Exploring Criticism

What is a critic? It is obvious that all people are lay critics. Everybody has an opinion and can describe their experience with things in their own way. So why should people be concerned with what any professional critic may say? A professional critic gets paid for his/her opinion. It would seem such professionals would have a grasp of language regarding their critiques of products that is more exclusive and educated than the mass of lay persons who use the products being critiqued. Although I am not a professional, I thought it would be interesting to write my own criticism of coffee. I drink it every day and try different varieties, so I have my own opinions. When I was young and rushing to work, I had a cup of what was available to start the day and keep me going. Most people get their coffee from a convenient place and are aware of any taste difference from day to day. People occasionally try something different and can tell others about their experience with another type or brand of coffee. How difficult can being a coffee critic be?

When I google “coffee critique,” I get a brief overview that says it, “involves evaluating a coffee’s qualities like flavor, aroma, acidity, body, and aftertaste, often using a structured scoring system.” What is a coffee’s acidity, its body, its aftertaste? I have never heard a person speak about the acidity of coffee, at least not in daily conversation. “Body” is a general term. Is coffee supposed to have an aftertaste? Aftertaste makes coffee sound like a bad diet cola. I think I should read some of these professional coffee critiques. I haven’t been discussing my coffee experience at a connoisseur’s level. With that said, I’ll try wiring a novice critique.

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Peet's Light Roast, Sun Catcher Coffee

For this Coffee tasting I tried Peet’s, light roast, Sun Catcher coffee. I often search for coffees that are more distinctive than contemporary, familiar flavors. This coffee seems to be commercially evasive (IMO). The package reads, “strawberry jam, citrus, and honeysuckle.” When I open the gourmet pouch and sniff, I shove my nose in to make sure I’m getting a good smell. The smell is good and unique. I think the honeysuckle and jam are new with the coffee scent; they create something I can’t describe. I brew the coffee and fill my cup. When I taste it unsweetened, I get a good, strong, coffee flavor with a light presence on my tongue. There is something going on here. The back flavor of citrus I have become familiar with, it seems to be a redeeming quality in the gourmet coffee market. The honeysuckle piques my interest, it is not strong or defining, but it is there. I like it. Strawberry jam? I don’t taste it. There does seem to be a hint at sweetness. There seems to be an abstracte...

Stumptown, Holler Mountain Ground Coffee

Stumptown, Holler Mountain Coffee is quoted on the package as a signature blend. The smell of this moderately ground coffee leaves me curious. On my first taste of this coffee, it seems nothing like the flavors promoted on the package: coffee beans, caramel, hazelnut, and citrus. There is something complex going on with the flavor of this coffee. I had to let it rest on my whole tongue so all my taste buds could inform my understanding of a coffee maker’s experienced pallet. The flavors prompted on the package are not used to add flavor directly but are used to create a unique experience regarding how coffee tactilely reacts in the consumer’s mouth. There is something very blue-collar about this coffee, but at the same time, it transcends to something gourmet. With effort, there is a caramel buffer at the sides of the tongue, a distant nuttiness with the coffee, and a late, back end of citrus without the acidity. This coffee reminds me of a blue-collar ideal of working in the Southwest...

Starbucks' Cinnamon Dolce Coffee

The coffee tasted for this critique is Starbucks’ Cinnamon Dolce. On opening the bag, the smell is pleasant. There is a smell of cinnamon that saturates the coffee aroma or the beans. Looking at the coffee, it has a medium grind. It is not as course as say, generic, mass produced, coffee in bulk plastic containers. When I pour water over it, the room is filled with an appetizing vapor that makes the bagels smell like a new delicacy. It is chocolate bagels with cinnamon coffee. I drink my first cup with no sweetener. There is a lack of coarseness or bite that is familiar with generic coffee. Such a bite is often the case with convenience store coffees, but this cinnamon dolce has no harshness or bite. This is the case with special blends or the individual bags that people can buy at the grocery store. They are aside on the shelves from the coffees in bulk plastic containers. Starbucks’ Cinnamon Dolce, in my opinion, is a very good coffee. It has an organic cinnamon flavor with a smooth,...

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