Aroma - intensity, quality Acidity - bright and crisp and fresh, not sour, not to be confused with bitterness Sweetness - no simple sugar sweetness, more complex Body/Texture/Mouthfeel - like skim milk and whole milk and did you like it? Finish - what are you left with after swallowing the coffee
This is a weird side effect of James' videos taking off in popularity: the strengthening of the Filipino coffee community through online groups and how it's starting to reach a wider audience outside of the upper-middle income folks who typically frequent third wave coffee shops. I'm seeing so many people in our local community learn more about coffee, and purchase their very first pour-over kit, and many of them talk about your video as soon as it gets uploaded. No doubt your videos have offered a sense of accessibility and inclusivity for coffee that was once viewed as the rich snob's hobby. Thank you, even if you don't know that this is where it led to. This is great. Keep going.
I'm a filipino and yes this is a fact. The wonders James have done without him knowing. I started off as just loving the taste of different coffee beans in coffee shops. My love for coffee have led me to search groups about it online. In there I found a heartwarming community just sharing and educating each other. Thus, it led me to french press, to my first pour over and now on my way to buy an espresso machine. And yes, I'm still learning. I feel like it's a never ending learning process but I love the journey nonetheless. The community and inspiration that James have brought to us filipinos knowing little to nothing about coffee is just breathtaking to me. From the deepest corners of my heart, thank you for bringing us together through a cup of coffee. ❤
@@user-nf5js7ho2p Filipino brewer here too! I've only recently started getting into pour over and I was wondering, what was your first kit and how it went? Asking for reference since im sure you (probably) know how hard it is to get brewing equipment here in the PH~
@@adamundaneedge2472 omg yes! My first set was a hero stainless steel cone dripper bought from a local coffee shop, a good ol kitchen scale, and a gooseneck kettle from Japan surplus. true. It's really hard to source coffee equipment. I remember the days when I haven't joined those facebook groups that saved me. But trust me, japan surplus stores and daiso will always be your best friend
For the sweetness you're referring to; in Chinese we have a phrase called 回甘 (huí gān) or just the word 甘 (gān) used to specifically describe a non-sugary sweetness, a sort of pleasant and sweet lingering aftertaste typically associated with tea.
I’m a cocktail bartender and a professional barista. I literally watch your videos over and over again man, they help me not to forget pieces that I may have unintentionally. You have struck a perfect deliverance of amazing content that appeals to both novice and pros alike. You literally are a guiding light for pretty much everyone in the coffee industry and home baristas alike. I think I can speak for everyone, thank you sir, we must protect you at all costs.
Sir, I could listen to you talking about coffee forever! Really grateful for all the content you put out, the world of coffee can sometimes seem so difficult and your perspective allows me to just enjoy and try it.
Soooo glad you touched on the sour/bitter confusion. After quite some time, I came to the conclusion that what I was perceiving/describing as bitterness, was, in fact, acidity.
Been rough lately and from watching your videos for consecutive days ( as anything about coffee brings me so much relief ), there is one detail in your contents/ videos that actually I want to point out: Your tagline, " I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY. " I just realize now how very, very simple but to me the most sincere. So yeah, I hope we all do.
This was wonderful! I just started trying coffee and was feeling like a failure or an idiot when I couldn't taste the blueberries, jasmine, lemon, toffee, etc. that was noted on the bags... With your two videos on how to cup and taste coffee, I feel a lot more confident about, well, being a beginner! I really appreciated how reassuring you were in this video, and how accessible you made specialty coffee to people like me. Thank you! Definitely subscribing!
James, you have a very special knack of breaking down complex knowledge into easily digestible bites (especially for true beginners like me) and making it highly entertaining at the same time. I am convinced you could explain the process of paint drying and make it riveting. All jokes apart, I truly appreciate how you share your passion for and vast knowledge of coffee with us. THANK YOU.
A huge thank you from a person who was intimidated out of existense by people who tried to explain flavours. It always seemed to be like "this roast should taste like yellow fruit and maple syrup and doorknob and how on earth can't you tell". The way you explain things makes me want to experiment more and find out what things actually feel like!
My local coffee shop/roaster (they have the roaster inside the shop) do free monthly cupping sessions, it's been amazing for developing tasting skills. The last time I went, there were six coffees, 3 from Ethiopia and three from Columbia. Having the chance to taste from 6 different cups was great. They're actually fairly close to you (Hertford about 25 miles north of London) if you're ever in the area, you should visit. The shops called the Bionic Bull coffee Lab. They do V60's, Aeropress and batch brews. Ps I'm LOVING your V60 method, I was brewing in a kettle then transferring to the Hario gooseneck, I still do, but now I'm bringing it to the boil before pouring. The swirl is also a great addition :)
I'm from Guatemala and your videos got me interested in coffee at a deeper level, thanks a lot for opening my eyes to many topics on everything about coffee
Just got my first job as a “Coffee Manager.” This is super helpful for me to explain to my barista how this stuff works. It’s so hard for me to put into words sometimes. Thank you!
You call this a beginners guide but I'm developing strategies to use for Brewer's competition next week as an experienced barista from this. This was amazing and I'm really grateful for the time and effort you put into your videos.
I’m not a barista. Will never be but watching your channel has given me so much information. I want to try and note down all the flavours I feel. Thank you. This is something I definitely want to try.
Really enjoyed the complete breakdown of the process. I also found it refreshing when you give us your take on how you do things different from the community.
I just adore the fact of your personal approach to coffee cognition. That is an essential matter and aspect often excluded by people experiencing coffee tasting. I just want to thank you for the work you’re doing out here. Thank you, James.
Good man, this is one of the nicest, clearest yet very pragmatic videos about taste I’ve come across. I’m a nutritionist and I’ve seen a few on the matter.Really massive thank you. You have already change how I see coffee and brought a world of difference to my daily brew. Thank you.
Thank you, James! After reading all of the terms used in cupping coffee over and over again through the last 15 years, I *finally* understand what they mean. My green coffee supplier cups every batch of the coffee he sells, and his scores and descriptors never meant anything to me; I might as well just flip a coin to decide what I purchase. Thanks to this video (and a few of your other videos), I can now choose my coffees more intelligently.
