We all love our coffee. For most of us, it is our good morning wake upshot that we could not do without.

On the other hand, many coffee drinkers couldn’t care less about the coffee that they drink as long as it works. However, if you have drunk various coffee types for a long time, you will know that there can be significant differences between coffees.

Therefore, if you want to be drinking the best coffee possible, you should start learning what makes good coffee. The following are tips that should help you recognize high-quality coffee:

Aroma

Your senses are your best friend when it comes to evaluating coffees. Of all your senses, your sense of smell will be particularly useful.

Whenever you evaluate a coffee, you should ask yourself, how do you perceive the smell of that coffee? What fragrance is emanating from the coffee?

You will be surprised at the smells that can come from various types of coffee. Quality coffee will always have a rich aroma that fills your nose.

The best coffees will have varied scents in the same aroma, such as floral and fruity smells. The smell of coffee is a testament to the quality of the production and processing of the coffee.

Sweetness

Unfortunately, most people never get to experience the true taste of the coffee they drink. They will put sweeteners into their cup of coffee before even taking a sip.

The taste of a coffee is a significant element of its quality, as most coffee drinkers know. You will need to use your taste buds more than usual to experience the tastes of a coffee truly.

Quality coffee is sweet, especially in terms of the flavor it has. It should exhibit a variety of flavors if it is really good.

Evaluating coffee taste is particularly important when evaluating different types of roasts.

Brand Reputation

There are many coffee brands in the world today, with Starbucks being the undisputed king of the industry. The brand of coffee will be a significant element when judging the quality of a coffee.

Most coffee brands obtain their coffee from a specific place, for example, Ethiopia or Colombia. Therefore, a brand like Black Ink Coffee Company will have coffee that is very different from any other brand.

If you want to recognize quality coffee, assessing the brand’s reputation will be a good indicator. However, you should not rely on this assessment completely as reputations tend to change.

Acidity

Testing the quality of the coffee will undoubtedly involve testing its levels of acidity. The acidity of a coffee refers to the aftertaste it leaves in your mouth and the liveliness it has when you drink it.

Most coffee drinkers will assume that acidity means the pH level or the sourness of the coffee. However, that is not a metric by which you should measure coffee quality.

Most quality coffee has an acidity that is sharp and pleasant. On the other hand, coffee drinkers cover a wide spectrum and appreciate acidity, whether dull or lively. Without acidity, your morning cup of coffee tastes absolutely plain.

The Body

The body of the coffee is a similar characteristic to that of wine. It refers to the texture of the coffee. To put it simply, how does the coffee taste inside your mouth?

You can determine the body of a coffee by sipping it and letting it rest on the top of your tongue. You should also rub it against your palette for a few seconds before swallowing it.

You will find that the coffee is either quite watery or it is rich and creamy. Quality coffee usually has the latter characteristic.

coffee

Bitterness

Bitterness is one of the four major tastes that the tongue is capable of experiencing. The quality of bitterness is desirable in a coffee to a degree.

Elements like caffeine and quinine are what determine the bitterness of a coffee. It is especially so in types of coffee like espresso or roasts, where bitterness adds to the coffee’s taste.

In terms of coffee bitterness, moderate is the signal of quality. Excessively bitter coffee will have an unpleasant flavor.  It is usually caused by over-extraction when brewing the coffee.

You should ensure not to confuse bitterness with acidity, as we have seen above.

There are many ways to evaluate the quality of coffee, some only known to the experts. The ways above are the most basic ways to test its quality and will offer sufficient results. Be sure to test individually as it will make the coffee quality a lot more apparent.