Photos, PDF and excerpt courtesy of Fresh Cup Magazine
For those of you who read the specialty coffee and tea magazine Fresh Cup, you may have noticed the "Roasters Realm" article by our one and only Roastmaster and Coffee Buyer Scott Merle. Read his words of wisdom on expanding your palate and building your library of tastes, which is a necessity whether you are on the path of becoming a coffee roaster, buyer or just a serious coffee nerd. Here is a small excerpt from the article:
There is an endless supply of substances you can use for palate stimulation during training. You can create your own cuppings using chocolates, spices, breakfast cereals, nuts, teas, Kool-Aid, rum—whatever. Just remember to keep it all in context. You’re looking to expand the range of taste sensations you recognize and can verbalize. The best cuppers don’t just throw around descriptions of exotic fruits or fancy chocolates; they can identify subtle characteristics in coffees that compare with the components they recognize from these other items. It is from this process that the cupper hones skills and reinforces past lessons.You can read the full article via PDF here.