A Beginners Guide to Coffee Tasting 

James, your videos matter. For someone trying to find their own way in coffee, you are a great ally. Thanks again.

2:17 Aroma 3:21 Acidity 6:12 Sweetness 7:58 Body/texture/mouthfeel 9:50 Finish 10:57 Skillshare 11:57 Flavor introduction 13:12 Flavor - Fruity 15:35 Caramelization (aka things that have gone brown and are now delicious) 16:20 Flavor description tips 17:02 Scoring 17:36 Bitterness

after V60 now this? God i am in heaven.

For the sweetness you're referring to; in Chinese we have a phrase called 回甘 (huí gān) or just the word 甘 (gān) used to specifically describe a non-sugary sweetness, a sort of pleasant and sweet lingering aftertaste typically associated with tea.

This is a weird side effect of James' videos taking off in popularity: the strengthening of the Filipino coffee community through online groups and how it's starting to reach a wider audience outside of the upper-middle income folks who typically frequent third wave coffee shops. I'm seeing so many people in our local community learn more about coffee, and purchase their very first pour-over kit, and many of them talk about your video as soon as it gets uploaded. No doubt your videos have offered a sense of accessibility and inclusivity for coffee that was once viewed as the rich snob's hobby. Thank you, even if you don't know that this is where it led to. This is great. Keep going.

me: *sips coffee* also me: hmm tastes like coffee

I’m a cocktail bartender and a professional barista. I literally watch your videos over and over again man, they help me not to forget pieces that I may have unintentionally. You have struck a perfect deliverance of amazing content that appeals to both novice and pros alike. You literally are a guiding light for pretty much everyone in the coffee industry and home baristas alike. I think I can speak for everyone, thank you sir, we must protect you at all costs.

Ah yes, my favourite food-group "things that have gone brown and are now delicious". 😋

A huge thank you from a person who was intimidated out of existense by people who tried to explain flavours. It always seemed to be like "this roast should taste like yellow fruit and maple syrup and doorknob and how on earth can't you tell". The way you explain things makes me want to experiment more and find out what things actually feel like!

Sir, I could listen to you talking about coffee forever! Really grateful for all the content you put out, the world of coffee can sometimes seem so difficult and your perspective allows me to just enjoy and try it.

Soooo glad you touched on the sour/bitter confusion. After quite some time, I came to the conclusion that what I was perceiving/describing as bitterness, was, in fact, acidity.

My local coffee shop/roaster (they have the roaster inside the shop) do free monthly cupping sessions, it's been amazing for developing tasting skills. The last time I went, there were six coffees, 3 from Ethiopia and three from Columbia. Having the chance to taste from 6 different cups was great. They're actually fairly close to you (Hertford about 25 miles north of London) if you're ever in the area, you should visit. The shops called the Bionic Bull coffee Lab. They do V60's, Aeropress and batch brews. Ps I'm LOVING your V60 method, I was brewing in a kettle then transferring to the Hario gooseneck, I still do, but now I'm bringing it to the boil before pouring. The swirl is also a great addition :)

I'm 10 minutes in and all I can think about is how cold your two cups of coffee must be by now.

I’m a coffee professional and still find this to be useful. You present and teach in ways that make it seem so much simpler than when I started out.

Goddamn you are a charming individual. It's sp great to hear your balanced, selfaware, thoughtful perspective on this whole taste thing. This is lovely to watch!

Been rough lately and from watching your videos for consecutive days ( as anything about coffee brings me so much relief ), there is one detail in your contents/ videos that actually I want to point out: Your tagline, " I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY. " I just realize now how very, very simple but to me the most sincere. So yeah, I hope we all do.

I just adore the fact of your personal approach to coffee cognition. That is an essential matter and aspect often excluded by people experiencing coffee tasting. I just want to thank you for the work you’re doing out here. Thank you, James.

I’ve seen 100 ads for skillshare before, but this was the first time I wanted to check it out. Thanks for the great content!

