While you are tasting the coffee, here are the major characteristics you should be paying attention to:

• Acidity - The sensation of dryness in the back and under the edges of your mouth. This is a desirable quality and not to be confused with sour (which is considered a bad quality of coffee). Acidity creates a lively, bright taste which without it, the coffee would taste flat.
• Aroma - Without aroma, we could only taste sweet, sour, bitter and salty. This is where we get the subtle differences such as floral, nutty or fruity.
• Body - The way the coffee feels in your mouth, its viscosity or heaviness. The best way to describe it is the comparison to how whole milk feels in your mouth compared to water. If you are unsure as to the level of body in the different coffees, add an equal amount of milk to each one and the one with the heavier body will retain more of its flavor when diluted.
• Flavor - This is the overall perception of the three characteristics above. Flavor can be rich (full bodied), complex (multi-flavored), or balanced (no one characteristic over powers the other.

Here are some terms used to describe DESIRABLE flavor qualities:

• Bright or dry - highly acidic leaving a dry aftertaste
• Caramelly - caramel like or syrupy
• Chocolaty - aftertaste similar to unsweetened chocolate or vanilla
• Earthy - a soily-like quality (sometimes unfavorable)
• Fragrant - an aroma ranging from floral to nutty to spicy, etc.
• Fruity - having a citrus or berry scent
• Mellow - a smooth taste lacking acidity but not flat
• Nutty - similar to roasted nuts
• Spicy - an exotic aroma of various spices
• Sweet - a lack of harshness
• Wild - a gamey flavor rarely, but sometimes considered favorable
• Winy - aftertaste resembling a mature wine.

Here are some terms used to describe UNDESIRABLE flavor qualities:

• Bitter - aftertaste perceived on the back of the tongue
• Bland - neutral in flavor
• Carbony - burnt charcoal flavors
• Earthy - a musty, soily-like quality
• Flat - lacking aroma, acidity, and aftertaste
• Grassy - aroma and taste of grass
• Harsh - a caustic, raspy quality
• Muddy - thick and flat
• Musty - slightly stuffy smell (sometimes desirable in aged coffees)
• Rubbery  - a smell of burnt rubber
• Sour - a tart flavor such as unripe fruit
• Turpeny - a flavor resembling turpentine
• Watery - a lack of body
• Wild - a gamey flavor