Years ago when I was still actively listening to people within the coffee community, I often hear them say that an espresso shot left alone for more than a minute will inevitably go bad. My question is: why is it like that for espresso and yet they say that cooling down regular brewed coffee to a lower temperature 'improves' the taste? Edit: Btw, I love how you adjust your vocabulary depending on your audience.
Good espresso tastes good when it cools, ok espresso tastes ok hot and terrible cold. (This is my opinion). The concentration of acids in espresso do throw things out a bit, and your perception of most key tastes is linked to temperature so it will change its balance as it cools.
On temperature, here in Asia, I find that we are more familiar with hot drinks at piping hot temperature, likewise for our traditional Nanyang coffee. I'm still trying to get used to 'foreign' coffee where it tends to be drank at lukewarm temperatures which goes rather cold in an instant. That brings me to the temptation which James led me...down the path of the ridiculously expensive Ember Mug. Let's not get there.
I'm just getting into home roasting, and generally appreciating coffee more. Just wanted to let you know that your videos are fantastic. You're the helping hand I was looking for Thank you!
I’m not a coffee drinker but your channel made me to become more curious about it .I love how passionate you are about it and I think your love for coffee makes me like it more.
Very informative as always James. A great starting point to tasting. It kinda reminds me to the many wine courses I had long time ago. You learn to develop smelling and tasting the coffee smell and taste, trying to dig deeper if possible... The result comes always to personal taste and flavours. Thanks!
Goddamn you are a charming individual. It's sp great to hear your balanced, selfaware, thoughtful perspective on this whole taste thing. This is lovely to watch!
Very late reply here lol, pinoy here & I have been brewing coffee since I was a kid in the 70s using Barako coffee. We have this perculator two or three parts in it where there's a container in the inside that had holes & a stand as far as I can recall. The lid has some sort of a crystal handle....then instant coffee came along. Now I'm reliving my childhood by brewing my own coffee & James is just spectacular to listen too.
There are only a few people in this world who are comfortable with being ok with how so ever one feels about anything. Afterall in the end its all about finding the coffee that is your soulmate. James I must admit you give the confidence of finding what really matters rather than chasing definitions. Thank you so much for your videos
I wish every TH-cam coffee video could be recast with James Hoffman. The best coffee teaching and soothing clean coffee vibes. You make me want to drink another cup right now.
Your channel is my new obsession. It’s refreshing and exhilarating to hear someone so intelligent and knowledgeable talking about something passionately but without being pretentious. I could listen to you talk about anything for hours! Thank you. 😊
James, thank you so much for these helpful videos. Coffee is a very new hobby for me and I simply can't get enough of learning as I watch and listen. This video in particular is so helpful as I have always struggled with tasting things and being able to describe what I am tasting. Thank you for giving us permission to taste and to try and to work at it little by little. You are incredibly inspiring. Thanks so much for what you do. Peace and good.
Been binging your videos this week as I found a newfound passion for making coffee and all the parts associated with it. Thanks for producing elegant and informative videos!
In all the years since the inception of TH-cam that I have been consuming content I have rarely ever felt compelled to leave a comment or even click on the like button (privacy freak) but you sir produce such an immensely useful and educational content that I can’t not complement you for it. I have been binge watching your videos for some time now and I have learned so much from you. Thank you!
I’m so happy you said that a lot of people find those descriptors frustrating! I’m really into pour over but I was never able to taste the “cherry cola, 3 day old oak barrel during a full moon etc..” I’ll keep working on it though. Today my coffee tastes like plums/apples. I think it’s good to hear these being listed off as you drink. Well anyways, thanks so much for this channel and keep up the amazing work :)
James, these latest videos you've put out, and indeed, all the videos that help a novice or beginner in the coffee world bridge that gap between the professional community and the widely available commercial atmosphere are so, so important. I can't thank you enough as someone who has aspirations to open a coffee education/information center one day. Accessibility is key to reminding career baristas and lay people alike what we're doing this for, and who we're doing this for. Honestly, thank you for all that you do for our community and for being a source of challenge and inspiration so that we might, as the SCA says, "Make Coffee Better."
Thanks for doing this James. I had a cupping at home. I used several coffees that I bought here in California, and a few farther away. Your explanations were 'required' viewing before the event. It all worked quite well in my household. Thanks! I pretty much gave up on coffee about 5 years ago; I was a hot chocolate drinker and an occasional coffee sweet milk drink. During lockdown I discovered your videos. Now I am drinking coffee again; mostly black. Thank you for the vocabulary to communicate the different tastes of coffee. I have a bit to go to get all of the tasting notes. I have a better appreciation of: acidic, sweet and bitter. Hoping for more range later.
Very good description for Coffee ☕️ tasting . Actually similar like wine tasting aroma “nose”, acidity “alcohol” , vinegar “sourness” bitterness “tannic”, mouthfeel, “slurping overall tongue roof of mouth taste” finish “after you swallow or spit out, the aftertaste”
This could not have come at a better time. I have just taken the plunge along a new career path in speciality coffee and, with very little previous experience in the practice of assessing coffee, have been exposed to cupping within the first two weeks of starting. Although in a relaxed environment with my peers, I found the process to be intimidating. This video has brilliantly demystified the subject for me and moving forward I can use this information to make the process more approachable and enjoyable. Thank you very much James, keep up the amazing content.
@@idixon5168 I was surprised to find this having had a background in wine but to be honest, in general there isn't any palate cleansing in between each coffee. You can obviously sip water if need be but the point of tasting is to constantly compare and contrast the different coffees you are tasting, so there isn't a need to. This does also depend on the amount of coffee/length of time you are tasting as palate fatigue can occur. So for example if you are tasting two large groups of coffees in the morning, you would potentially need eat something inbetween to rest/refresh the palate and caffeine consumption is also a factor. I had one roaster mention he likes to have miso soup in between tastings 😂. Anyway hope this helps answer your question
I didn't start drinking coffee until I turned 30s. It was just a few weeks after starting a new job that requires me to wake up very early in the morning. I had struggled to the point where I pushed myself to drink coffee to stay awake and energized. This was about a year and a half ago, now, I drink at least two cups of coffee a day and I only drink specialty coffee. Aside from my co-worker who helped me understand more about coffee, your channel was the golden gem that helped me know more not only about coffee, but also how to make good one. Your videos are very well-structured and nicely filmed. Thank you, man!
