Coffee Tasting – Understanding the Senses

A Sensory Journey with Specialty Coffee: Exploring the Five Senses with tasting advice from the legendary Freda Yuan.

Introduction

Welcome back to caretta coffee, today, we will be discussing something we find very enjoyable in the speciality coffee industry – tasting! Understanding how coffee tastes and how to slow down and use your senses to find a story with each cup. We will be using some insights from the book Sip ‘n’ Slurp by Freda Yuan, the director of coffee at origin coffee roasters to explore the key components that shape our sensory experience.

So, let’s get started.

The Visuals

Like we’ve said before, coffee is a story, it tells us a story of flavour, origin, process and roasting profile through the visions of the farmers and roasters, to create something that can be enjoyed by everyone.

There are lots of visual aspects of coffee to look out for when in search of that perfect cup.

The colour of the roast: What colour are the coffee beans? This can be a real indicator of how the coffee will taste. A lighter roast offers vibrant acidity, a more prominent sweetness and medium to darker roasters, a caramel, chocolate and even a bold and Smokey profile.

Before you drink the coffee your eyes are forming a visual expectation, coffee tells that story, and the more you develop your senses you can train your palate to identify flavour profiles, origin and roast profiles.

Things to look out for:

Colour of Roast: Lighter roasts reveal vibrant acidity and delicate sweetness, while darker roasts lean toward caramel, chocolate, or smoky notes.
Crema texture: In espresso, a strong crema is a sign of freshness.
The Brew clarity: Manual filter coffee or Pour-overs tend to be clean and tea-like, while immersion brews like the aeropress and French Press offer a fuller body and thicker consistency.

In the book sip ‘n’ slurp by the director of coffee at origin coffee roasters Freda Yuan. We’re reminded by the 3 x uk cup tasters champion that sight not only I forms but influences how we taste. What we see here is primes how we perceive

Aromatics – The Smell

Aromatics or aroma is an emotional aspect of coffee. Often seen as the most important when tasting, our sense of smell can identify hundreds of volatile compounds and many of them don’t even translate into tasting.

Main Aromatics:

Fruity: Lemon, peach, berries
Nutty or chocolatey: Common in medium and dark roasts
Earthy or spicy: Typical in Sumatran, Asian or natural-processed coffees

Freda emphasises in Sip ’n’ Slurp that mindful smelling builds connection to the present moment. It is often the aroma that brings up memory, emotion, and anticipation for what’s to come.

Taste – The Big Five

Our tongues detects five basic tastes and each of these adds depth, complexity and character to the coffee we’re tasting.

Here is how they appear in your brews:

Sweet

Sweetness brings balance and structure to a cup. In coffee, this can be expressed as:

Brown sugar
Caramel
Honey
Ripe fruits

Sweetness is a sign of good processing and roast development. Freda calls it the “emotional warmth” in a well-rounded cup.

Sour (Acidity)

Acidity gives coffee brightness and vibrancy—like a squeeze of a lemon or citrus on the tip of your tongue. Positive acidity tastes like:

Green apple
Lemon
Cranberry

Freda notes that acidity without balance can feel harsh. But when integrated well, it brings clarity and energy to the brew.

Bitter

Bitterness is nuanced and often misunderstood. When in balance, it adds richness and body to our coffee.

Think of:

Dark chocolate
Cocoa nibs
Roasted nuts

Excess bitterness may signal over-roasting or over-extraction. Freda teaches cuppers to embrace some bitterness while identifying its cause.

Salty

Salinity in coffee is subtle but essential. It can:

Enhance sweetness
Reduce bitterness
Highlight minerality

Sometimes you’ll find this in coffees from mineral-rich soil. Even a small pinch of salt can change how we perceive a cup.

Umami

Umami is savoury, brothy, and mouth-filling. It’s less obvious in coffee but definitely present—especially in:

Sumatran coffees
Aged or monsooned coffees
Darker roasts or espresso

Umami emerges from amino acids formed during roasting and fermentation. Freda Yuan encourages cuppers to explore these deeper, rounder flavour notes through mindful slurping and reflection.

Mouthfeel

Touch is a crucial part of flavour perception—what Freda calls “the physical experience of coffee.”

Mouthfeel includes:

Body: Light, medium, or full
Texture: Creamy, oily, gritty, silky
Temperature: Affects flavour clarity and viscosity

A coffee’s texture tells you just as much as its flavour notes. Think about how espresso feels on the tongue compared to a pour-over.

Hearing: The Forgotten Sense

Sound doesn’t get much love in the sensory world of coffee, but it’s more important than we think.

Listen for:

The pitch of your grinder
The gurgle of water hitting coffee
The hiss of bloom and release of CO₂
The slurp during cupping or tasting

Freda, teaches that even sound is part of a mindful coffee ritual. Listening connects you to the moment, adding richness to the experience.

Freda Yuan’s Mindful Tasting Routine

In Sip ’n’ Slurp, Freda introduces a simple but transformative routine to develop your sensory awareness.

Her suggested steps:

Be present and take a deep breath.
Observe the coffee visually.
Smell deeply and attentively.
Slurp to spread the brew across your palate.
Identify dominant flavours (sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami).
Reflect on the texture and mouthfeel.
Consider the finish and aftertaste.
Write down what you experienced.

This isn’t just about skill—it’s about connection. Each cup becomes an invitation to be fully present.

Training Your Umami Awareness

Umami can be elusive—but with practice, you can learn to recognise and appreciate it.

Tips to build umami sensitivity:

Taste umami-rich foods (e.g. tomatoes, miso, soy sauce, Parmesan).
Try immersion brews (e.g. French press) for more body and savoury depth.
Experiment with darker roasts where umami compounds are more concentrated.
Explore origins known for savoury notes, like Sumatra or Papua New Guinea.

Summary

Coffee is so much more than caffeine—it’s a rich, sensory experience. When we engage all five senses, every brew becomes a moment of mindfulness.

By incorporating Freda Yuan’s mindful approach from Sip ’n’ Slurp and understanding how flavours like umami appear in the cup, we unlock new layers of appreciation for the coffees we love. And that’s it, we really hope this article has helped you unlock your senses in the world that is sensory and coffee tasting.

Until next time, have a good week. We’ll catch you on the next one.