Your channel is my new obsession. It’s refreshing and exhilarating to hear someone so intelligent and knowledgeable talking about something passionately but without being pretentious. I could listen to you talk about anything for hours! Thank you. 😊

Really enjoyed the complete breakdown of the process. I also found it refreshing when you give us your take on how you do things different from the community.

Just got my first job as a “Coffee Manager.” This is super helpful for me to explain to my barista how this stuff works. It’s so hard for me to put into words sometimes. Thank you!

I’ve really loved watching your videos, especially with the recent topics! I love being able to hear about the intricacies of coffee from someone who is a professional in the field, not just a guy who likes coffee and has a camera. Thank you for your time in making these videos, they are incredibly helpful and exciting to watch!

James, you have a very special knack of breaking down complex knowledge into easily digestible bites (especially for true beginners like me) and making it highly entertaining at the same time. I am convinced you could explain the process of paint drying and make it riveting. All jokes apart, I truly appreciate how you share your passion for and vast knowledge of coffee with us. THANK YOU.

I'm from Guatemala and your videos got me interested in coffee at a deeper level, thanks a lot for opening my eyes to many topics on everything about coffee

10:30pm here in New Zealand and a perfect way to nod off dreaming of that morning coffee 👌🏻

I'm just getting into home roasting, and generally appreciating coffee more. Just wanted to let you know that your videos are fantastic. You're the helping hand I was looking for Thank you!

I’m a few years into my journey as a weird coffee nerd and James you were a big part of it. I think what you do is great, your videos allow people to get into coffee as hobby who might not of because of the intimidation and the pretty high cost and I think that’s just really great. So thank you!

Very informative as always James. A great starting point to tasting. It kinda reminds me to the many wine courses I had long time ago. You learn to develop smelling and tasting the coffee smell and taste, trying to dig deeper if possible... The result comes always to personal taste and flavours. Thanks!

James, these latest videos you've put out, and indeed, all the videos that help a novice or beginner in the coffee world bridge that gap between the professional community and the widely available commercial atmosphere are so, so important. I can't thank you enough as someone who has aspirations to open a coffee education/information center one day. Accessibility is key to reminding career baristas and lay people alike what we're doing this for, and who we're doing this for. Honestly, thank you for all that you do for our community and for being a source of challenge and inspiration so that we might, as the SCA says, "Make Coffee Better."

This was wonderful! I just started trying coffee and was feeling like a failure or an idiot when I couldn't taste the blueberries, jasmine, lemon, toffee, etc. that was noted on the bags... With your two videos on how to cup and taste coffee, I feel a lot more confident about, well, being a beginner! I really appreciated how reassuring you were in this video, and how accessible you made specialty coffee to people like me. Thank you! Definitely subscribing!

Just taking a moment to appreciate how you articulated such an abstract concept so well.

Thank you for this channel, James! I’ve been watching your videos daily for almost a week now and they’ve been so knowledgeable. I’m dreaming (and starting the process of planning) to open a coffee shop locally sometime hopefully in the near future, and this channel has truly been my go-to for coffee knowledge and skill. Thank you.

I’m not a coffee drinker but your channel made me to become more curious about it .I love how passionate you are about it and I think your love for coffee makes me like it more.

Let's applaud this for guy, and let us note that he's gotten around 19k subscribers over the last 5 days. Trending !

"Coffee is a moving target." It is indeed! As such, it brings forth diversity of experience having sipped coffee out of many cups.

I’m not a barista. Will never be but watching your channel has given me so much information. I want to try and note down all the flavours I feel. Thank you. This is something I definitely want to try.

These uploads are the exact content RU-vid hasn’t had in a while. You’ve done an excellent job.

You call this a beginners guide but I'm developing strategies to use for Brewer's competition next week as an experienced barista from this. This was amazing and I'm really grateful for the time and effort you put into your videos.

Thank you, James! After reading all of the terms used in cupping coffee over and over again through the last 15 years, I *finally* understand what they mean. My green coffee supplier cups every batch of the coffee he sells, and his scores and descriptors never meant anything to me; I might as well just flip a coin to decide what I purchase. Thanks to this video (and a few of your other videos), I can now choose my coffees more intelligently.