I've always loved coffee, but I'm new to the world of people who are OBSESSED with it (I don't mean that disparagingly). Your content is so informative and helpful, accessible to beginners without being patronizing. I think the frustration that I'm having is simply being the kind of person who likes to dive head first into subjects, but not having enough experience to navigate the territory. It's easy to become overwhelmed, but at least I came to realize soon enough that I'm out of my depths, and need to slow it down. There's no shortcut for the experience required, especially when you're dealing with an area like this that's somewhat esoteric, abstract, and subjective, but for now, I'm certainly enjoying learning the basics. Thank your for your fantastic content!
If someone ever tells you, you speak too fast--ignore them. I love to listen to people who are fluent, concise, precise, and find it painful to focus on information, which is delivered slowly, with lots of gaps and searching for the right word. Having a youtube channel is the perfect venue for you. You have something you know well (coffee) and are able to speak about it intelligently, with concentration and focus. I am not a coffee drinker (yet?), but enjoy your videos because of your delivery--made even better by your British "accent". Thanks.
I swear you are the only person on this planet I would be starstruck by. Thank you for your unpretentious guide to espresso, and thank you for taking away the intimidation. It made me take the plunge into buying an espresso machine and I’ve discovered a love for making coffee as well as drinking it!
The justification to also describe, in detail, what one does not like is a fine art. It is easy to dive into things you enjoy. This is exactly how I feel about art, film, and food.
i've never tried the multiple cup tasting, but from years of drinking I do know that I don't like acidic coffee nor fruity. Maybe I should try all my beans in one sitting at some time! Thanks James, your videos really helped me taste coffee better!
I’m a few years into my journey as a weird coffee nerd and James you were a big part of it. I think what you do is great, your videos allow people to get into coffee as hobby who might not of because of the intimidation and the pretty high cost and I think that’s just really great. So thank you!
These videos are def refreshing to me. The host has a thoughtful presentation that's easy to digest. I bought my first espresso machine 2 days ago and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment, these videos help, a bit (lol).
I started with your espresso videos and your World Atlas of Coffee, but as I am trying new coffees I wanted to find a way to learn them in a very basic way. Then, compare and contrast different brewing methods to accentuate what I like about that coffee (e.g., Turkish, V60, French press, americano, or espresso). This video and the cupping video are fantastic tutorials to get one back to the beginning…to a foundation to build on. Your ability to transfer knowledge, while focussing on the aspects that bring the most fun and make the process accessible, is invaluable. Thank you for the gift of knowledge!
Great video. I wanted to add that in terms of body there are actually very many teas with a thicker, "chewy" mouthfeel. Many of the newer oolong styles like Taiwanese High Mountain Oolong can have a very soft, pleasant texture along with crazy floral flavor. Those varieties/teas produced with that method actually converted me to exclusively drinking tea for a while! Now I'm mostly back to coffee with occasional tea. I was just astounded by how flavorful properly brewed loose leaf tea could be. Going from bags to high quality loose leaf was like going from supermarket pre-ground to single origin, well-roasted whole bean coffee.
I have been through so many coffee cupping videos. And this one made the most sense to me as a total noob and beginner. Thanks a lot for making this video.
A cliffhanger?! DAMN YOU! Love this. The wife and I did our first home cupping the other day with 3 dramatically different coffees. It was loads of fun!
James! I love this! I’m a coffee lover and never truly stopped and thought why I didn’t like a coffee or what I loved about it and your descriptions are so helpful!
I’m setting up my first home tasting tomorrow. Can’t wait to evaluate the coffee of my beautiful country of Colombia. Thank you for making these videos approachable. All the coffees are from my home region of Antioquia, one of them from a farm in Santa Barbara, and three of them from farms near Jericó.
James, you have changed our lives! No longer can we just drink coffee... we have just completed the first round of our cupping experiment. Round 2 & 3 to come.. Great fun. We have learned so much. ☕️
This video is super, incredibly, remarkably helpful. Haha. I personally think you discussed the things I was confused about tasting or sensory for the longest time. I cannot thank you enough for helping us break it down more or make it sound less complicated and intimidating. I am still suffering from bitter-sour confusion. I usually mistake sourness or saltiness even for bitterness. 😅 Thanks again James! 😊
As a life long coffee drinker I hope this will help me figure out what I actually like and don't like about coffee instead of me just saying coffee bad coffee good.
Very interesting that you mention the effects of filtration on mouthfeel. The scotch whisky anorak community (I have my anorak) are really becoming aware of the same thing with chill-filtration of single malts. Distillers are starting to bottle more and more malts with him I’ll filtration due to demand of those “active customers”.
James, I have learned so much from you over the past year that I haved started watching your videos. They are incredibly helpful and full of insight and expertise. I love your way of talking (and it's not just because you have a British accent 😁😂) and how you easily articulate your thoughts, it actually reminds me of Allan Watts. You have intensified my love for coffee a thousand times more. Thank you very much for being so amazing at what you do. Wish you bliss, joy and health.
It's really interesting to watch as a person working with premium tea, specializing in Puer tea. In a similar manner to what's mentioned here, I focus very much on richness, finish (after-taste), mouthfeel, enjoyment. Something notable is that being too specific with aromas may be less useful since all of us have a slightly different linguistic base and/or subjective memory. Of course, on the other hand, great descriptions help people pay more attention to things they might not have noticed before, although I do prefer to use leading questions for that, which then refers back to the use of the assessment sheets. Great video and I appreciate all the work to help inform more people about these concepts.
