Choose a Coffee for You
Whether it’s music, food, or podcasts, we all have preferences and things we do or don’t enjoy. The same is then true of our taste in coffee! So how do you know what kind of coffee you are going to enjoy? Here are some helpful pointers on how to select coffees you find delicious.
Flavor Profiles
Not all coffees taste the same—some are rich and chocolatey, while others can be more bright and fruity. When you drink coffee, a helpful tool for identifying its tasting notes is this flavor wheel from the Speciality Coffee Association. (If you’re interested, check out this video that addresses using flavors more typically found in the non-Western world in coffee tasting). The coffees we offer span a range of flavor profiles. The flavors we taste when we drink the coffee are indicated on the bag’s label (for more help understanding our labels, click here). You can also find more information about a coffee’s specific tastes by going to its description on our website (for example, click here), or by asking one of our baristas in the Cafe.
While a number of different factors can affect a coffee’s flavor, one key component to look out for is how a coffee is processed. This refers to how the fruit of the coffee cherry is removed from the seed (what we call the coffee bean!). Our blog post goes over the most common processing methods. A general rule of thumb is that natural coffees tend to be sweet and fruity, but can sometimes taste a bit fermented. Washed coffees often taste clean and bright, and allow the complexities of the coffee’s inherent flavors to shine through. Other kinds of processes tend to fall along this spectrum. This post, from the Barista Institute, goes through different processes in more detail.
In the end, the flavors you will prefer in your coffee comes down to personal preference. Some people prefer a more straightforward cup—creamy and chocolatey flavors (like our Ruca house blend)—where others might prefer something lighter and more surprising, like this fruity and floral single origin coffee from El Salvador. The best way to figure out what you like is to try different coffees, and ask us for advice if you’re not sure where to start!
Brewing Method / Equipment
If you’re brewing your coffee at home, the equipment you use may affect how your coffee tastes. For example, if someone’s home brewing system is well stocked and dialed in to the point where it’s basically like a mini Cafe, pretty much any specialty coffee would turn out delicious. But if you’re working with your parent’s parent’s automatic drip brewer and don’t have access to a good grinder [link grinding article here?], a super funky natural processed single-origin coffee from Ethiopia might not fare as well as our Amoret espresso blend, for example. Different coffees may hold up better when brewing conditions aren’t perfect. Coffees with lighter tasting notes (think tea-like floral fruity flavors) may lose their complex delicious sweetness if over or under-extracted. So, if you’re too tired in the mornings to weigh out your beans, it might be best to choose a coffee that doesn’t need to be perfectly dialed in to taste amazing.
A practical example
How about an example so you can have some practice in selecting your coffee? Let’s say you’ve recently got into home brewing, and you’re working with a nice hand grinder and an Aeropress. You’re looking for a coffee that’s easy to enjoy, and easy to share with your friends so you can get some more of them on board with your new coffee obsession. Do you think it’d be better to choose a washed coffee with chocolate in the tasting notes, or a natural processed coffee with unfamiliar fruity flavors? In this instance, we’d recommend the former, something like our Ruca house blend.
It’s important to us to be able to provide sweet, beautiful coffee for everyone, no matter your preferences. The best way to choose a coffee is to figure out what flavors you enjoy. We’re always happy to answer your questions or help you sample our coffees in our cafes. Whether you love any coffee you can get loaded with milk and sugar, or the latest experimental process out of Honduras, we’ve got you covered.
Liz Clayton
Though Liz now lives in Oxford, England, she grew up on the North Shore, and was the first ever Tala employee! She stays in touch with the Tala fam and loves squeezing in shifts every time she’s back home. Fueled by pour-overs, she now spends her time being a perpetual professional student and going on adventures in the English countryside.