We have a civilization. I appreciate Mr. Hoffman's reminding us of that reassuring fact.

I wish every RU-vid coffee video could be recast with James Hoffman. The best coffee teaching and soothing clean coffee vibes. You make me want to drink another cup right now.

Taking the snob out of coffee snob, and leaving just the good brew, I love you (in the wholesome sense)

I have been through so many coffee cupping videos. And this one made the most sense to me as a total noob and beginner. Thanks a lot for making this video.

Thanks for this James. This video has confirmed a few things, but I’ve learned a few things too. Really appreciate the level of detail in your videos as a whole. I haven’t found many (any?) people regularly going into this kind of detail about coffee on RU-vid. Find it all really helpful.

The books, and videos from you are my motivation on my coffee journey ! Thanks James !

Excellent work, thanks!

James, thank you so much for these helpful videos. Coffee is a very new hobby for me and I simply can't get enough of learning as I watch and listen. This video in particular is so helpful as I have always struggled with tasting things and being able to describe what I am tasting. Thank you for giving us permission to taste and to try and to work at it little by little. You are incredibly inspiring. Thanks so much for what you do. Peace and good.

Why is bitterness a dirty word? In the beer world nobody shys away from describing bitterness - it is one of the essential, desired characteristics

Years ago when I was still actively listening to people within the coffee community, I often hear them say that an espresso shot left alone for more than a minute will inevitably go bad. My question is: why is it like that for espresso and yet they say that cooling down regular brewed coffee to a lower temperature 'improves' the taste? Edit: Btw, I love how you adjust your vocabulary depending on your audience.

James! I love this! I’m a coffee lover and never truly stopped and thought why I didn’t like a coffee or what I loved about it and your descriptions are so helpful!

Been binging your videos this week as I found a newfound passion for making coffee and all the parts associated with it. Thanks for producing elegant and informative videos!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THIS FREE KNOWLEDGE!

This video is super, incredibly, remarkably helpful. Haha. I personally think you discussed the things I was confused about tasting or sensory for the longest time. I cannot thank you enough for helping us break it down more or make it sound less complicated and intimidating. I am still suffering from bitter-sour confusion. I usually mistake sourness or saltiness even for bitterness. 😅 Thanks again James! 😊

I’ve always been a coffee lover, but by watching your videos I am discovering a whole new Coffee Universe. Thanks.

In all the years since the inception of RU-vid that I have been consuming content I have rarely ever felt compelled to leave a comment or even click on the like button (privacy freak) but you sir produce such an immensely useful and educational content that I can’t not complement you for it. I have been binge watching your videos for some time now and I have learned so much from you. Thank you!

Good man, this is one of the nicest, clearest yet very pragmatic videos about taste I’ve come across. I’m a nutritionist and I’ve seen a few on the matter.Really massive thank you. You have already change how I see coffee and brought a world of difference to my daily brew. Thank you.

Your channel is my knew favorite obsession! I have spent 5 of the last 24 hours studying your videos! I feel like I never knew anything about coffee before!

I started with your espresso videos and your World Atlas of Coffee, but as I am trying new coffees I wanted to find a way to learn them in a very basic way. Then, compare and contrast different brewing methods to accentuate what I like about that coffee (e.g., Turkish, V60, French press, americano, or espresso). This video and the cupping video are fantastic tutorials to get one back to the beginning…to a foundation to build on. Your ability to transfer knowledge, while focussing on the aspects that bring the most fun and make the process accessible, is invaluable. Thank you for the gift of knowledge!

James, I have learned so much from you over the past year that I haved started watching your videos. They are incredibly helpful and full of insight and expertise. I love your way of talking (and it's not just because you have a British accent 😁😂) and how you easily articulate your thoughts, it actually reminds me of Allan Watts. You have intensified my love for coffee a thousand times more. Thank you very much for being so amazing at what you do. Wish you bliss, joy and health.

Watching this just now, learning so much and building the knowledge but also the love for coffee. Thank you for your channel.