A controlled, balanced bitterness is desirable in many foods, including coffee, Campari, dark chocolate & beer.. Jennifer McLagan wrote a cookbook in 2014 on the subject which is excellent. Burnt is far more objectionable to me.
This made me subscribe to your videos. I have always been intimidated about the whole idea of cupping and describing the taste notes of coffee. But you make it seem like an invitation to try because there is no right or wrong in describing what you actually experienced in that cup. Thank you sir for this very pleasant and easy to watch video. Took off a lot of insecurity in my head. Now I’m excited to try it at home!
I needed to meet you long time ago James, but still not late as long as I'm alive, the only TH-cam channel with notification alarm on. keep teaching us. Last thing, I think specifically this video helps me in rchitectural criticising, how, by translating perceived info into feelings and measure them. Thank you.
I’ve really loved watching your videos, especially with the recent topics! I love being able to hear about the intricacies of coffee from someone who is a professional in the field, not just a guy who likes coffee and has a camera. Thank you for your time in making these videos, they are incredibly helpful and exciting to watch!
Thanks for this James. This video has confirmed a few things, but I’ve learned a few things too. Really appreciate the level of detail in your videos as a whole. I haven’t found many (any?) people regularly going into this kind of detail about coffee on TH-cam. Find it all really helpful.
As a new coffee shop owner I must say you do give much food for thought. I have always thought of tasting or simply the ways your nose reacts in general is subjective at beat. This is certainly a starting point in quantifying the elusive. I thank you and more importantly, my employees will thank you.
so interesting about the aversion to discussing bitterness, especially given the current fashion for amari (bittersweet liqueurs), negronis and other alcohols which are almost defined by having a high degree of bitterness, which is balanced by sweetness. Personally I very much like some degree of bitter flavour, it is very palate cleansing and, from a technical point of view, encourages digestion by stimulating a nervous system reflex that triggers the released of digestive acids and enzymes from the stomach, liver and pancreas - familiar to some as the traditional Swedish bitters.
One of the best coffees I've ever had as someone who primarily drinks and ranks cold brews was a cold brew from a local place (like trailer in the parking lot of the Ramada kind of local). Ordered black, and it was absolutely gorgeous. The best way I've been able to describe it is that it was deep and sweet in the same way as really dark chocolate, like 90+% kind of dark.
Read your book. Now watching the videos. Thank you for the down-to-earth practical videos. Your logical presentation and breakdown of coffee related topics are amazing
Strongly suggest this video before actually drinking coffee that you brew. I went into coffee, and after listening to TH-camers describe the tastes and notes, I expected the literal flavors of fruits and chocolate to come about (dumb of me I know) when I drink the coffee. I thought it was due to me being bad at brewing or not being able to taste anything properly. This led to frustration and shame on my part. Having overcome these feelings of inadequacy and watching this video, I find joy in coffee brewing again. So thank you James!
As a learning noob in coffee, your video's have helped me tons. I can actually get the taste of my coffee beans with my v60 now. Knowing what I can look for in coffee is gonna be an absolute blast. Have you got any other material to recommend except for your channel? Channels, books, things to do, taste or brew?
Wow. I’m so glad I watched this. I was having a hard time articulating and finding sweetness to an expresso as most of the people on expresso would describe. Now I kinda know what that meant.
For anyone struggling to download the file. Copy the link, paste in into your browser's address bar and add + at the end of it. This will give you the full URL and you can use that.
I know this is a really old video, but I wanted to leave a comment here to let you and others who come by know that this video is still inspiring and inviting. I have never liked coffee, but I also have only ever had roasts by way of electric brewers. Your openness and gentle explanation of how to start has made me want to try this for myself! Who knows, I might really love coffee and never known!
James, your videos matter. For someone trying to find their own way in coffee, you are a great ally. Thanks again.
Liked that
#HearHear
Dav Gats very clean explanation of cupping!
What a beautiful worded comment
Indeed. Thanks James
2:17 Aroma
3:21 Acidity
6:12 Sweetness
7:58 Body/texture/mouthfeel
9:50 Finish
10:57 Skillshare
11:57 Flavor introduction
13:12 Flavor - Fruity
15:35 Caramelization (aka things that have gone brown and are now delicious)
16:20 Flavor description tips
17:02 Scoring
17:36 Bitterness
Your the best, thank you. 😊
Aroma - intensity, quality
Acidity - bright and crisp and fresh, not sour, not to be confused with bitterness
Sweetness - no simple sugar sweetness, more complex
Body/Texture/Mouthfeel - like skim milk and whole milk and did you like it?
Finish - what are you left with after swallowing the coffee
Bless.
This is a weird side effect of James' videos taking off in popularity: the strengthening of the Filipino coffee community through online groups and how it's starting to reach a wider audience outside of the upper-middle income folks who typically frequent third wave coffee shops. I'm seeing so many people in our local community learn more about coffee, and purchase their very first pour-over kit, and many of them talk about your video as soon as it gets uploaded. No doubt your videos have offered a sense of accessibility and inclusivity for coffee that was once viewed as the rich snob's hobby. Thank you, even if you don't know that this is where it led to. This is great. Keep going.
I'm a filipino and yes this is a fact. The wonders James have done without him knowing. I started off as just loving the taste of different coffee beans in coffee shops. My love for coffee have led me to search groups about it online. In there I found a heartwarming community just sharing and educating each other. Thus, it led me to french press, to my first pour over and now on my way to buy an espresso machine. And yes, I'm still learning. I feel like it's a never ending learning process but I love the journey nonetheless. The community and inspiration that James have brought to us filipinos knowing little to nothing about coffee is just breathtaking to me. From the deepest corners of my heart, thank you for bringing us together through a cup of coffee. ❤
This is such an awesome comment. I love it.
Love from Sudan
🇵🇭❤️❤️🇸🇩
@@user-nf5js7ho2p Filipino brewer here too! I've only recently started getting into pour over and I was wondering, what was your first kit and how it went? Asking for reference since im sure you (probably) know how hard it is to get brewing equipment here in the PH~
@@adamundaneedge2472 omg yes! My first set was a hero stainless steel cone dripper bought from a local coffee shop, a good ol kitchen scale, and a gooseneck kettle from Japan surplus. true. It's really hard to source coffee equipment. I remember the days when I haven't joined those facebook groups that saved me. But trust me, japan surplus stores and daiso will always be your best friend
@@user-nf5js7ho2p Awesome, Will definitely join some brewer fb groups and check out the few JP surplus' here in baguio~ Thanks for the helpful advice!
