What a blueberry taught me

Hey,

Coffee is a fruit. We forget that.

We pick it, process it, roast it, brew it. But at the end of all that, when you taste a cup, you're tasting some kind of fruit. So one of the best things I do for my palate has nothing to do with coffee at all. I just eat fruit. And I pay attention.

I eat fruit every day anyway. Blueberries, tangerines, strawberries, apples, whatever's around. And I kept noticing that the way I judge a piece of fruit is exactly the way I judge a coffee. Is there sweetness? Is there acidity? Do they work together, or is one note just screaming over the other? So I sat down with a bunch of fruit and tasted through it on purpose, out loud, the same way I'd taste a coffee.

Here's the thing I keep coming back to. A blueberry at the end of March is out of season, and it tasted dull to me. Mostly sweet, no acidity, one note. Boring. A tangerine I'd had around then was perfectly balanced, acidity first, then the sweetness rolling in behind it. That tangerine is exactly what I want in a cup of coffee. Same idea, same season, completely different experience.

Because as a roaster, I'll be honest, sometimes we get too cute with the descriptors on the bag. Apple this, crisp that. And people read it and feel like they're missing something. You're not. When somebody says a coffee tastes like apple, ask yourself which apple. A soft dull one? A Granny Smith that pops with acidity and then sweetens up? Those are different worlds.

This is the cheapest palate training there is. No refractometer, no fancy gear, no course. Just fruit, a pen, and a little honesty about what you're actually tasting instead of what you're told you should taste. And if fruit isn't your thing, you can do it with vegetables too. Taste the green acidity in a bell pepper and suddenly a grassy light roast makes sense.

If you already trust your palate and you're happy, keep going. You don't need this. But if you've ever felt lost reading a bag, this is where I'd start.

Next time you eat some fruit, slow down for one bite. Ask what you're tasting, and why you like it. Watch how I taste through a whole batch here. Then bring that same attention to your next cup.

Hit reply and tell me the fruit you can't stop eating. I read every one.

Oaks, the Coffee Guy