Like with wine tasting, coffee tasting is about finding the words to describe what you're reminded of as you sip and smell. Here are simple tasting steps:

1. Don’t add anything to the coffee for now; just keep it black.
2. Let the coffee cool down a bit after brewing. It’s harder to identify specific tastes when the coffee’s piping hot.
3. If possible, compare multiple coffees at once because it's easier to taste comparatively.
4. Answer these questions to begin to identify what you're tasting:

BODY

How does the consistency of the coffee feel as you sip? Perhaps like one of the following consistencies:

• Tea, thin (light body)
• Skim milk (medium body)
• Velvety (full body, heavy)

FLAVOR

Do any of these words capture the flavors you taste? Choose all that apply. Then, try to dig deeper. If it’s fruity, which fruits best match that type of fruitiness?

• Fruity
• Chocolatey
• Sugary
• Earthy
• Savory
• Nutty