For the sweetness you're referring to; in Chinese we have a phrase called 回甘 (huí gān) or just the word 甘 (gān) used to specifically describe a non-sugary sweetness, a sort of pleasant and sweet lingering aftertaste typically associated with tea.
哎呀！就是这个！可是我从来都尝不出来这种回甘😭
@@ilikehoodies1658 我以前也是，但现在找到好的豆就有了！
HululusLabs 真的嘛？！我现在在墨尔本 去好多有名的咖啡厅喝过各种产地的各种处理方法的豆子做的手冲、batch brew 或者奶咖 唉还是喝不出来那些丰富的风味
Rosie my love 我也是在墨尔本，只是觉得墨尔本的咖啡好好喝，但具体都说不上来😂
after-sweetness.
I’m a cocktail bartender and a professional barista.
I literally watch your videos over and over again man, they help me not to forget pieces that I may have unintentionally.
You have struck a perfect deliverance of amazing content that appeals to both novice and pros alike.
You literally are a guiding light for pretty much everyone in the coffee industry and home baristas alike.
I think I can speak for everyone, thank you sir, we must protect you at all costs.
after V60 now this? God i am in heaven.
We dont deserve this.
Coffee Jesus leads the way
It was definitely worth the wait!
This is the good place.
Who needs Netflix when you've got this channel?
Sir, I could listen to you talking about coffee forever! Really grateful for all the content you put out, the world of coffee can sometimes seem so difficult and your perspective allows me to just enjoy and try it.
Soooo glad you touched on the sour/bitter confusion. After quite some time, I came to the conclusion that what I was perceiving/describing as bitterness, was, in fact, acidity.
Been rough lately and from watching your videos for consecutive days ( as anything about coffee brings me so much relief ), there is one detail in your contents/ videos that actually I want to point out: Your tagline,
" I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT DAY. "
I just realize now how very, very simple but to me the most sincere.
So yeah,
I hope we all do.
I hope you’ve had many great days since!
This was wonderful! I just started trying coffee and was feeling like a failure or an idiot when I couldn't taste the blueberries, jasmine, lemon, toffee, etc. that was noted on the bags... With your two videos on how to cup and taste coffee, I feel a lot more confident about, well, being a beginner! I really appreciated how reassuring you were in this video, and how accessible you made specialty coffee to people like me. Thank you! Definitely subscribing!
It's always a process of training your senses. Musicians are the same way, you train your ears to hear nuances in sound that most cannot hear
I’m a coffee professional and still find this to be useful. You present and teach in ways that make it seem so much simpler than when I started out.
James, you have a very special knack of breaking down complex knowledge into easily digestible bites (especially for true beginners like me) and making it highly entertaining at the same time. I am convinced you could explain the process of paint drying and make it riveting. All jokes apart, I truly appreciate how you share your passion for and vast knowledge of coffee with us. THANK YOU.
A huge thank you from a person who was intimidated out of existense by people who tried to explain flavours. It always seemed to be like "this roast should taste like yellow fruit and maple syrup and doorknob and how on earth can't you tell". The way you explain things makes me want to experiment more and find out what things actually feel like!
doorknob HAHA you are so hilarious i wish i knew you in real life. XD
My local coffee shop/roaster (they have the roaster inside the shop) do free monthly cupping sessions, it's been amazing for developing tasting skills. The last time I went, there were six coffees, 3 from Ethiopia and three from Columbia. Having the chance to taste from 6 different cups was great. They're actually fairly close to you (Hertford about 25 miles north of London) if you're ever in the area, you should visit. The shops called the Bionic Bull coffee Lab. They do V60's, Aeropress and batch brews. Ps I'm LOVING your V60 method, I was brewing in a kettle then transferring to the Hario gooseneck, I still do, but now I'm bringing it to the boil before pouring. The swirl is also a great addition :)
its ColOmbia folk
@@humbertgustaf5241 Maybe it was from South Carolina lol.
I'm from Guatemala and your videos got me interested in coffee at a deeper level, thanks a lot for opening my eyes to many topics on everything about coffee
Just got my first job as a “Coffee Manager.” This is super helpful for me to explain to my barista how this stuff works. It’s so hard for me to put into words sometimes. Thank you!
You call this a beginners guide but I'm developing strategies to use for Brewer's competition next week as an experienced barista from this.
This was amazing and I'm really grateful for the time and effort you put into your videos.
I’ve seen 100 ads for skillshare before, but this was the first time I wanted to check it out. Thanks for the great content!
Just taking a moment to appreciate how you articulated such an abstract concept so well.
I’m not a barista. Will never be but watching your channel has given me so much information. I want to try and note down all the flavours I feel. Thank you. This is something I definitely want to try.
Ah yes, my favourite food-group "things that have gone brown and are now delicious". 😋
10:30pm here in New Zealand and a perfect way to nod off dreaming of that morning coffee 👌🏻
6:01am here and a wonderful way to wake up
8:10pm here in New Zealand and clearly I missed the notification 21 hours ago 😆
It’s 11 at night where I am and I’m drinking a nice cup. Why wait until morning?
me: *sips coffee*
also me: hmm tastes like coffee
Glad i saw this on a year old vid 😂
“I’m getting strong coffee notes from this one.”
same hahahahaha
Hmmm yes this must be coffee
This is all Nescafe's fault y'all 😂
Really enjoyed the complete breakdown of the process. I also found it refreshing when you give us your take on how you do things different from the community.
I just adore the fact of your personal approach to coffee cognition. That is an essential matter and aspect often excluded by people experiencing coffee tasting. I just want to thank you for the work you’re doing out here. Thank you, James.
