Talking Coffee: Taste vs. Flavor

 As Schuil drinkers, we’re sure you’re no stranger to talking coffee. But skills can always serve to be honed, and so can one’s coffee vocabulary. Two of the most commonly used terms when it comes to coffee talk are “flavor” and “taste.” They’re often used interchangeably, but they actually refer to different aspects of the sensory experience that accompanies a cup of coffee.

Taste refers to the basic sensations that our taste buds can detect: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami (savory). These sensations are detected by taste receptors located on our tongues and are processed by the brain to create our perception of taste.

Flavor, on the other hand, is a complex combination of taste, smell, and other sensations such as texture and temperature. When we take a sip of coffee, the aromas from the cup travel through our nasal passages to our olfactory receptors, which play a crucial role in creating the perception of flavor. Other sensations, such as a coffee’s temperature and even the sound it makes when we drink it can also contribute to our perception of flavor.

While all Schuil coffees are rich in delicious tastes and flavors, the definition and range of flavors in coffees like our Ethiopia, Costa Rica La Minita, and Bali Blue Moon offer a chance to exercise your expanded coffee vocabulary by trying to distinguish between their vast tastes and flavors. Do an at-home tasting of all three together to really put your coffee chops to the test!