品嚐術語 Testing Terms

品嚐時要區分咖啡的口味、口感、酸味和芳香是否神怡。以下是多數品嚐者的判斷標準。

While tasting the coffee, you should try to discern whether the flavor, body, acidity and aroma of the coffee is pleasant, or unpleasant. Here are the criteria that most tasters use to judge coffee:

酸性

酸性是咖啡的必備特徵，是舌下緣和後齶的乾燥感覺。咖啡酸味的效果與紅酒的口感類似，具有強烈而令人興奮的質感。沒有足夠的酸性，咖啡就會趨於平淡。酸性與酸味不同，酸味是令人不快的不好口味特徵。

Acidity

Acidity is a desirable characteristic in coffee. It is the sensation of dryness that the coffee produces under the edges of your tongue and on the back of your palate. The role acidity plays in coffee is not unlike its role as related to the flavor of wine. It provides a sharp, bright, vibrant quality. With out sufficient acidity, the coffee will tend to taste flat. Acidity should not be confused with sour, which is an unpleasant, negative flavor characteristic.

芳香 Aroma

芳香感覺很難與口味分開。如果沒有嗅覺，我們的基本味覺是：甜、酸、咸和苦。芳香嗅覺豐富了軟齶對於口感的辨別種類。微感細膩，比如芬芳或酒樣感覺，就來自釀製咖啡的芳香氣味。

Aroma is a sensation which is difficult to separate from flavor. Without our sense of smell, our only taste sensations would be: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. The aroma contributes to the flavors we discern on our palates. Subtle nuances, such as "floral" or "winy" characteristics, are derived from the aroma of the brewed coffee.

口感

口感是咖啡在口中的感覺，即作用於舌頭產生的粘性、厚重和豐富度的感覺。舉例來說，喝一口牛奶的感覺就與喝水不同。咖啡的口感與釀製時提取的油質和固體顆粒有關。比如印尼咖啡就比中南美洲咖啡口感重。如果你無法確定幾種咖啡的口感差別，試着加入等量的牛奶。口感厚重的咖啡用牛奶稀釋後會保持更多的風味。

Body

Body is the feeling that the coffee has in your mouth. It is the viscosity, heaviness, thickness, or richness that is perceived on the tongue. A good example of body would be that of the feeling of whole milk in your mouth, as compared to water. Your perception of the body of a coffee is related to the oils and solids extracted during brewing. Typically, Indonesian coffees will possess greater body than South and Central American coffees. If you are unsure of the level of body when comparing several coffees, try adding an equal amount of milk to each. Coffees with a heavier body will maintain more of their flavor when diluted.

口味

口味是咖啡入口的總體感覺。酸味、芳香、和口感都是口味的組成成分。是上述感覺平衡和混合產生了總體感覺。下面是常見的口味特徵：

Flavor

Flavor is the overall perception of the coffee in your mouth. Acidity, aroma, and body are all components of flavor. It is the balance and homogenization of these senses that create your overall perception of flavor. The following are typical flavor characteristics:

一般口感特徵

豐富——指口感和豐富程度

混合性——多種口感的意思

平衡——所有基本感覺特徵都令人滿意，沒有哪種感覺掩蓋了其他感覺。

General flavor characteristics

Richness—refers to body and fullness

Complexity— the perception of multiple flavors

Balance— the satisfying presence of all the basic taste characteristics where no one over-powers another

常見的令人喜歡的特質

明亮，乾燥，鋒利，滑潤——(中美洲常見)

糖飴味——像糖或者糖漿

巧克力味——類似不加糖的巧克力或者香草的回味

精緻——舌尖的細微口味(水洗新幾內亞產阿拉比卡豆)

土味——泥土的芳香特質(蘇門答臘咖啡)

芳香——介於芬芳和刺激之間的芳香特質

果味——類似櫻桃或者橙子的芳香特質

圓滑——口感順滑，一般無酸味

栗子味——類似炒栗子的味道

辛辣——類似辣椒的口味或者芳香

甜味——無刺激感

粗野——口感很衝，一般人不喜歡;但常見於埃塞俄比亞咖啡

酒味——類似充分釀熟了的葡萄酒的回味(常見於肯尼亞和也門咖啡)

Typical specific desirable flavor characteristics

Bright, Dry, Sharp, or Snappy— (typical of Central American coffees)

Caramelly —candy like or syrupy

Chocolaty— an aftertaste similar to unsweetened chocolate or vanilla

Delicate— a subtle flavor perceived on the tip of the tongue (typical of washed New Guinea arabica)

Earthy— a soily characteristic (typical of Sumatran coffees)

Fragrant— an aromatic characteristic ranging from floral to spicy

Fruity— an aromatic characteristic reminiscent of berries or citrus

Mellow— a round, smooth taste, typically lacking acid

Nutty— an aftertaste similar to roasted nuts

Spicy— a flavor and aroma reminiscent of spices

Sweet— free of harshness

Wildness— a gamey flavor which is not usually considered favorable but is typical of Ethiopian coffees

Winy— an aftertaste reminiscent of well-matured wine (typical of Kenyan and Yemeni coffees)

常見的令人不喜歡的特質

苦——產生於舌根的味道，多數由於烘烤過度所致

淡——氣味過於平淡

炭味——焦炭味太濃

死寂——無酸味，缺乏芳香和回味

髒——顆粒多，令人反胃

土味——顆粒多，令人反胃

平庸——無酸味，缺乏芳香和回味

草味——類似剛鋤下來的青草的氣味

糙——刺激、粗糙的特質

泥味——厚膩

混濁——澱粉似的，類似煮過麪糊的水

粗——舌頭上類似喫鹽的感覺

橡膠味——類似焦橡膠的氣味(一般僅見於乾燥處理的阿拉比卡豆)

軟——氣味過於平淡

酸味——類似生水果的酸澀味

薄——無酸性，大致因爲釀製不足所致

松節油味——松節油的氣味

水浸味——入口無整體感，或缺乏粘性

粗野——衝勁十足的特質

Typical specific undesirable flavor characteristics

Bitter— perceived on the back of the tongue, usually a result of over roasting

Bland— neutral in flavor

Carbony— burnt charcoaly overtones

Dead— see "flat"

Dirty— a mustiness reminiscent of eating dirt

Earthy— see "dirty"

Flat— lack of acidity, aroma, and aftertaste

Grassy— an aroma and flavor reminiscent of freshly cut lawn

Harsh— a caustic, clawing, raspy characteristic

Muddy— thick and dull

Rioy— a starchy texture similar to water which pasta has been cooked in.

Rough— a sensation on the tongue reminiscent of eating salt

Rubbery— an aroma and flavor reminiscent of burnt rubber (typically found only in dry-processed robustas)

Soft— see "bland"

Sour— tart flavors reminiscent of unripe fruit

Thin— lacking acidity, typically a result of under brewing

Turpeny— turpentine-like in flavor

Watery— a lack of body or viscosity in the mouth

Wild— gamey characteristics