coffeeivforme Senior Member Joined: 20 Jul 2009 Posts: 5 Location: Portland, Oregon Expertise: I live coffee
Posted Fri Nov 13, 2009, 3:54pm Subject: Review my coffee article
I've been in the process of writing coffee articles for my website and I would love to have your guys' feedback. The website is an e-commerce site directed at small businesses looking to purchase their coffee break room supplies at wholesale prices and bulk quantities. The articles I'm writing are geared towards new people who have very little information on coffee. So far I've got two articles written. One of which I already posted here. Here is the following article http://www.hhcoffeesupply.com/coffee-vocab-101 :
Coffee Vocabulary 101: Simple Terms Defined You need to have a basic understanding of coffee terminology before you can begin your journey as a coffee connoisseur. Even if your dream is not to be a coffee tester it is still important to know the different nuances of coffee and how they are described. This will give you more insight into your favorite coffees and how to find others that taste like them. You’ll also know what your coffee roaster is talking about when they are describing their coffee.
Here is a list of terms: Acidity, Aroma, Body, Finish, Flavor.
Acidity: What it means? Green coffee beans have a natural amount of acidity (pH) to them. Different regions and growing methods have a pronounced affect on the amount of acidity within the bean. Higher elevations and mineral rich soil can produce higher amounts of acidity.
What it tastes like? Acidity gives coffee its dry, crisp and almost sweet after taste. It’s experienced on the edges and the back of your tongue. A coffee bean that has the correct amount of acidity will give it an aromatic floral flavor with a sweet tasting finish. A coffee bean with poor acidity will have a tart almost grass like taste with a sour unpleasant finish.
Alternative Names Acidity is described in a multitude of ways. The next time your roaster describes the coffee as bright, lively, dry, crisp, sweet, winey, vibrant or sharp they are referring to the level of acidity within the coffee. Because the word acidity has negative connotations associated with it coffee roasters will often shy away from this word when describing their coffee.
Aroma: What it means? Simply put aroma refers to the smell of the coffee. It can be perceived either nasally or retronasally (the way it smells when the coffee is in your mouth). Acidity and flavor will be interpreted by the smell as much as it will be by the taste. Aroma is accountable for all of the coffee attributes that aren’t perceived by the tongue (sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and the body).
What it tastes like? Aroma makes up all the complexities of the coffee that aren’t experienced on the palate. A coffee with high acidity will smell highly acidic. A coffee with full notes of flavor will smell strong of its flavor. Aroma is best used to describe the experience of the coffee before it’s tasted and then again used to describe the flavor after it’s been tasted.
Alternative Names Acidity is described in a multitude of ways. The aroma of coffee can be described as the smell, notes, and experience of the coffee.
Body: What it means? Coffee has naturally occurring oils trapped within the coffee bean. Different regions, growing methods, and roasting times will cause these oils to become more pronounced within the coffee. The oil in coffee gives it ‘body’ which can be interpreted as the feeling it imparts on your mouth.
What it tastes like? Body is more of a sensation than a flavor. There is a scale in which body is measured in coffee. The lighter and thinner the coffee feels in your mouth the less body it has. A coffee with a low bodied flavor would have the same consistency as water. The oilier and thicker the coffee feels in your mouth the more body it has. A coffee with a full bodied flavor feels like it coats your mouth and tongue and lingers well after you have consumed it.
Alternative Names The body of a coffee can be described in multiple ways. The next time your coffee is described as rich, full flavored, oily, thick, and heavy they are referring to the fullness of body within the coffee. On the other hand if the coffee is described as light or thin they are referring to the lack of body within the coffee.
Finish: What it means? Finish refers to the finality of the coffee. It is used to describe how the coffee tastes after it has been consumed.
What it tastes like? The finish of coffee can change greatly depending on the coffee. Different regions, growing conditions, and roasts all attribute to the finish of the coffee. Some coffees grow in flavor in this finish and others will simply fall flat. The experience of the finish can also be described in body and aroma as well as taste. The finish is an important part of the overall experience of the coffee.
Alternative Names The finish of the coffee is most accurately described as ‘finish’ but also may be termed as finality or other variations of the word finish.
Flavor: What it means? Flavor is the all encompassing qualities of the coffee that can’t be described simply by aroma, body, or acidity. It is, in a way, generalizing the overall coffee tasting experience.
