Go Coffee Tasting

Where to Start

What if I love the speed of an instant coffee, or don't have the time to figure out the speciality coffee world? Coffee tasting and appreciating finer coffees is welcome to all, but sometimes you just need to know where to start.

We've got you covered, from countries of origin to grinding your coffees right. Work your way through these easy-to-digest coffee tasting and terminology breakdowns to get yourself up to speed and drinking coffee the way it was supposed to be!

The coffee tasting wheel visualises all of the different tastes that can be found (totally naturally) in speciality coffees. Which ones are catching your eye?

Arabica vs Robusta Coffee Beans

Arabica are most common on account of the smoother drinking experience. Robusta beans are mostly grown in Vietnam as their climate is better suited to the Robusta’s needs. Coffee is the best when the varieties out there are explored, but Arabica coffee beans are certainly more desirable across the coffee world.

All of our coffees are Arabica unless specified otherwise.

Caffeinated vs Decaffeinated

There are various methods to decaffeinate a coffee bean including non-chemical processes, which we endeavor to bring to you as a priority. Decaffeinated coffee is undervalued in the current coffee drinking climate. This is down to a large portion of people (quite rightly) still consuming speciality coffee as a functional waker-upper! However, we want to show the world the true meaning of a decaf.

Single Origins and Blends

Coffees can either be single origin or a blend of various single origin coffees. You might find that single origins are easier to trace and story-tell about, but the skilled coffee roasters in the U.K bring together all of these unique backstories to make new tastes and experiences. Coffee is the best when you create new stories when celebrating the colourful background of each of the component parts!

Countries of Origin

A handful of countries make up a huge part of the coffee world’s exports. Some big exporters include Brazil (usually delicious chocolatey coffees), Colombia (chocolatey and nutty), and Ethiopia (the birthplace of coffee with sweet and syrupy speciality coffees). There are, of course, many others across Asia, Africa, and South America. Visit our Explore Coffees page for a tour!

Light, Medium, Dark Roast

Roasting coffee beans for longer times can alter the taste of the speciality coffee profoundly. Lighter roasts manage to keep more of their natural flavours, whereas longer roasts are more full, and with smoky flavours brought on by exposure to roasting heat. Opting for a medium-roast coffee would be playing it safe as they’re well-balanced. 

Coffee Tastes

High level coffee tastes include tastes of chocolate, nuts, fruit, or maybe even floral tastes. These flavours and aromas are determined in an interesting blend of nature and nurture. Rich soils and high-up growing conditions give coffee an extra tasty boost, but so does the time that the coffee roaster chooses to roast it for.

Grind Size

The impact that grind size has on a coffee’s taste cannot be underestimated. Coffee brewing works by extraction, and the more surface area that is exposed (finely ground), the more coffee will be extracted. Under-extraction and over-extraction result in sourness and bitterness respectively. Different coffee brewing methods require different grind sizes due to their mechanics. For example, coffee ground to tiny particles in a cafetiere would be bitter and overpowering, but in a Moka Pot espresso its great due to less time being used to extract from the granules.