What exactly is this mouthfeel that coffee experts keep talking about?
“Mouthfeel” is the complex, tactile sensory impression of a food or drink. We use our tongue, rather than the palate, to explore the texture of what we eat or drink.
The German term “Mundgefühl” is a somewhat awkward literal translation of the English mouthfeel<1>. The term texture, as used in wine sensory evaluation, describes the same effect as mouthfeel and can easily be used in its place.
The differences in tactile sensory impressions between crispbread, oysters, and dough are enormous. The vocabulary used to describe these differences is also very broad: crunchy, slippery, chewy, etc.
For coffee, it’s a different story. Coffee as a beverage is liquid, and therefore the spectrum of intensity is more limited: thin – liquid – thick. Instead of breadth, we need to go into depth here and describe the quality of the intensity in order to communicate coffee. We have a wide range of descriptors available, from tea-like, silky, velvety, and juicy to round, creamy, syrupy, etc.
Some factors that influence mouthfeel
Numerous factors are co-responsible for the beverage. The ripeness of the coffee cherry, its processing, the way we roast the coffee, and its resulting solubility – light-roasted coffees are generally less soluble than darker-roasted coffees.
The substances dissolved during extraction are partly responsible for the quality of the mouthfeel. The water used also plays a major role here, as the composition of the minerals it contains reacts with the coffee, thereby drawing out soluble substances.
Mouthfeel and perception
The texture of coffee significantly influences our perception. If a coffee has a syrupy consistency and lingers on the tongue, I have more time to analyze it. The flavours seem more intense to us. Conversely, if a watery coffee disappears from the tongue quickly, it contains fewer dissolved substances. The low intensity and short duration mean that the flavour notes are less perceptible.
The quality of the mouthfeel plays an important role in the sensory evaluation of a coffee. Even if a coffee has great aromas and complex acidity – if the mouthfeel is lacking, the coffee is less enjoyable and the flavour notes are less readable.
<1> Since many terms in coffee sensory science originate from English (not least due to the foundational work of the SCAA – Specialty Coffee Association of America), the term has become established.
