Have you ever read the label on the back of a wine bottle, or the description on the bag of coffee beans, or even on the back of that 12 or 18 year scotch you have on your shelf? These are the descriptive words that so often appeal to us, and give us the desire to buy the product.
Have you ever, after buying the product, gone home and thought to yourself after tasting it "Subtle hints of hazelnuts and dark chocolate? More like dirt.'' Or, "Really, they picked out citrus and melon flavors? Man, I must be missing something!" And lastly, maybe you've thought "ah, oak or sherry? Yeah, I can taste those woody flavors!"
Well, I've been right there with you, at each of these differing stages! After some experience with our own home brewed beer batches, going through a few wine tasting sessions, drinking coffee from all different parts of the world, and enjoying a nice scotch on an evening at home, I have realized how much my taste buds have changed from before, and how much they have matured.
I enjoy trying new things. I cannot come to a liking of extremely hoppy beers, such as an IPA... but I am working on it. I think that knowing what to look for when tasting different alcohols helps you come to appreciate how it was made, what ingredients needed to be used, and what the process would have included. All of these things tell you a lot about the aging process of alcohols as well, and how much time really went into making it.
So I have decided that I am going to teach myself how to properly taste! There are so many good websites about tasting. The tasting process is just like any other thing in life: in order to be good at it, it takes practice. In fact, I'm sure the first journal entry in my coffee tastings will be "Mmmm, dirt and coffee! Smells more like chocolate than it tastes." My first journal entry on scotch will probably go "Mmmm, burny, tingly, woody, delicious. Smells like bark, and rubbing alcohol." My first journal entry on wine will most likely say "Mmm, grapes, sugar and toe jam. Smells sweet." (It's true, grape stomping is a pretty big thing. And many people in many places still do this as part of their crushing process... so yes, your wine has probably had a few feet in it... Enjoy!)
The key will be to have the right materials, such as proper drinking glasses, cups, stirring utensils, etc. That, along with the proper time to give to each tasting session, and you have yourself a good start on your road to learning your drinks!
I'm ready to start planning a tasting party!!
If you're interested, here are some links to the websites that give all the information needed to start tasting, as a hobby!
Coffee Geek
Single Malt Tasting
Wine Tasting