Good man, this is one of the nicest, clearest yet very pragmatic videos about taste I’ve come across. I’m a nutritionist and I’ve seen a few on the matter.Really massive thank you. You have already change how I see coffee and brought a world of difference to my daily brew. Thank you.
Let's applaud this for guy, and let us note that he's gotten around 19k subscribers over the last 5 days. Trending !
Thank you, James! After reading all of the terms used in cupping coffee over and over again through the last 15 years, I *finally* understand what they mean.
My green coffee supplier cups every batch of the coffee he sells, and his scores and descriptors never meant anything to me; I might as well just flip a coin to decide what I purchase. Thanks to this video (and a few of your other videos), I can now choose my coffees more intelligently.
Years ago when I was still actively listening to people within the coffee community, I often hear them say that an espresso shot left alone for more than a minute will inevitably go bad. My question is: why is it like that for espresso and yet they say that cooling down regular brewed coffee to a lower temperature 'improves' the taste?
Edit: Btw, I love how you adjust your vocabulary depending on your audience.
Good espresso tastes good when it cools, ok espresso tastes ok hot and terrible cold. (This is my opinion). The concentration of acids in espresso do throw things out a bit, and your perception of most key tastes is linked to temperature so it will change its balance as it cools.
You are absolutely right.i like to test the coffee when it is cold.
On temperature, here in Asia, I find that we are more familiar with hot drinks at piping hot temperature, likewise for our traditional Nanyang coffee. I'm still trying to get used to 'foreign' coffee where it tends to be drank at lukewarm temperatures which goes rather cold in an instant. That brings me to the temptation which James led me...down the path of the ridiculously expensive Ember Mug. Let's not get there.
I'm just getting into home roasting, and generally appreciating coffee more.
Just wanted to let you know that your videos are fantastic. You're the helping hand I was looking for
Thank you!
Didn't even watch the first 3 seconds of the video, but decided to click the "Like" button. That's just James Hoffman for ya!
I’m not a coffee drinker but your channel made me to become more curious about it .I love how passionate you are about it and I think your love for coffee makes me like it more.
Very informative as always James. A great starting point to tasting.
It kinda reminds me to the many wine courses I had long time ago. You learn to develop smelling and tasting the coffee smell and taste, trying to dig deeper if possible... The result comes always to personal taste and flavours. Thanks!
Taking the snob out of coffee snob, and leaving just the good brew, I love you (in the wholesome sense)
Goddamn you are a charming individual. It's sp great to hear your balanced, selfaware, thoughtful perspective on this whole taste thing. This is lovely to watch!
"Coffee is a moving target."
It is indeed! As such, it brings forth diversity of experience having sipped coffee out of many cups.
Very late reply here lol, pinoy here & I have been brewing coffee since I was a kid in the 70s using Barako coffee. We have this perculator two or three parts in it where there's a container in the inside that had holes & a stand as far as I can recall. The lid has some sort of a crystal handle....then instant coffee came along. Now I'm reliving my childhood by brewing my own coffee & James is just spectacular to listen too.
I’ve always been a coffee lover, but by watching your videos I am discovering a whole new Coffee Universe. Thanks.
There are only a few people in this world who are comfortable with being ok with how so ever one feels about anything. Afterall in the end its all about finding the coffee that is your soulmate. James I must admit you give the confidence of finding what really matters rather than chasing definitions. Thank you so much for your videos
I wish every TH-cam coffee video could be recast with James Hoffman. The best coffee teaching and soothing clean coffee vibes. You make me want to drink another cup right now.
These uploads are the exact content TH-cam hasn’t had in a while. You’ve done an excellent job.
We have a civilization. I appreciate Mr. Hoffman's reminding us of that reassuring fact.
Your channel is my new obsession. It’s refreshing and exhilarating to hear someone so intelligent and knowledgeable talking about something passionately but without being pretentious. I could listen to you talk about anything for hours! Thank you. 😊
James, thank you so much for these helpful videos. Coffee is a very new hobby for me and I simply can't get enough of learning as I watch and listen. This video in particular is so helpful as I have always struggled with tasting things and being able to describe what I am tasting. Thank you for giving us permission to taste and to try and to work at it little by little. You are incredibly inspiring. Thanks so much for what you do. Peace and good.
Been binging your videos this week as I found a newfound passion for making coffee and all the parts associated with it. Thanks for producing elegant and informative videos!
In all the years since the inception of TH-cam that I have been consuming content I have rarely ever felt compelled to leave a comment or even click on the like button (privacy freak) but you sir produce such an immensely useful and educational content that I can’t not complement you for it. I have been binge watching your videos for some time now and I have learned so much from you. Thank you!
I’m so happy you said that a lot of people find those descriptors frustrating! I’m really into pour over but I was never able to taste the “cherry cola, 3 day old oak barrel during a full moon etc..” I’ll keep working on it though. Today my coffee tastes like plums/apples. I think it’s good to hear these being listed off as you drink. Well anyways, thanks so much for this channel and keep up the amazing work :)
You have the most pleasing voice. I can fall asleep listening to you.
James, these latest videos you've put out, and indeed, all the videos that help a novice or beginner in the coffee world bridge that gap between the professional community and the widely available commercial atmosphere are so, so important. I can't thank you enough as someone who has aspirations to open a coffee education/information center one day. Accessibility is key to reminding career baristas and lay people alike what we're doing this for, and who we're doing this for. Honestly, thank you for all that you do for our community and for being a source of challenge and inspiration so that we might, as the SCA says, "Make Coffee Better."
The books, and videos from you are my motivation on my coffee journey ! Thanks James !
Thanks for doing this James. I had a cupping at home. I used several coffees that I bought here in California, and a few farther away. Your explanations were 'required' viewing before the event. It all worked quite well in my household. Thanks!
I pretty much gave up on coffee about 5 years ago; I was a hot chocolate drinker and an occasional coffee sweet milk drink. During lockdown I discovered your videos. Now I am drinking coffee again; mostly black. Thank you for the vocabulary to communicate the different tastes of coffee. I have a bit to go to get all of the tasting notes. I have a better appreciation of: acidic, sweet and bitter. Hoping for more range later.
