HOW TO TASTE COFFEE: A Lexicon for Coffee Lovers 

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!

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!

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

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.

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!

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.

Thank you so much, Lance for the great video. I was struggling to understand what people mean. Slowly putting it together but this video just amazing content. Really really love your content so informative and educational. God bless.

When Lance teaches, the world listens 👌

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

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

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?

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

That apple bite made my day.

This might still be my favorite intro 😂

Awesome video thank you!

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

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!

There is a Japanese scientist who took 2 samples of water from the same source and put them in 2 separate containers. He cursed at one sample and praised the other. He then froze the samples and looked at the structure under a microscope. The one that was cursed was all messy and did not have a nice crystal structure. The one that was praised had a beautiful structure. I know i cant not tell the difference of my water if it was cursed or praised, but when i fill my espresso water tank i thank my water and tell it i love it and to please give me a tasty cup. I also wrote loving words on my water bottle.

The channel really skyrocketed in terms of production. Camera, lighting, audio, everything is perfect. Props for these intros, so fun and professional looking. Keep it up Lance :D

Well done. Thanks for helping to bridge the gap between professional and hobbyist.

Lance, I expected this video to be about subtleties that were beyond me, but instead, you gave me a guide to tasting that I can actually use. Thanks! -toby

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

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

Favorite Coffee RU-vidr! No one is doing stuff like this. Thanks so much Lance!

Oh I love this video !

Loved the interaction with me and my coffee, while still learning about taste. Really nice to kind of feel like a part of the video

Thanks a lot for offering us all your knowledge. Excellent video quality in all aspects. 🙏🏼

Well done as always Lance. Keep vids like these coming

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!

Extremely helpful video especially for non native speakers like myself.

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

Thanks again this helps so much to understand what is going on and how to taste, just like your video how to taste espresso helped so much. There is alot to take in. I will be watching this video many times and taking my notes! Keep up the great work!

Thanks for the explanation, some people make it very complicated to know how to taste coffee

I love my 2 varieties of Stumptown coffee. One tastes like bent hair. The other tastes like an angry Hillbilly.

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!

It deserves a comment because I forgot to like this video the first time I watched it!

Best one so far, Lance.

A little late to this video but i really loved it! It provided me with some much needed vocabulary to understand what I'm tasting at home. Keep up the awesome work Lance ♥

You're a king man, I needed this video!

Your Production Levels are stepping up! Thank you and great work. 💥👊🏻💥 #YouRockLance

A very helpful, thorough video. Thank you, and greetings from the UK

Great vid, brotha

Your presence in front of the camera has improved and I find it easier to follow your train of thought. Keep up the good work! Additionally, I think you bring some attention to a confusing aspect of specialty coffee. Anything that reduces the confusion and/or allows easier entry into specialty coffee is a good thing.

Great video on the taste profiles of coffee. I still have so much to learn. Oh...I love the new digs... your studio is really awesome.

Lance, this was a helpful videos! thank you so much.

Man I love the set. Looks so good.

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.

Hehe nice juggling skills. Great video!

Hey Lance, excellent video, having learned much of this in the beer world it’s always great to see the coffee perspective on taste. One thing I think is worth clarifying in your video is in the balance section, that balance can be different between coffees and roasts. A beer example is that a balanced IPA will have a huge amount of hops present in the profile where a balanced Pilsner will have a very subtle hop profile. On this same token a balanced dark roast might have a lot more body to it than a balanced light roast, which might be far more acidic.

That intro was epic! Nice video, keep up the Good work

Excellent video, thanks for sharing. Looking forward to learning along with you!

Love the whole Ron Jeremy vibe ;-)

Very helpful. I've been deep diving seeking help so I can better communicate what I am tasting without spending thousands on some heavy course that's likely more than I need. Keep it up. Maybe slow it down and break it down over more videos? Thanks again.

Thank you for explaining what people mean when they try coffee and immediately start going on about "I'm getting lemon, apple" etc. I think not understanding that is one of the biggest things that gives this field a pretentious air and drives people away, especially when people literally say "I'm TASTING apples" or something, like the coffee magically transformed into a different drink in their mouth that other people can't taste. That poorly communicated gets people who don't get what they're trying to communicate to get immediately pushed away since it sounds insane.

Great video! Also, the production is just amazing. I would love to see a video about processing methods actually, I don't think anyone covered this topic! Keep up with the great work!

Great video🎉🎖️🎖️

Midnight i just have start smoking a pork butt,i take a sip of my espresso freddo and i listening to you breaking down a topic that not many of the " RU-vid" barista can even understand. Thank you again for giving us so many infos to make a better coffee at home...one sip at the time.

perfect as always👌🏾

This was a great video lance! As always.

Thanks for the video and the great explanation Lance! I learned a lot! Hadn't heard about fidelity before but it's a nice distinction and makes clarity easier to grasp. Keep up with the amazing content. Greetings from Costa Rica!

