Is there a coffee that actually tastes as good as it smells?
I find that coffee tends to smell much more delicious than it tastes- there are scents that don’t carry over strongly enough into the liquid itself.
I always get a little sad when I think that maybe there is no coffee out there that actually lives up to its own aroma.
Have any jellies found coffee that talks the talk and walks the walk?
Note: I’m not asking about brewing method: that’s been answered before. I’m just asking about the beans themselves.
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Yes, I think most darkroast coffees taste as good as they smell. And most of the time dunkin’s coffee tastes pretty much how it smells.
Only freshly roasted coffee. The complexity of newly roasted coffee is to the tune of 700 intermingling flavors, while older coffee only retains something like 30 of them, if that. You’re probably drinking coffee that has been sitting around for some time. Try the zip-locked bag trick to test its freshness.
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Actually, I suppose, scientifically speaking, Coffee can only taste as good as it smells.
“Some people may be surprised to learn that coffee aroma is responsible for all its flavor attributes, other than sweet, sour, bitter and salt tastes that are registered by the tongue. Aroma is sensed by smelling the coffee and also retro-nasally when volatile compounds waft into the nasal passages while coffee is in the mouth or has been swallowed. A mixture of approximately 25 highly potent volatile compounds of the over 850 identified so far—many concentrated in the coffee oil and present at concentrations in the part per million and part per trillion range—are responsible for most of the experience we know as coffee taste.”
In light of that, I will note that newly roasted beans retain the sweet and savory chemicals that register on your tongue, which differentiates the experience greatly from that of old coffee.
Here’s another great source.
I’m not a big fan of Starbucks coffee, but for some reason I like the Italian roast that you can purchase for a drip machine and that has never let me down yet.
I love Starbucks Cafe Verona blend, which I think tastes as good as it smells.
Metropolis coffee—the Brown’s blend. It tastes like it smells and it’s some combination between, like chocolate milk and coffee and caramel. Either that or the espresso when made by a pro—their lattes end up tasting deep and rich, like they have a coffee flavored liquor in them. So amazing. So good.
Sumatra Madheling French Roast
This particular coffee shop roasts the beans daily, and it is by far the best coffee I’ve ever had. They ship, too. :)
For just day to day coffee, I get Starbuck’s French Roast and grind it as I use it. I can’t drink Dunkin Donuts or shudder Maxwell House at all. The Starbucks beans have never let me down. I don’t like their coffee when they make it, but when I make it at home, it’s mmmmmmmmmmmmm yummy.
Storyville Coffee. I got a subscription to their ½ lb. bag program for the holidays last year. Prologue is fantastic.
No, but Kona comes close.
I like Sumatra but lurve Eithiopian, grind & french press them both.
I go with a combination of Seattle’s Best Breakfast Blend and plain old Folger’s decaf. It smells pretty darn good and doesn’t taste half bad either.
Yes it is called Dutch Brothers it is in Oregon, Washington, California, and Carson City Nevada. They r coffee stands and they are the best!
You might also want to look into grinding your own beans and playing with the coarseness to find something that suits you as it will change the taste and texture of your morning cup o’ joe. Not too coarse not to fine for me… but that’s a question of personal taste.
I like the way coffee smells but can’t stand the taste, although I do like coffee ice cream, especially with chocolate chips in it!
So I say nope, never does.
Yes, freshly ground, (very fine), freshly brewed, (in a clean coffee brewer) using exactly the right amount of grounds. Most people skimp on the amount of grounds, trying to be frugal, but this does not result in the best taste. You have to experiment.
The suggestion above to put your fresh grounds in a zip lock bag immediately upon returning from the store is a good one. The result is as good as fresh. I use a separate bag for every brew (½ cup), because opening and closing a large bag spoils the freshness.
You should use filtered water, as well, because most tap water has a lot of bad tasting stuff in it.
I believe that all coffee tastes DELICIOUS but I have to say that fresh brewed lightly roasted Hazulnut flavored coffee is to die for! I also think that if it doesn’t taste good enough, pour more sugar in. :) Anyways hope you find the coffee that is right for you!
@reacting_acid In my humble opinion, coffee lovers do not put sugar or anything else in their coffee.
@YARNLADY Why not? Have you personally interviewed every coffee lover? Cause I got to say, that is true dedication. I salute you.
@reacting_acid Opinion = A belief or judgment that rests on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty
I aplogise. You are right. I was just feeling a little defensive. And in my opinion, coffee is delicious with or without sugar, I just happen to find if the coffee tastes particularly bad sugar masks the flavor fairly well.
I’ve tried coffee black, and can’t take it. A teaspoon of sugar and a glug of milk is a requirement for my coffee.
