Beans and Milk

[kaapiman]

I am from India where coffee is drunk with milk. Now as far as I understand, coffee is best appreciated black, especially when you want to enjoy the variations in tastes of beans from different places.

What I want to know is... will the variety of taste of various beans be lost when drunk with milk? I don''t mean lots of milk and froth, but even a little bit of milk?

I know an expert may be able to differentiate but what about normal people who just enjoy their coffee? Can they enjoy the variety in taste?

 

[LoveJava]

I'm certainly not an expert, but I can tell differences between coffees of different origins even with a splash of milk in it (which is how I generally prefer mine). When we get a brand new coffee that I've never had, I try a sip or two of it black just to see what it tastes like unadulterated because it does taste different with the milk, but then I usually put milk in my cup to drink (although I've found one or two that I'll have black, so I think its worth experimenting!)

 

[davidsbiscotti]

beans & milk

For years, my preference has been to use a little cream in my coffee,
but decided to experiment with this famous "Sumatra" I got from
Mocha Joe's.
I tried it with cream and then without.
I have to say, the after taste is more prevalent and more appealing without the cream.
As far as distinguishing origin, I wouldn't know either way, because I'm normal people and until recently thought coffee was just coffee.
I now look forward to trying coffees of various origin without the cream or milk.

(Is there a better term for "after taste" in coffee lingo?)

 

[MakoShark]

[quote:0d3809f088=\"kaapiman\"]I am from India where coffee is drunk with milk. Now as far as I understand, coffee is best appreciated black, especially when you want to enjoy the variations in tastes of beans from different places.

What I want to know is... will the variety of taste of various beans be lost when drunk with milk? I don''''t mean lots of milk and froth, but even a little bit of milk?

I know an expert may be able to differentiate but what about normal people who just enjoy their coffee? Can they enjoy the variety in taste?[/quote:0d3809f088]

Folks have differing opinions on this. The purist will always choose to cup his coffees black in order to taste the cascade of flavors that emerge. But many people like to drink their coffee with milk or cream, and or sugar.

Personally, I don''t like the taste of beer. I''ve been of drinking age for many years and have had plenty of opportunity to develop my pallet for the flavor. But I just don''t like it. Many people are this way with coffee.

Coffee becomes part of their morning ritual; their wake up routine. Coffee triggers brain activity. It clears the mind and sinuses for the start of another day. They like coffee the way they''re used to it.

For these people to judge coffee as to flavor and \"quality\" they must drink it the way they like it. Otherwise they struggle to give a reliable opinion. They have trouble distinguishing different aspects of the coffee, good and bad. Mostly they judge bad, because the milk or cream and sugar smooths out the character of the coffee.

To sum it up, drink black to taste the broadest spectrum of flavors. Add milk if you must. Let the coffee cool a bit to allow flavors to emerge.

Mako

 

[3ternal]

Personally I can still differentiate, but it's much easier to distinguish acidity, body, and aroma with the coffee black. Even with some milk or cream, there's going to be a noticable difference of where the coffee hits your tongues palette if say you do a cupping of Sulawesi and Costa Rican coffee's. Not to mention the Sulawesi would leave a longer aftertaste.

 

[davidsbiscotti]

Well said 3ternal. You answered the question with elloquence and grammatical precision.

You also answered my question on the use of the word "aftertaste"
(as well as it being one word).

Do you still work for StarBucks?
Or don't you own a coffee shop or two or three by now?
What are your aspirations?

 

[3ternal]

Well said 3ternal. You answered the question with elloquence and grammatical precision.

You also answered my question on the use of the word "aftertaste"
(as well as it being one word).

Do you still work for StarBucks?
Or don't you own a coffee shop or two or three by now?
What are your aspirations?

Yep, I'm actually going back to the store's as a supervisor in a week. Currently I work in the corporate office providing I.T support for the North American, UK, Costa Rican, and Amsterdam offices, roasting plants, and stores.

I'll be opening up a coffee/tea house with a good friend/associate of mine in the coming years. Right now I'm just building up my contacts, education, and spreading the wealth while I'm at it