HOW TO TASTE COFFEE: A Lexicon for Coffee Lovers

I'm sure there will be a fair amount of "you're a snob" comments, and I'll allow it. This does come off as snobby; but, I believe in improving communication so as to relay our experiences to one another more efficiently and effectively. I hope you enjoy! Hit that subscribe and like if you enjoy these videos!
(inspiration from beginning take- Peter McKinnon)

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[LanceHedrick]

Please hit that Like and Subscribe if you enjoyed the video! I can't express not only the help that provides the channel, but the motivation it gives me, personally, to continue creating. Thanks!

[willardcw]

I was a sensory judge for brewers cup prelims for the first time last month and this video resonated a lot with everything I learned to express the cup experience. Great video!

[jacobfiksel]

Probably my favorite video of yours yet! I would love more content like this, it really complements your gear reviews so that us home coffee enthusiasts can really understand what you're saying when you're reviewing grinders. I would be interested in how taste preferences differ between professionals and home enthusiasts. I know that in wine, sommeliers tend to really like super high acidity wines, like dry rieslings, since they're really refreshing after tasting heavy wines all day, whereas people at home might like something different because they don't need to refresh their palette

[Chiffonkek]

Hi from Malaysia! The term "Fidelity" is definitely a useful one when describing taste, thanks for bringing that up and kudos to Shotwell for coming up with it!

[observinghumanity]

I have enjoyed coffee since I was a teen, but until recently I had never experienced the true complexity of a great coffee that has been brewed with skill and care. I appreciate your insight as it has helped me learn a lot about making myself and my loved ones a great cup of coffee. The only downside I have experienced is that it has set my expectations much higher when I go out and get a coffee from a local coffee shop.

[kristianrother]

I find it interesting that you refer to "black tea" as a taste around 9:16. Coming from high end tea and diving into coffee, tasting "black tea" can be as nuanced as coffee (arguably more). However, interestingly when tasting teas I also used "like coffee" without much nuance to describe taste and aroma. Goes to show that we like to aggregate tastes and aromas that we haven't specialized in. I'm sure somewhere there's professional apple tasters chuckling at tea/coffee tasters describing their beverages with wordings like "a hint of apple". Like you said, food is memories. A surprisingly profound insight. I recently tasted fresh mangosteen for the first time when traveling Asia and it reminded me of a tea I drank a long time ago that I had just described as "kind of fruity". I guess the takeaway here is that consciously tasting more food and beverages is a virtuous circle that makes the experience even more fun the more you try.

[gregorcutt]

Thanks for making the characteristics of coffee much more relatable. I especially enjoy your randomness as you relate ideas and concepts to the audience.

[Elmusiico]

When Lance teaches, the world listens 👌

[BD-ouke]

Another great video!!! Maybe next another brew recipe and explanation? Thx lance

[alexanderaube]

Thank you so much for that video! This was probably the most helpful video I’ve watched yet on tasting coffee, really loved how you explained each aspect of taste separately!

[scottkelly]

I'm a fairly new coffee nerd so this was super helpful. But the thing I can't seem to wrap my mind around is describing coffee flavor as various food items. I've been assiduously utilizing high-quality beans, purchased from many of the distributors used in these videos, an 1zepresso k-ultra dialed in properly, and a V60 for months now. These upgrades have made my coffee experience 1000% better in recent months. But still, never do I think, "Wow, this coffee tastes like stonefruit, or pineapple, or molasses, etc. To me it just tastes like high-end coffee. I can understand describing different brews with terms like "sour, bitter, strong, sweet, etc" but citing specific foods doesn't make sense to me. What am I missing here?

[hoongfu]

Thanks for this video. It was SUPER informative as well as entertaining. Love the b roll. Thank you for educating.

[geegeedrox]

This is the kind of video that start its own playlist. Keep them coming!

[ruyujiang]

Super helpful! Thank you so much Lance! Trying to learn roast at next stage. This is the fundamentals that I needed! 🤜🤜

[aucupomeliora]

Great video Lance, you are a great coach and ambassador, bringing a fun experience and appreciation of coffee. Your depth of knowledge, interest and passion are enlightening and I have learned so much from your videos. Thanks for putting yourself and your passion out there! Respect and Gratitude

[OneIdeaTooMany]

when I was a barista and we'd open in the morning I started off by getting other baristas to help me dial in. I eventually got used to the taste of what they wanted and got used to dialling in to that taste but after watching your video, I know my palette wasn't developed enough to really understand why it was good or bad.

[DaveNYC]

Excellent video and information. I finally understand “clarity”. It’s funny because just last weekend I was trying to explain a poorly brewed coffee to a friend and said the flavors were “all jammed up so nothing specific really came through.” Was on the right track but now I would say it lacks clarity!

[jackshillinglaw]

This has cleared up so much. Thanks a lot mate. Massive fan of the videos and the work you do 👌🏼

[SUBKOLOR]

this is SUCH a great class. Thank you so much for producing this. Excited to share with my team.

[thealimustafa]

I think this is Lance's best video thus far, especially the idea of expanding ones conscious palate along with the lexicon. Awesome work like always!