If you’re like me, you like to get right down to business when it comes to your drink. Especially after the work week is over. Pour it up and treat yourself. But let’s be honest, are we enjoying our beverage to its full potential? Our producers work long hours to create beverages for you to enjoy on multiple dimensions of appearance, aroma, taste and mouthfeel.
So welcome to Drink.EDU, dear reader. This week, we dive into tasting. Or drinking, testing, judging, evaluating — whichever word you feel comfortable using. Fear not; this is the fun part! Grab a clean, appropriate glass for your beverage. Open up the bottle and let’s begin.
For this lesson, I felt compelled to speak to a professional. Wes Cutlip of Ellensburg, Washington, is a certified cicerone, a sommelier of wine and spirits and the beer columnist for the Yakima Herald-Republic. He also brews at Iron Horse Brewery, and as of 2015, he owns his own beverage consulting company.
First off, tasting is meant to elevate, not alienate. “One thing that I want to make clear — tasting and sensory is a skill that everyone intrinsically has,” he says. “Anyone can do this. It’s a skill like anything else; it takes continuous learning and practicing. There’s a myth of ‘supertasters,’ but they don’t exist. Of course, everyone has different thresholds. But there’s no reason to be be intimidated.”
Before even pouring the beverage, it’s important to get in the right mindset. “The whole purpose of tasting should be a strategy of ‘how can I get the most enjoyment out of of this beverage?’” Cutlip explains.
Once your beverage is fresh into the glass, give it a closer look. Notice the color and density of your Syrah, or the haze and lacing head of your IPA.
In order to not let the most powerful flavors dominate, it’s important to leisurely step into the beverage. “Start with aroma, but keep it at a nice distance,” Cutlip says. “You can agitate the beverage by swirling, which releases volatile compounds into the air. You’re pulling oxygen through the liquid. Though taste plays an important role, a lot of the flavor comes from aroma.”
Through smell, you might be able to pick up complex layers of volatile organic compounds and esters that accentuate the taste. Bring this “bouquet” closer, easing into a short sniff followed by a longer, normal sniff. What scents are stronger, and what scents are not strong enough?
Now for the part we’re all waiting for — but not so fast! After taking your first sip, let it settle on the tongue. This will help paint a full picture of the beverage’s body, flavor and mouthfeel.
And if your drink is especially cold, compounds are more stable and are more likely to stay in solution. “By letting it change temperature in your mouth, rather than swallowing right away, you’re able to pick up more flavor compounds,” Cutlip says. “It gives the beverage more time to work.”
Mouthfeel and body are “very under-appreciated,” he adds. Think about mouthfeel as the texture of the beverage. Consider the carbonation, or lack thereof. Maybe the higher alcohol content makes the drink especially warming. Is it dry and thin on the tongue, or sweet and chewy? And in terms of body, “what it comes down to is density and viscosity,” Cutlip says.
And your first sip doesn’t end here. Take note of the finish of your beverage. Does it linger on the tongue, or dissipate quickly? Cutlip says finish is both aroma and taste, where bitterness and sweetness meet.
“The more you pay attention to your sensory inputs, the more it will closely link to your sensory memory,” he says. “Memory can play to enjoying the experience of a beverage.” Therefore, it’s very important to keep close attention to what you’re experiencing, as it may come up again.
Through conscious tasting, we’re able to enjoy the full beverage as it was intended to be. But there’s no need to overanalyze, as “the purpose of a beverage is to enjoy, and the goal should be to enjoy the beverage even more,” Cutlip says.
Swirl, taste, have fun and relax — you deserve it.
