8 simple sensory exercises for at home: Your path to the perfect coffee experience

A perfect espresso or a perfectly extracted filter coffee is no coincidence. It is the result of knowledge, experience, and above all, trained sensory skills. After all, how can you optimize your grinder, machine, or brew if you don't understand the nuances of your coffee? We'll show you how you can easily train your sensory skills at home. You can find the video for this article here.

Why sensory skills are so important

Sensory skills are the foundation for recognizing the subtle differences in coffee. Only when you can distinguish acidity from bitterness or identify a "scratchy" body are you able to make targeted adjustments. A well-stocked "sensory library" in your head will help you identify taste differences and objectively assess the quality of your coffee. After all, how can you categorize a taste if you don't even know what a strawberry tastes like? If your library is still a bit empty or dusty, here are a few tips for practicing at home.

1. Acidity: The zesty note in coffee

Acidity is an essential component of coffee, especially specialty coffee, and can range from acetic and malic to citric acid. Acidity divides opinions and gives people a lot to talk about. That's why Philipp wrote a detailed blog post about it, and Ben and Michel made a video about too much acidity in espresso. However, all this knowledge is of little use if you cannot define acidity as a basic taste. So how can you easily train your perception of it?

Lemon water challenge

Squeeze half a lemon into a glass of water. Take a small sip of the pure lemon extract. Don't focus on the lemon taste, but rather on where on your tongue you perceive the acidity. Is it at the front, on the sides, at the back, or all over your tongue? Note your impressions. Gradually dilute the lemon water and observe how the intensity and perception change.

And then: Acidity in coffee

Now try to define the acidity in different coffees. To do this, you can pull different extractions from your espresso machine using the same coffee or perform multiple brews with your manual brewer. You can also simply perform a cupping with different coffees. Here you can see how to replicate this at home. Try to focus only on the acidity and not be guided by other impressions.

2. Bitterness: The often misunderstood element

Bitterness is complex, as we possess over 25 bitter receptors, which strongly influences individual perception. In an interview with Sara Marquart, Benjamin talks about the different qualities of bitterness and their scientific foundations. Coffee is naturally bitter—though not as green coffee, but only through the breakdown of chlorogenic acids during roasting. Michel and Ben discussed how this bitterness can be regulated during espresso extraction in this video.

Lemon peel test

The lemon is a versatile talent! While the juice is sour, the white part of the peel—the albedo—is very bitter. Cut off a small piece and chew on it. You will notice that bitterness often kicks in with a delay and is usually perceived in the back part of the palate.

Bitter alternatives

If you don't want to chew on lemon peel, try bitter salads like chicory or sugarloaf, artichokes, or drinks like beer, gin, or tonic. A slice of lemon in tonic is the premium way to discover acidity and bitterness at the same time.

3. Body: The mouthfeel of your coffee

The body describes the intensity and texture that coffee leaves in the mouth. Philipp wrote an entire article on texture and body. When a coffee has a syrupy consistency and lingers on the tongue, we have more time to analyze it. Flavor notes appear more intense.

Water vs. Cream exercise

Take a glass of water and a glass of a thick liquid like cream, syrup, or oil. Take turns taking a sip of each. Water feels light (often described as "watery"), while the thick variety feels more intense on the tongue. Also pay attention to the texture: soft, sandy, rough, or scratchy? A coffee can have low intensity but still feel pleasantly soft.

4. Sensory perception through the nose

Our nose plays a central role in the sensory experience. If your "sensory library" is dusty, it's time to freshen it up. Only then can you recognize subtle differences in coffee—such as notes of nuts, fruit, or chocolate.

Smell challenge

Consciously sniff things in your surroundings: flowers, oranges, yogurt, herbs, spices. The more smells you consciously store, the easier it will be for you to recognize them again in coffee. Close your eyes to fully concentrate on the smell.

5. Flavor: The full experience

"Flavor" is the overall impression consisting of smell and basic tastes, which is formed through "retronasal olfaction" in the palate. If you hold your nose while drinking, you will only perceive the basic tastes. Open it up, and you'll experience the full range of flavor.

Blind tasting with an ally

Ask someone to help you with this exercise. Close your eyes and nose and taste something edible. At first, you will only perceive the basic tastes. Then open your nose—and experience how the flavor experience changes.

6. Aftertaste: The lasting memory

The aftertaste describes how long and how pleasantly a taste lingers on the palate.

Mindfulness while drinking

Pay conscious attention to how long you perceive your coffee in your mouth. Is the aftertaste long and pleasant, or short and rough? A long, soft aftertaste is usually rated more positively.

7. Sweetness: The sweet spot in coffee

Since ancient times, we have been guided by sweetness in food. Whether a fruit was ripe was determined by its level of sweetness. If we find sweetness in coffee, we rate it higher—even if the sugar content is barely measurable. The perception of sweetness arises from balance and roast aromas.

Indulgence allowed!

Train your sweetness perception by consciously trying various sweet foods: honey, vanilla, caramel, chocolate, or pastries. Everything has a different type of sweetness. Recognizing these differences helps you perceive subtle nuances in coffee.

8. Sweetness and acidity: the perfect duo

The perfect balance in the cup is created by the interaction of acidity and sweetness. While acidity brings freshness, sweetness provides harmony and roundness. "Sweetness supports acidity"—sweetness supports acidity and makes it more pleasant.

The self-test

Squeeze half a lemon into a glass of water. After you have analyzed the acidity, add half a tablespoon of sugar. You will notice that the acidity feels milder, even though it remains the same. Sweetness balances out acidity—if it is missing, the drink feels flat and sticky.

With these simple practical tips, you can sharpen your sensory skills at home and deepen your understanding of coffee. And if you would like to exchange ideas with like-minded people, visit our Sensory 1 course in Basel.

Have fun practicing and exploring!