The ideal cup of coffee: How does flavor vary between beans?

Within the next couple of weeks I’d guess, The Washington Post Food Section will do a spread on coffee similar to the coffee editions in the LA and New York Times. And while in the past, the subject would have been too esoteric– remember the days of the Greek coffee cup, “It’s our pleasure to serve you”?– I’m sure when it comes out, it will be met with enthusiasm.

Its no surprise that, 25 years after Starbucks went nationwide, customers have been groomed into more discerning drinkers.  How could they not, at $3 to $5 a cup? Whether it’s Starbuck’s, Peet’s, Caribou, or others, specialty coffee shops have encouraged drinkers to focus on flavors, harvests, roasts, and of course, the rising price for a cup of java.

What makes for great coffee? As part of the country’s embrace of  heritage-organic-fair trade movements, coffee that’s been farmed in an ecologically responsible way by local farmers on small farms is more sought after than ever. 

They’re sourcing their own beans at “origin,” finding local growers (in some cases, they are the local growers), making estate blends, often championing sustainable farming methods and roasting in small batches that highlight the intrinsic flavors — the “terroir” of the coffee beans — instead of over-roasting them into charcoal oblivion. (LA Times).

Coffee connoisseurs have been seeking out coffee from specific regions as well.  In the Times, the head of Taylor Maid Farms Organic coffee, one of the first Fair Trade sellers, “‘We are ready for consumers who come into the store and order single-origin coffees from a particular region of Panama,’ said Mark Inman, 37, a founder and principal of the Taylor Maid Farms organic coffee roastery in Sebastopol, Calif. “

As of late, the origin and harvesting of the beans has been more of a focus than methods of roasting.  Nick Cho of Murky Coffee, emphasizes the beans over the roasts, as reported in the New York Times, “Mr. Cho of Murky Coffee says roasting would distract him from the retail end of things.”

But really, what’s the difference in terms of taste?  Sure, milk versus cream, freshness of the brew, and other factors make a difference in terms of flavor. But if we’re talking about black coffee after its brewed, how do the farming methods and the terroir affect the flavor?  And, to what degree does roast affect flavor?  In each of these articles, these are the words I found on flavor:

1) In LA Times’ “Artisans of the Roast”:   sweetness and a long finish, nice fruitiness and blueberry tones.

2) In LA Times’ “A Passion for Quality Gathered Steam”: less bitter, concentrated flavor, thin, mild, milky.

3) In NY Times’ “For the Refined Palate, Too Refined for a Certain Large Chain”: lemon, flowers, sweet herbs and ”perhaps a cedar toned semisweet chocolate.”

4) In NY Times’ “Espresso’s New Wave Hits Home”:  ruddy, jasmine, flowers, dense, think and heavy. . mouth-feel, weak.

Hello?  If we’re going to sink a ton of money into these single-origin, fair-trade artisanal coffees, can we come up with more lively descriptions that show the variations between beans and roasts? God knows there are hundreds of ways to describe the differentiated flavor of Pinot Noir, or Burgundy, or Reisling.  If coffee is going in that direction, shouldn’t the vocabulary evolve as well?  Perhaps we can consult a flavor wheel to help in differentiating between beans.

Or is all this making too much of a humble cup o’joe?