What it tastes like? The flavor of coffee is broad in definition and can only be truly experienced when drinking the coffee. There are specific flavors that are sought after in different growing regions and roasts. You can taste the flavor in the coffee by the overall experience of the coffee.
Alternative Names Flavor can be defined by richness, complexion, balance, and range. The richness of the coffee refers to body, flavor, and acidity of the coffee. Complexion describes the coffee as it undergoes changes in flavor. The balance refers to a coffees ability to hold its flavor. The range describes the area in which the coffee has its true flavor.
bodum_fanatic Senior Member Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 380 Location: Missouri Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Won't become one of those... Grinder: Braun KMM30, Krups Fast... Vac Pot: Never had much luck there. Drip: Melitta Deluxe 132 made in... Roaster: West Bend Poppery II
Posted Sun Nov 15, 2009, 2:23pm Subject: Re: Review my coffee article
I'm sorry, maybe it's just me, but I found it kind of long.
johnboddie Senior Member Joined: 28 Nov 2008 Posts: 50 Location: Virginia Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Brasilia Mini Classic,... Grinder: Rocky, KitchenAid Pro Drip: Cuisinart (non-grinding)
Posted Mon Nov 16, 2009, 1:52pm Subject: Re: Review my coffee article
First you say: "The website is an e-commerce site directed at small businesses looking to purchase their coffee break room supplies at wholesale prices and bulk quantities."
Then you say: "You need to have a basic understanding of coffee terminology before you can begin your journey as a coffee connoisseur. Even if your dream is not to be a coffee tester it is still important to know the different nuances of coffee and how they are described."
Do you see the disconnect here?
Your problem is that you haven't figured out who your audience is.
coffeeivforme Senior Member Joined: 20 Jul 2009 Posts: 5 Location: Portland, Oregon Expertise: I live coffee
Posted Mon Nov 16, 2009, 2:07pm Subject: Re: Review my coffee article
I see what you're saying. Perhaps I should change the opening paragraph. I guess what I'm trying to do is enlighten the reader as to what kind of coffee purchasing decisions they will make based upon a general knowledge of coffee
Breeze Senior Member Joined: 3 Dec 2006 Posts: 633 Location: St. Croix, V.I. Expertise: Pro Roaster
Espresso: Pasquini Livia S Grinder: Mazzer Mini/Rocky Drip: TechniVorm/Krups MB Roaster: Toper 1 kilo
Posted Tue Nov 17, 2009, 9:32am Subject: Re: Review my coffee article
The purpose of this article, as you related it leads me to believe that you are going to go over a lot of heads. It's not clear that you are selling coffee but I assume you are. The supplies are easy, but the coffee is difficult. To meet certain price points sacrifices need be made. To meed certain quality standards, sacrifices need be avoided.
Start with very good quality greens. Continue with a quality roaster and do your own cupping to insure you know your product. Rather than a technical paper on aspects of coffee in general, do in depth profiles on the cup advantages of what you offer. I know nothing about your business but freshness is where you are going to land on the great divide. If you are using coffee from an institutional roaster and maintain large stores of product, "ready to ship", you are going to fall on the side of stale coffee, even if the greens were once quality. If you can control your source and inventory to the point you are able to ship coffee two weeks or less after it is roasted, you're in good shape.
I hope your "supplies" include grinders as pre-ground coffee stales much more rapidly.
CoffeeRoastersClub Senior Member Joined: 6 Jul 2005 Posts: 2,654 Location: Connecticut Expertise: Professional
Espresso: Vintage La Pavoni Lever... Grinder: KitchenAid Pro Line Burr... Vac Pot: Vintage Silex Drip: Aeropress, French Press Roaster: "Little Tyke" BBQ Drum,...
Posted Tue Nov 17, 2009, 11:55am Subject: Re: Review my coffee article
coffeeivforme Said:
I see what you're saying. Perhaps I should change the opening paragraph. I guess what I'm trying to do is enlighten the reader as to what kind of coffee purchasing decisions they will make based upon a general knowledge of coffee
Personally I would gear your marketing plan towards cost savings & quality of product = Value to business owner for using your coffee, and let the product speak for itself. The wordiness of your site will only turn off the buyer (the business owner); if the business owner is like most other business owners time is very valuable to him, so if you can get to the point fast (the Value of purchasing from you), then that would be the best way to get him for a customer.
Again, let the coffee speak for itself. If you have a high quality product the employees of the business will talk it up and the owner will be encouraged to buy from you again.
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