The video was brilliant, production is fantastic, and the hair is glorious!

Wow, awesome video. Such a good resource on tasting. Also sipping on a washed Kenya PB while watching.

I like the intention that Lance is attempting, cause some people are really out there with their descriptions.

Thanks, much needed.

Excellent content! I’m going to bookmark this one because I know I’ll be watching it again. I was just at your old stomping ground in Rogers and bought one of those “fancy spoons.” I’ve taken a cupping class, but determining flavors has always been a mystery to me. This video helps!

Most excellent overview!!🎉

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

You are a fantastic speaker. I suspect your cuts (or whatever is the correct jargon for an unedited segment of video) are much longer than most RU-vidrs.

Thanks Lance, this video is very inspiring, I'll take the advice and try to be precise with the words I use on the daily. Cheers!

Nice Intro 🎉!!!

Awesome video!! Also couldn’t help but notice a distinct square-shaped coffee machine in the back… are you planning a review of the xBloom? Would love to see that!

Killing at the moment Lance - good to see you at MICE man ✌🏻

Extremely helpful, thanks Lance!

Thank you; very very helpful Recently all am using is my areopress. It's easy for my working condition as well as doing my own experiments. I wish I could have an experience of one month working with you. Wondering , What an experience it will be

I like how your are slowly morphing into a young Ron Jeremy. The look is a nice shout-out to a forgotten legend.

This is my first time watching one of your videos, and I absolutely loved it! I think I would have enjoyed it even more with less cuts, and more time spent with the stationary front camera. I enjoy the dynamic shots, especially for following action, but they were a little disorienting. Can't wait to see more from you!

Doing the Lords work bridging the gap between home consumers and professionals. Amazing video Lance! qq, what scale did you use in the very beginning of the video? Thank you!

Can you just stop making me share every single one of your uploads with my team?? Great resource, and a great idea to add the notion of fidelity!

Very informative. Thank you Lance 🤟

Subscribed dope video! Helpful info for me since I am working on a coffee farm! Thank you

Thanks, as always, Lance.

Would you be able to put together a video of some of your favorite roasters and coffees? Also, thanks for all the great videos!

Great video Lance! Tons of knowledge while being accessible and easy to understand. Have you thought about releasing your own version of a cupping/"evaluation" sheet? I know there are tons of them out there and it tends to get a bit frustrating searching through them all.

the shots of lance eating fruits

Hey, Lance! New sub, long time Onyx drinker. Love your content. You've helped me educate me on brewing and tasting coffee. So thanks and great job on your videos! Also, this who Suave Weird Al look you've got going is by far my favorite! 👏👏

So cinematic! You’re a clown in such a good natured way. Brings … balance to the content. I’ll see myself out.

Love your channel! Awesome video!

Of course he can juggle, at this point im sure this isn't a coffee channel, he just likes to show us all of his talents XD

I can't help but uncontrollably salivate when he get to the (somewhat overt, graphic, in a good way) descriptions of taste.

Super helpful definitions and explanation of the terms! I struggle to identify specifics in anything, food, beverage, etc. Would love to get better at this. Also, I've been seeing a lot of discussion recently about how typical coffee tasting notes are fairly often very westernized or more plainly, white. As we can only really speak from and identify from our own experiences, it seems important to diversify our experiences and the people who contribute to these tasting notes. Any thoughts about how to do that better in the coffee industry?

The stache is becoming more powerful every vid

You really hit us with that slurp at the end...

Pure brilliance Lance (as always). I would like to challenge you on caffeine strength. Put simply when I drink lighter roasted (singles or blends) I will literally not sleep that night. But when I drink darker roasted blends I can manage to sleep that night. It is blindingly obvious to me that the lighter roasts have way more caffeine in them (shot for shot). So much so that I fear drinking lighter roasts as I know I will probably not get to sleep that night.

Very nice video, i don't eat much fruit (never tried most of then) and i think that might be one reason it's hard for me to describe the taste of some coffees, i lack tasting experience. Thanks to this video and because i love coffee, i will start eating and really tasting more fruits

Great video; I would love to learn more. Maybe at some point, give a heads up on the coffee used and provide instructions on a v60 brew and allow us to follow/understand the difference and flavor notes, as we brew the coffee along with you. 👍

I just did an experiment with my cousin before pulling shots of espresso tasting for sour, sweet, salty & bitter. Definitely helped highlight aspects of espresso.

Did exactly this for a wine tasting course.

Great video from the side of the brewer/barista/coffee expert. But there is another perspective from the side of the consumer, who is not necessarily any of that. He would understand "strength" in a different manner and would not even fathom clarity and mouthfeel etc. Thank you as always!

0:10 Instructions unclear. I’ve sat in a puddle of coffee.

Sending love from Philippines.