brew, it is chilled in the refrigerator and poured into a cup with ice, but at that point, it is often below 5°C. Because it is slightly cooler than the ideal range, you cannot fully perceive the flavor. It is still quite delicious if drunk immediately, but waiting just a little longer will allow you to perceive more complex flavors.
- Bitterness is easier to perceive as the temperature decreases, but in the case of cold brew, the extraction temperature is low, making it difficult to extract bitterness in the first place, which results in a mellow taste.
4. The Ideal Temperature for Drinking Specialty Coffee
In conclusion, warm Coffee is easiest to taste after it has cooled slightly, and cold Coffee is easiest to taste when it has warmed up just a little.
- Warm Coffee begins to gradually lose its aromatic compounds through evaporation and chemical changes (such as oxidation) immediately after brewing, and after enough time has passed to fall outside the ideal temperature range, it is replaced by negative compounds. Please try to finish it within the ideal temperature range.
Although we have summarized it simply, there are still many unexplained aspects of taste, and when considering its relationship with other perceptions, the amount of information is vast and complex, making it difficult to speak about it in general terms. However, this time we have focused briefly on the relationship between Coffee flavor and taste as a general rule.
We hope this will be even slightly helpful in allowing you to enjoy specialty Coffee, with its excellent flavor characteristics, to the fullest.