Sprinkling ground cinnamon over the coffee grounds before brewing adds a very nice flavor. It’s the only kind of flavoring I can stand in coffee. It also makes the kitchen smell great, and can make inferior coffee acceptable (sometimes).
@reacting_acid A coffee lover does not cover up the taste of bad coffee for any reason. A coffee lover spits out bad coffee.
@YARNLADY Maybe people who have time to spit it out and make some better coffee. But when you are rushing out the door, with only one sock on, because you had a power outage and your alarm clock was reset, the only thing you have time for is to put sugar in it. So I think there are a few reasons.
Sometimes coffee lovers have to act out of desperation, like when they are home with the kids, the car is in the shop, and the coffee is running low.
@MissAusten—A lover of good coffee ‘could’ be an addict as well, and therefore the only difference would be an addict will drink anything if desparate, and a coffee lover won’t.
@YARNLADY So you arent addicted to coffee? A lover like yourself? How much coffee do you drink, that you don’t get addicted? 1 cup a week? Coffee is extremely addicting, and face it, you are probably addicted. Just like everybody else. Though i do see your point. A coffee lover should only love good coffee. And it is true. I did start out loving only good coffee. But that love turned into addiction. I still love it, just now I am more lenient with the quality of my coffee.
The only one I know of is Starbuck’s Espresso Roast. It’s not meant to be brew coffee, but it tastes just like its aroma.
@reacting_acid My name does not appear in the question, so I do not respond with a personal answer. As I stated it is possible to be both
My theory is that the heavenly aroma of ground coffee should be due to lighter molecular weight compounds while some of the heavier ones confer the bitterness you taste when you drink it. If I was rich and had my own laboratory, I’d try centrifugal separation of coffee extracts.
I once watched a show on TV where a coffee chef (whatever they’re called) brewed the, quote, perfect cup. He was asked about adding sweetener to the coffee (in a hoity toity, self-riteous snotty sort of manner – expecting a different answewr, obviously), and his reply was; if it tastes good to you, and you want to add sweetener, who am I to tell you otherwise?
@NewZen never-the-less, it ceases to be coffee when sugar is added
@YARNLADY Why does it cease to be coffee though? It still is coffee, it just has sugar in it. You have to face the fact that there are a lot of people who drink coffee sweet and just because they like it that way does not mean they don’t love coffee.
@reacting_acid With sugar in it, they are no longer tasting coffee, they are now tasting sugar, which is exactly why they add sugar. They do not like the taste of coffee, and must cover it with sugar.
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@NewZen Your right, We are never going to agree. I am going to go make myself some coffee with sugar in it and I am going to Love it. She can do whatever she wants. Hell, she can put marmite in it if she wants. By the way, mmm sweet’n lows.
@NewZen You probably put Vodka in your Lemonade too, instead of Crown Royal Whiskey
I’ll have a cup of sweet n lows please, with two little coffee packets, thanks. In yo face, Yarnlady!!!
Mmm Vodka…. I could use some right now.
Speaking of which, if you must ruin coffee, at least do it right, with a couple of ounces of Baileys and a dollop of whipped cream.
I am a purist. I never spoil my whisky, or Baileys, by adding anything to it. Coffee – requires sweetener. Nya nya nya nya nya.
Do you all put ketchup on your steak? If you do you’re not a real steak lover! ;)
ah, don’t listen to me. I haven’t had enough coffee yet this morning.
@jonsblond: good meat doesn’t need a things beside some crushed up black pepper, salt and enough heat to sear the fat and warm the insides. Gawrawrrrrr!
@hungryhungryhortence you just deescribed my perfect steak (the only improvement might be a side of roasted garlic and a nice Rioja or Gran Sangre de Toro).
@Dr_C: sometimes I sautee sliced mushroom in sesame/ginger/soy and whiskey with Asparagus tips. If it’s lamb I broil then there’s Pomegranate sauce to dab in. Uhm… hungry hungry Bee
@jonsblond I not only do NOT put steak sauce on my steak, I do not use salt or pepper or any other unnatural flavoring in my cooking. For me, it’s straight out of the garden or farmer’s market, or off the hoof, so to speak. The only exception is ham and bacon, which are fully processed before they ever come into my home.
@YARNLADY Salt and Pepper are natural flavorings…
so could steak sauce be if made from scratch come to think of it
@YARNLADY Question-asker here.
I’m a coffee fanatic, so much so that I am starting a coffee shop in my city. And let me tell you, coffee with sugar and milk in it is delicious. They contrast and enhance the flavor of the roast, not cover it up.
Damning an entire section of the population because they choose to mix and match their flavors is pretty insensitive, IMHO.
