Tag Archives: Coffee Acidity

Everything you need to know about coffee acidity

Often in conversations about coffee, someone will comment that “oh the coffee was really acidy,” and what they’re talking about is the bitterness of a cup of coffee that perhaps wasn’t fresh, had been poorly prepared, or is just the run of the mill swill that tries to pass for coffee in the majority of places outside of specialty coffee shops.

But acidity in the coffee world is actually a good thing. Recently, Perfect Daily Grind (link here.) published a terrific article about acidity in coffee, and explained the differences, and how to differentiate when you’re tasting coffee:

Coffee Science: What’s Acidity?

“Mm, cranberries, with a distinctly orangey acidity… mm… and red wine,” said the barista to my right, furiously jotting this down on his little notebook.

“Oh yeah, definitely a bright orange, but maybe more like tangerine?” the other barista to my left chimed in.

“Oh yeah, tangerine, definitely orangey,” I nervously added, desperate to seem as avid a coffee geek as everyone else at the table. Continue reading Everything you need to know about coffee acidity