Very good description for Coffee ☕️ tasting . Actually similar like wine tasting aroma “nose”, acidity “alcohol” , vinegar “sourness” bitterness “tannic”, mouthfeel, “slurping overall tongue roof of mouth taste” finish “after you swallow or spit out, the aftertaste”
This could not have come at a better time. I have just taken the plunge along a new career path in speciality coffee and, with very little previous experience in the practice of assessing coffee, have been exposed to cupping within the first two weeks of starting. Although in a relaxed environment with my peers, I found the process to be intimidating. This video has brilliantly demystified the subject for me and moving forward I can use this information to make the process more approachable and enjoyable. Thank you very much James, keep up the amazing content.
sam52x7 how do you/they recommend cleaning your palette before/between spoon dips? Good luck with your coffee hustle.
@@idixon5168 I was surprised to find this having had a background in wine but to be honest, in general there isn't any palate cleansing in between each coffee. You can obviously sip water if need be but the point of tasting is to constantly compare and contrast the different coffees you are tasting, so there isn't a need to. This does also depend on the amount of coffee/length of time you are tasting as palate fatigue can occur. So for example if you are tasting two large groups of coffees in the morning, you would potentially need eat something inbetween to rest/refresh the palate and caffeine consumption is also a factor. I had one roaster mention he likes to have miso soup in between tastings 😂. Anyway hope this helps answer your question
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THIS FREE KNOWLEDGE!
I didn't start drinking coffee until I turned 30s. It was just a few weeks after starting a new job that requires me to wake up very early in the morning. I had struggled to the point where I pushed myself to drink coffee to stay awake and energized. This was about a year and a half ago, now, I drink at least two cups of coffee a day and I only drink specialty coffee. Aside from my co-worker who helped me understand more about coffee, your channel was the golden gem that helped me know more not only about coffee, but also how to make good one. Your videos are very well-structured and nicely filmed. Thank you, man!
I've always loved coffee, but I'm new to the world of people who are OBSESSED with it (I don't mean that disparagingly). Your content is so informative and helpful, accessible to beginners without being patronizing.
I think the frustration that I'm having is simply being the kind of person who likes to dive head first into subjects, but not having enough experience to navigate the territory. It's easy to become overwhelmed, but at least I came to realize soon enough that I'm out of my depths, and need to slow it down. There's no shortcut for the experience required, especially when you're dealing with an area like this that's somewhat esoteric, abstract, and subjective, but for now, I'm certainly enjoying learning the basics.
Thank your for your fantastic content!
If someone ever tells you, you speak too fast--ignore them. I love to listen to people who are fluent, concise, precise, and find it painful to focus on information, which is delivered slowly, with lots of gaps and searching for the right word. Having a youtube channel is the perfect venue for you. You have something you know well (coffee) and are able to speak about it intelligently, with concentration and focus. I am not a coffee drinker (yet?), but enjoy your videos because of your delivery--made even better by your British "accent". Thanks.
I swear you are the only person on this planet I would be starstruck by. Thank you for your unpretentious guide to espresso, and thank you for taking away the intimidation. It made me take the plunge into buying an espresso machine and I’ve discovered a love for making coffee as well as drinking it!
The justification to also describe, in detail, what one does not like is a fine art. It is easy to dive into things you enjoy. This is exactly how I feel about art, film, and food.
Sensei, I learned so much about coffee that is equal or more to what I would learn in a lifetime working in a coffee shop! Thank you for your efforts.
i've never tried the multiple cup tasting, but from years of drinking I do know that I don't like acidic coffee nor fruity. Maybe I should try all my beans in one sitting at some time! Thanks James, your videos really helped me taste coffee better!
You're spoiling us mr Hoffmann! Great content as usual.
I’m a few years into my journey as a weird coffee nerd and James you were a big part of it. I think what you do is great, your videos allow people to get into coffee as hobby who might not of because of the intimidation and the pretty high cost and I think that’s just really great. So thank you!
These videos are def refreshing to me. The host has a thoughtful presentation that's easy to digest. I bought my first espresso machine 2 days ago and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment, these videos help, a bit (lol).
I started with your espresso videos and your World Atlas of Coffee, but as I am trying new coffees I wanted to find a way to learn them in a very basic way. Then, compare and contrast different brewing methods to accentuate what I like about that coffee (e.g., Turkish, V60, French press, americano, or espresso). This video and the cupping video are fantastic tutorials to get one back to the beginning…to a foundation to build on. Your ability to transfer knowledge, while focussing on the aspects that bring the most fun and make the process accessible, is invaluable. Thank you for the gift of knowledge!
He's honestly such a lovely man, love his videos
Great video. I wanted to add that in terms of body there are actually very many teas with a thicker, "chewy" mouthfeel. Many of the newer oolong styles like Taiwanese High Mountain Oolong can have a very soft, pleasant texture along with crazy floral flavor. Those varieties/teas produced with that method actually converted me to exclusively drinking tea for a while! Now I'm mostly back to coffee with occasional tea. I was just astounded by how flavorful properly brewed loose leaf tea could be. Going from bags to high quality loose leaf was like going from supermarket pre-ground to single origin, well-roasted whole bean coffee.
I have been through so many coffee cupping videos. And this one made the most sense to me as a total noob and beginner. Thanks a lot for making this video.
A cliffhanger?! DAMN YOU!
Love this. The wife and I did our first home cupping the other day with 3 dramatically different coffees. It was loads of fun!
James! I love this! I’m a coffee lover and never truly stopped and thought why I didn’t like a coffee or what I loved about it and your descriptions are so helpful!
I’m setting up my first home tasting tomorrow. Can’t wait to evaluate the coffee of my beautiful country of Colombia. Thank you for making these videos approachable. All the coffees are from my home region of Antioquia, one of them from a farm in Santa Barbara, and three of them from farms near Jericó.