I’m setting up my first home tasting tomorrow. Can’t wait to evaluate the coffee of my beautiful country of Colombia. Thank you for making these videos approachable. All the coffees are from my home region of Antioquia, one of them from a farm in Santa Barbara, and three of them from farms near Jericó.

You're spoiling us mr Hoffmann! Great content as usual.

Thank you for the ambitious informativeness of your videos, and the obsessive information-seeking that has informed it. You are my favorite vlogger on any topic.

I just tried this process for the first time comparing a couple of types of beans I just bought. This was great. Made it so much easier to actually tell which one I liked better, and also made me take much more notice of the little nuances of each sip. As someone who always confused bitterness and acidity, the sides of the tongue tip helped so much. Also this tasting process helped a lot with that, because I used a medium and a dark roast for the comparison, and the dark roast was clearly more bitter, and medium roast more acidic - so having those two tastes right next to each other it was much easier to differentiate them.

Just right in time when I’m wondering about coffee tasting! Thank you!!!

There are only a few people in this world who are comfortable with being ok with how so ever one feels about anything. Afterall in the end its all about finding the coffee that is your soulmate. James I must admit you give the confidence of finding what really matters rather than chasing definitions. Thank you so much for your videos

2 awesome videos in a week, we've been blessed!

Thanks for doing this James. I had a cupping at home. I used several coffees that I bought here in California, and a few farther away. Your explanations were 'required' viewing before the event. It all worked quite well in my household. Thanks! I pretty much gave up on coffee about 5 years ago; I was a hot chocolate drinker and an occasional coffee sweet milk drink. During lockdown I discovered your videos. Now I am drinking coffee again; mostly black. Thank you for the vocabulary to communicate the different tastes of coffee. I have a bit to go to get all of the tasting notes. I have a better appreciation of: acidic, sweet and bitter. Hoping for more range later.

James, you have changed our lives! No longer can we just drink coffee... we have just completed the first round of our cupping experiment. Round 2 & 3 to come.. Great fun. We have learned so much. ☕️

I’m so happy you said that a lot of people find those descriptors frustrating! I’m really into pour over but I was never able to taste the “cherry cola, 3 day old oak barrel during a full moon etc..” I’ll keep working on it though. Today my coffee tastes like plums/apples. I think it’s good to hear these being listed off as you drink. Well anyways, thanks so much for this channel and keep up the amazing work :)

These videos are def refreshing to me. The host has a thoughtful presentation that's easy to digest. I bought my first espresso machine 2 days ago and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment, these videos help, a bit (lol).

A cliffhanger?! DAMN YOU! Love this. The wife and I did our first home cupping the other day with 3 dramatically different coffees. It was loads of fun!

I swear you are the only person on this planet I would be starstruck by. Thank you for your unpretentious guide to espresso, and thank you for taking away the intimidation. It made me take the plunge into buying an espresso machine and I’ve discovered a love for making coffee as well as drinking it!

The justification to also describe, in detail, what one does not like is a fine art. It is easy to dive into things you enjoy. This is exactly how I feel about art, film, and food.

By far the most beginner friendly coffee tasting video I've seen. You are a coffee deity mr james hoffman. Continue to educate us mortals about the beauty of coffee

Thanks James!! All of your vids are 💯 #1 coffee educator on RU-vid and possibly the world. Keep up the good work

Came across this video at just the right time. Just got an aeropress and chemex and have been getting really nerdy about coffee. Love it!

Thank you for bitter and sour comparison - I’ve struggled with this and now feel much more confident

It's really interesting to watch as a person working with premium tea, specializing in Puer tea. In a similar manner to what's mentioned here, I focus very much on richness, finish (after-taste), mouthfeel, enjoyment. Something notable is that being too specific with aromas may be less useful since all of us have a slightly different linguistic base and/or subjective memory. Of course, on the other hand, great descriptions help people pay more attention to things they might not have noticed before, although I do prefer to use leading questions for that, which then refers back to the use of the assessment sheets. Great video and I appreciate all the work to help inform more people about these concepts.

