Virtual Coffee Tasting Made Fun!

Teamraderie takes care of all the details of team events so you can focus on your team.

What is a virtual coffee tasting?

An activity once reserved for baristas-in-training or caffeine aficionados, a virtual coffee tasting can be a team activity that helps everyone to focus on what’s in front of you.

Professionals will sniff freshly roasted beans, slurp from a tasting spoon to aerate the palate, then measure a coffee’s taste, sweetness, acidity, flavor, and aftertaste. Like wine tasting, the pros may use flavors endemic to geographies to discern where the coffee beans originated and how they were roasted. Tasting is about comparing and contrasting. It’s objective, but also personal.

What are the steps of coffee tasting?

1. Brew Your Coffee

Pour over, French press, or Turkish style, any method will do. The most important thing is to have clean water, fresh beans, and a consistent grind.

2. Smell Your Coffee

Flavor is perceived by both smell and taste. Start by smelling the ground coffee, then the brewed beverage. Before sipping, tilt your cup over the bridge of your nose and inhale.

3. Sip and Say

Start with a small sip, followed by a more extended slurp. Aerate the coffee as it travels across the entire surface of the tongue. Take a tiny follow-up sip.

How should you describe coffee during a tasting?

Keep your eyes closed, focus on your tongue. Here is what to look for:

Sweetness

What sweet tastes do you find? Brown sugar, molasses, honey, or caramel?

Acidity

What acidic tastes do you find? Citrus, blueberry, lemon, strawberry? (This is ‘acidity’ and not ‘acid’ – which is a measure of pH and not a question of taste.

Body

How does it feel in your mouth? Rich and heavy, light, watery, or smooth?

Cleanliness

What happens after you swallow? Harsh coffees can linger, often with one flavor, while cleaner coffees leave your palate feeling neutral. The latter is an aspect of great coffee, and can be directly influenced by roasting.

Where do the ‘tastes’ come from?

Geography

The best tasting coffee is the most complex. Complex flavors are a result of slow maturation under ideal growing conditions – higher elevations that are filled with sunny days and cold nights.

Processing

The process to develop coffee differs by many factors. Planting style, harvest time, and drying the beans are among the many different processes that produce unique flavors.

Variety

There are hundreds of different coffee varieties. Typica, Arabica, Robustica, etc.

Roasting

Coffee beans held longer or at higher temperatures in roasters will become darker. Darker beans exhibit bittersweet flavors.

How does coffee vary by geography?

Click a region on the map above to find out more about how coffee vary by geography

Latin America

The flavor of coffee from Latin America is most often described as “classic” but the third wave has brought awareness to the diverse range of coffee profiles found in this growing region. Take note of the pear-like acidity from Guatemalan coffee, to Costa Rican coffee’s clean body, while Honduras brings black currant flavors and the structured body of Colombian coffee.

Africa

The flavor of coffee from Africa is most often known for its balance of body and acidity, with sweet undertones. The vibrant acidity ranges from sparkling to tart, often with floral aromas. Take note of the floral acidity from Ethiopian coffee, to Kenyan coffee’s full body, while Tanzania brings bold chocolate flavors and the delicate structure of coffee from Burundi.

Asia Pacific

The Indonesian, Asian, and Pacific part of the coffee belt is the most diverse section. This area is known to produce strong coffees with smooth flavors and low acidity. Take note of the spice from Indian coffee, to Chinese coffee’s light body, while Vietnam brings earthy/woody flavors and the classic structure of Indonesian coffee.

What is a Teamraderie virtual coffee tasting like?

Teamraderie coffee tastings - available at all price points:

Compare the Experiences	Brew Break	Jumpstart	Coffee Cupping	Tartine
Link to Book	The Brew Break Experience for Your Busy Team	Coffee and Tea Tasting Jumpstart for Your Team	Become a Coffee Expert with ‘Cupping’ Tasting Technique	‘Tartine Bakery’ and French Press Coffee & Tea Experience
Method	Pour Over	Pour Over	Cupping	French Press
Cost	$45 per person	$65 per person	$95 per person	$120 per person
Shipping (U.S.)	$5 per person	$15 per person	$25 per person	$25 per person
Ships Globally?
Duration	25 minutes	30 minutes	45 minutes	45 minutes

Brew Break

The Brew Break Experience for Your Busy Team

Pour Over

$45 per person

$5 per person

Ships Globally

25 minutes

Jumpstart

Coffee and Tea Tasting Jumpstart for Your Team

Pour Over

$65 per person

$15 per person

Ships Globally

30 minutes

Coffee Cupping

Become a Coffee Expert with ‘Cupping’ Tasting Technique

Cupping

$95 per person

$25 per person

Ships Globally

45 minutes

Tartine

‘Tartine Bakery’ and French Press Coffee & Tea Experience

Pour Over

$120 per person

$25 per person

Ships Globally

45 minutes

Need a custom virtual coffee tasting experience?

We celebrate the diversity of coffee – their flavors and their origins. Would you like a ‘custom’ coffee experience based on a theme that your team values?