Why, yes. There is a coffee that tastes as good as it smells. It’s quite popular amongst us Hispanic folks, but do not let the fact that it is labeled as “espresso” fool you. Brew it like normal, but as a forewarning – I’ve heard it is quite potent for those that first take a sip (I’ve been drinking this for years, so everything else just tastes weak and watered down). It might be a bit difficult to find if you aren’t in an urban or Hispanic area (I couldn’t find it at all when I was in LA, but admittedly didn’t look that hard), but taking a trip to a large supermarket and peeking in their ethnic section should provide some results. Also be on the lookout for Pilon, which isn’t as great, but is somewhat similar. You can also check online, if you want.
It’s delicious, both black and with milk, sugar, what have you. My personal, daily cup o’ Bustelo, for those interested:
- 2 cups of water
– 3½ heaping spoonfuls of Bustelo
Brew.
Note: Use a carafe, or large travel mug type thing.
- Four spoonfuls of Coffee-Mate creamer
– One spoonful of sugar
– Fill coffee about 7/8ths to the top
– Fill rest with milk
– Stir
– Orgasm
Coffee purists need not hate me; I worked at a coffee shop and have tasted beans from all over the world. Have had it black, with liquor, with just milk, etc. This is the way I like it. And it is great.
@aphilotus experssing a humble opinion on Fluther does not in any way, shape or form = damning and entire section of the population. You are way off base
@YARNLADY My suggestion regarding the zip-locked bags was not to maintain freshness, but to test the freshness of the purportedly “freshly roasted” coffees one might purchase.
@Beta_Orionis—By natural flavoring, I mean the natural flavor of the food itself, without anything added. I do agree that salt and pepper are natural, but they are not part of the natural flavor of the food.
@YARNLADY Fair enough, but why avoid the entire range of natural spices when they can make things extra delicious?
@Beta_Orionis I like food just the way it is when I cook it myself, less trouble, and very good tasing. I never could understand why people have to go adding all that other stuff to their food. I do enjoy all the spicy and ‘tricked out’ foods that I get in restaurants, for a little change once in awhile. (P.S. I thought your screen name was beta onions : – )
@YARNLADY Alright! I have no problems with that. After all, things like broccoli are just naturally delicious! Also, too funny! I can see how one might make that mistake. Actually, Beta Orionis describes the technical order and location of the star Rigel, my name sake (i.e. It’s the Beta (technically the Alpha) star in the constellation of Orion.)
@Grisaille You wrote:
—Four spoonfuls of Coffee-Mate creamer
– One spoonful of sugar
– Fill coffee about 7/8ths to the top
– Fill rest with milk
– Stir
– Orgasm
Not familiar with the last one you mentioned called Orgasm. I remember something vaguely, but I’m not quite sure. What’s it like?
@aphilotus: I love coffee, more than you can imagine. Right now, in my fridge are 10 different bags of it from different regions, with different flavors, different roasts, and different things that I’ve sprinkled in like cloves or cinnamon. I figured out all the specific things I liked gradually. And it didn’t hurt that I went to a few coffee festivals and tastings. Starbucks sometimes puts them on in town festivals, you get a passport booklet that corresponds to the coffees and you can mark what you do and don’t like and learn that way.
If you’re asking about the beans themselves, as you stated… look into lightly roasted coffees. In my experience a light roast has less of the bitter, charred taste and relies more on the same flavors the aroma does. There are very few dark dark roasts I can stomach, after a while I don’t care who you are or how fancy your pants are you’re going to admit it tastes burnt and gross.
As for how to prepare it to taste? It’s a treat! A luxury! RELAX. I’m not an elitist. I sprinkle things in, top them with whipped cream, drink it black, pour in a gallon of milk, add a pinch of sugar, what the fuck ever my tongue says is yummy at the moment – and that’s how it fucking should be.
Some of y’all need to untwist your panties, post-haste.
@asmonet I don’t own any fancy pants, but I sure do love that french roast. It doesn’t taste burnt and gross to me, but lighter roasts taste watered-down and just…blah. I wasn’t aware darker roasts were fancier, but now I’m going to lord my superior taste over everyone else. ;)
@MissAusten: Cool, you gimme your light, I’ll give you my dark and we’ll be besties. Deal? ;)
Deal! I’ll even throw in some homemade cookies!
OK – Coffee and cookies time. Everyone can have it the way they like it – and Yarnlady, as an apology, will bake cookies for everyone.
@asmonet and @MissAusten If you’ll allow I’ll join you and bring along supplies in order to grind and brew for you espresso as it was meant to be done.
@Dr_C By all means, you are allowed! As long as it doesn’t put hair on my chest!
@Dr_C: Praise, Jesus. That’s just what I need! :)
Is this the thread we go to for coffee? I need a cup!
@NewZen Sure, but by the time it reaches you, it might be pretty cold!
Kroger stores own brand of 100% Colombian coffee. the smell of this coffee brewing is the taste you will receive in your coffee cup. i guarantee it!
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