Like wine tasting, coffee tasting is also a well developed art/ science. You don't have to be a taster, but knowing the key attributes of good coffee can help you choose better.
Aroma: The smell that you get before sipping. Starts becoming evident from the time you start grinding. Hold the cup close to your nose for some time to prepare yourself for the drink and express gratitude to the poor farmers whose heartbreaking toil has brought you this cup.
Body: It's like the midrange of your speakers, where most of the action lies yet nobody talks about it. Very much dependent upon roast intensity. Most people are fond of medium body. But delicate beans do better with light roast to focus more on flavor. Deep roasted heavy body brew gives you that kick in your you-know-what.
Flavor: It's the smell that you get after you have started drinking. It's less spiky, more lingering. A marriage of aroma and body. It's the component that is easily appreciated by any new drinker. Flavor (and aroma), just like wine, can be complex with many fine top notes over a strong base note. Good coffee will have complex notes, and like wine, will reflect the terroir, i.e geography and the climate of where the beans are grown. One of the most important factors that determine cost of the coffee.
Acidity: Mainly due to tannins in the beans, it's the cold sweetish dryness that is felt at the back of your tongue and palate after you have sipped. Without acidity, coffee is bland and worthless.
Aftertaste: Contributed by many things, but mostly by the body and acidity. The aftertaste lingers on in your mouth, mostly at the back of your tongue and upper throat for several minutes. It's the time to cut off from the world, contemplate on deeper things and be generally happy and content with the blessings that we have.
Not a very scientific description, professional tasters may not agree. But from the average drinker's point of view, this is how I get my kicks.
Good times, those!
