by SlowRain » Tue Nov 25, 2008 2:58 pm
So I'm not alone.
I don't drink espresso very often, but I had three today--actually, a double, then a single.
Apparently it was supposed to taste chocolaty, caramely, almondy, and walnuty. To me it tasted sour and sharp at the back of my mouth, okay at the front, something vapory like alcohol floating in my nose, and a short aftertaste that tasted like...well...coffee. After I told her the double tasted fruity, she gave me a funny look and a single on the house. The single was better, but I had also just had a piece of chocolate shortly before drinking it. The single still tasted fruity, but less so.
Even when I go in to buy beans, I usually look for something with a chocolate or caramel profile, and I avoid anything with citrus, acidy, fruity on the tasting notes. That's not necessarily because I can taste any of those flavors, it's just that what the person cupping writes down as those flavors happen to be what I've discovered I either like or dislike. I have yet to taste blueberries or chocolate in my cup. It all just tastes like coffee to me--subtly different coffee, but coffee nonetheless. I'm not even sure I'm interested in identifying the different flavors. So long as I know what words to look for on the tasting notes, I know what to buy. I also don't try to analyze my beef or Scotch, for example, to see what fruity or chocolaty flavors pop up, I just try to find the stuff that tastes good to me.