Didn't even watch the first 3 seconds of the video, but decided to click the "Like" button. That's just James Hoffman for ya!

I feel like I’ve found a friend to help me on my barista journey. Thank you

This is how I imagine a fireside chat with you James!

As a new coffee shop owner I must say you do give much food for thought. I have always thought of tasting or simply the ways your nose reacts in general is subjective at beat. This is certainly a starting point in quantifying the elusive. I thank you and more importantly, my employees will thank you.

He's honestly such a lovely man, love his videos

One of the best coffees I've ever had as someone who primarily drinks and ranks cold brews was a cold brew from a local place (like trailer in the parking lot of the Ramada kind of local). Ordered black, and it was absolutely gorgeous. The best way I've been able to describe it is that it was deep and sweet in the same way as really dark chocolate, like 90+% kind of dark.

This made me subscribe to your videos. I have always been intimidated about the whole idea of cupping and describing the taste notes of coffee. But you make it seem like an invitation to try because there is no right or wrong in describing what you actually experienced in that cup. Thank you sir for this very pleasant and easy to watch video. Took off a lot of insecurity in my head. Now I’m excited to try it at home!

You are like what I look for in my coffee, honest and sincere.

This might be your best video, and it reminds me of some Gary Vaynerchuck’s old Wine Library TV videos in that it democratizes the categories and flavors. I learned how to cup 16 years ago when I worked as a barista at a shop in LA. Rarely do I cup anymore but having learned to describe what I taste, ive been able to enjoy premium coffee at home or out so much better.

Great video. I wanted to add that in terms of body there are actually very many teas with a thicker, "chewy" mouthfeel. Many of the newer oolong styles like Taiwanese High Mountain Oolong can have a very soft, pleasant texture along with crazy floral flavor. Those varieties/teas produced with that method actually converted me to exclusively drinking tea for a while! Now I'm mostly back to coffee with occasional tea. I was just astounded by how flavorful properly brewed loose leaf tea could be. Going from bags to high quality loose leaf was like going from supermarket pre-ground to single origin, well-roasted whole bean coffee.

It is truly a joy to watch your videos. All of them are top quality, pleasing and informative. It is also great to learn via your guidance..

As a life long coffee drinker I hope this will help me figure out what I actually like and don't like about coffee instead of me just saying coffee bad coffee good.

Love your videos. Definitely helping me make a better cup of coffee. Planning on doing a tasting when I start roasting my beans this week.

I needed to meet you long time ago James, but still not late as long as I'm alive, the only RU-vid channel with notification alarm on. keep teaching us. Last thing, I think specifically this video helps me in rchitectural criticising, how, by translating perceived info into feelings and measure them. Thank you.

When James posts a video I do not know, or care, where the adventure will take me, I just strap in and enjoy the ride.

Best coffee channel ever. THANKS

I've always loved coffee, but I'm new to the world of people who are OBSESSED with it (I don't mean that disparagingly). Your content is so informative and helpful, accessible to beginners without being patronizing. I think the frustration that I'm having is simply being the kind of person who likes to dive head first into subjects, but not having enough experience to navigate the territory. It's easy to become overwhelmed, but at least I came to realize soon enough that I'm out of my depths, and need to slow it down. There's no shortcut for the experience required, especially when you're dealing with an area like this that's somewhat esoteric, abstract, and subjective, but for now, I'm certainly enjoying learning the basics. Thank your for your fantastic content!

Very late reply here lol, pinoy here & I have been brewing coffee since I was a kid in the 70s using Barako coffee. We have this perculator two or three parts in it where there's a container in the inside that had holes & a stand as far as I can recall. The lid has some sort of a crystal handle....then instant coffee came along. Now I'm reliving my childhood by brewing my own coffee & James is just spectacular to listen too.

The most entertaining descriptor I saw on a bag of coffee was a particular variety of wild berry specific to one country.... Yes. This is a taste note I can relate to...

You are just fantastic James. Thank you very much for taking me in the coffee world.

Thank you for the tasting Guide,I am ready to put it into good use. I really enjoyed the video, you have answered a lot of my coffee tasting questions.