James, you have changed our lives! No longer can we just drink coffee... we have just completed the first round of our cupping experiment. Round 2 & 3 to come.. Great fun. We have learned so much. ☕️
Thank you for bitter and sour comparison - I’ve struggled with this and now feel much more confident
This video is super, incredibly, remarkably helpful. Haha. I personally think you discussed the things I was confused about tasting or sensory for the longest time. I cannot thank you enough for helping us break it down more or make it sound less complicated and intimidating. I am still suffering from bitter-sour confusion. I usually mistake sourness or saltiness even for bitterness. 😅
Thanks again James! 😊
As a life long coffee drinker I hope this will help me figure out what I actually like and don't like about coffee instead of me just saying coffee bad coffee good.
That's exactly why i'm here as well
Very interesting that you mention the effects of filtration on mouthfeel. The scotch whisky anorak community (I have my anorak) are really becoming aware of the same thing with chill-filtration of single malts. Distillers are starting to bottle more and more malts with him I’ll filtration due to demand of those “active customers”.
James, I have learned so much from you over the past year that I haved started watching your videos.
They are incredibly helpful and full of insight and expertise.
I love your way of talking (and it's not just because you have a British accent 😁😂) and how you easily articulate your thoughts, it actually reminds me of Allan Watts.
You have intensified my love for coffee a thousand times more.
Thank you very much for being so amazing at what you do.
Wish you bliss, joy and health.
It's really interesting to watch as a person working with premium tea, specializing in Puer tea. In a similar manner to what's mentioned here, I focus very much on richness, finish (after-taste), mouthfeel, enjoyment. Something notable is that being too specific with aromas may be less useful since all of us have a slightly different linguistic base and/or subjective memory. Of course, on the other hand, great descriptions help people pay more attention to things they might not have noticed before, although I do prefer to use leading questions for that, which then refers back to the use of the assessment sheets. Great video and I appreciate all the work to help inform more people about these concepts.
A controlled, balanced bitterness is desirable in many foods, including coffee, Campari, dark chocolate & beer.. Jennifer McLagan wrote a cookbook in 2014 on the subject which is excellent. Burnt is far more objectionable to me.
This made me subscribe to your videos. I have always been intimidated about the whole idea of cupping and describing the taste notes of coffee. But you make it seem like an invitation to try because there is no right or wrong in describing what you actually experienced in that cup. Thank you sir for this very pleasant and easy to watch video. Took off a lot of insecurity in my head. Now I’m excited to try it at home!
I enjoyed this video immensely. James, you made learning about coffee tasting informative and fun (and not intimidating!) for me
I needed to meet you long time ago James, but still not late as long as I'm alive, the only TH-cam channel with notification alarm on. keep teaching us.
Last thing, I think specifically this video helps me in rchitectural criticising, how, by translating perceived info into feelings and measure them.
Thank you.
That was such a relief for me because I've always felt somewhat disappointed that I couldn't taste the flavors in my cups. Thanks, James.
I feel like I’ve found a friend to help me on my barista journey. Thank you
Watching this just now, learning so much and building the knowledge but also the love for coffee. Thank you for your channel.
I’ve really loved watching your videos, especially with the recent topics! I love being able to hear about the intricacies of coffee from someone who is a professional in the field, not just a guy who likes coffee and has a camera. Thank you for your time in making these videos, they are incredibly helpful and exciting to watch!
Thanks for this James. This video has confirmed a few things, but I’ve learned a few things too.
Really appreciate the level of detail in your videos as a whole. I haven’t found many (any?) people regularly going into this kind of detail about coffee on TH-cam. Find it all really helpful.
As a new coffee shop owner I must say you do give much food for thought. I have always thought of tasting or simply the ways your nose reacts in general is subjective at beat. This is certainly a starting point in quantifying the elusive. I thank you and more importantly, my employees will thank you.
so interesting about the aversion to discussing bitterness, especially given the current fashion for amari (bittersweet liqueurs), negronis and other alcohols which are almost defined by having a high degree of bitterness, which is balanced by sweetness. Personally I very much like some degree of bitter flavour, it is very palate cleansing and, from a technical point of view, encourages digestion by stimulating a nervous system reflex that triggers the released of digestive acids and enzymes from the stomach, liver and pancreas - familiar to some as the traditional Swedish bitters.
One of the best coffees I've ever had as someone who primarily drinks and ranks cold brews was a cold brew from a local place (like trailer in the parking lot of the Ramada kind of local). Ordered black, and it was absolutely gorgeous. The best way I've been able to describe it is that it was deep and sweet in the same way as really dark chocolate, like 90+% kind of dark.
The lighting and color grading here is gorgeous. Haven't even watched yet
Read your book. Now watching the videos. Thank you for the down-to-earth practical videos. Your logical presentation and breakdown of coffee related topics are amazing
Very helpful video.
Mr Hoffman is so lucid, so easy to listen to.
Strongly suggest this video before actually drinking coffee that you brew.
I went into coffee, and after listening to TH-camers describe the tastes and notes, I expected the literal flavors of fruits and chocolate to come about (dumb of me I know) when I drink the coffee. I thought it was due to me being bad at brewing or not being able to taste anything properly. This led to frustration and shame on my part. Having overcome these feelings of inadequacy and watching this video, I find joy in coffee brewing again. So thank you James!
This is how I imagine a fireside chat with you James!
As a learning noob in coffee, your video's have helped me tons. I can actually get the taste of my coffee beans with my v60 now. Knowing what I can look for in coffee is gonna be an absolute blast. Have you got any other material to recommend except for your channel? Channels, books, things to do, taste or brew?
2 awesome videos in a week, we've been blessed!
Wow. I’m so glad I watched this. I was having a hard time articulating and finding sweetness to an expresso as most of the people on expresso would describe. Now I kinda know what that meant.
For anyone struggling to download the file. Copy the link, paste in into your browser's address bar and add + at the end of it. This will give you the full URL and you can use that.
I know this is a really old video, but I wanted to leave a comment here to let you and others who come by know that this video is still inspiring and inviting. I have never liked coffee, but I also have only ever had roasts by way of electric brewers. Your openness and gentle explanation of how to start has made me want to try this for myself! Who knows, I might really love coffee and never known!