Train Your Palate
14 easy steps to taste wine, coffee and the finer things in life.
We’ve all been there. You’re out to dinner, most likely with your significant other’s friends, and one of them insists on describing every aspect of the meal. They get so specific, you wonder if they are really tasting these things, or if they’re just making it up. Most likely, they really are! They just have a sophisticated palate. They are not saying all of these things to intimidate you either. They are just trying to enjoy their meal, and not realizing that their descriptions are making it hard for you to enjoy yours.
I can teach you to train your palate. You can use these simple techniques to taste anything, not just wine or coffee. I will teach to identify specific flavors in any complex food or beverages.
One of the many requirements of my Baristas and wine servers, is to taste each of the varieties we offer. They are expected to be able to describe each of them to a customer, and to explain the differences between them. That brings me to the question, how do you teach someone to taste? I have developed a specific plan that has worked for me in training ones palate. This will work for anyone who is willing to put forth the effort.
1. Tasting Journal: I instruct each trainee to keep a tasting journal. This can be from a simple note pad, to a leather bound book. You can even use the notes app in your iphone! This book should be specifically devoted to tasting. It could be the chicken your having for dinner, or the water you are drinking with it. I encourage each trainee to devote an entire page to each item, even if at first you are not able to fill a whole page.
2. Name it: At the very top, identify the item you are tasting. If it is wine, right down all of the details on the wine label. If possible, you can even peal the wine label and stick it in your book, or take a picture if using your iphone. It is best to put as much information you have about the item if its available. If its a simple glass of orange juice, write down the brand if possible.
3. Look at it: Do your best to describe its appearance or presentation. Does it look appetizing? Can you identify the color? Additionally, write down any first impressions or expectations you have before tasting.
4. Identify the Vessel: Whether it be coffee in a styrofoam cup, or macaroni and cheese on a paper plate, or wine in a wine glass, write down what you are using. As I have said in a separate previous post, The Cup Makes a Difference, the vessel you are using may alter the flavor.
5. Cleanse you palate: Keep some water near by, to be sure you are not mixing flavors. Even better chew on some white bread, to give you a neutral reference point.
6. Smell it: If you are tasting coffee, cup your hand over the rip of the mug. If you are tasting wine, swirl the glass. Then lift the vessel below your nose, and smell. Try to identify any familiar aromas. Then write it down, or rest your nose for a few seconds. Repeat this until you can’t identify anything else. Even if you cannot pick up any specific aromas, try to describe what you smell. It could be as simple as “It smells like my Grandma’s House.” What ever it is, don’t be embarrassed by it. Make sure you write it down.
7. Taste it: Your first taste is what experts call the “initial taste.” First determine whether it tastes pleasant or not, then write it down. Even if your not sure if you like it, write that down too.
8. Slurp it: When tasting, make sure you slurp. Don’t worry about being loud or rude. What this does is spreads the beverage over the entire tongue as well as brings in more oxygen to improve your ability to taste.
9. Taste it Again: Try to identify which parts of you tongue is being stimulated. If all parts are equally engaged, it would be correct to describe it as “balanced.” I find that most trainees confuse bitterness with acidity. If the majority of the stimulation takes place on the back of the tongue, it would be correct to describe a coffee as bitter. Most often, however the stimulation is at the sides, and tasters realize that what they are tasting is acidity rather than bitterness. Once you have identified the parts of the tongue that have been stimulated, from most to least. Write it down.
10. Flavors: Most people find it is much easier to pin down the flavors after they have identified the parts of the tongue that were stimulated. If the majority of the stimulation is at the sides, try to describe the acidity. If it is citrus, try to be more specific through the process of elimination. Lemon? Orange? If it tastes fruity, what kind of fruit is it? If you can figure it out, try to identify what color the fruit you’re tasting might be. Then visualize the produce section at the store and see if you can name what fruits are that color.
11. Body: Determine how it feels in your mouth. What is the weight and Thickness? What is the texture? Does it feel syrupy, velvety, supple?
12. Finish: Determine the after taste. Is it pleasant? If it lingers, you would be correct in stating that it has a long finish.
13. Evaluate it: Here is where you determine whether you like it or not, or would you recommend it to a friend. Would you buy it if you had the opportunity, and would you pay the suggested retail price?
14. Practice: When writing down all of these descriptions, you are actually training your brain to pick up on specific flavors, adjectives and characteristics. Even if you start out by making up flavors you don’t actually taste, you are still telling your brain to point them out. As with anything, the more you do this, and the more disciplined you are, the easier it will be to determine specific flavors.
Want to learn more? Check out my books
http://amazon.com/author/sipwsarah
Happy Tasting!
