Getting high

As I brewed a pot this morning for my ritual Friday-Coffee-With-Mother, I made a terrible mistake. Before my Mrs Tea had finished dripping coffee into her pot, I poured myself and Mom a cup. Of course, I didn't know Mrs Tea hadn't finished brewing and it was only after she began to spill coffee onto the warming plate did I realize my error. Too late. I had already poured myself a cup.

I noticed something strange about my morning coffee. It had a sharp taste on the tongue. I poured in more of my International Delight to see if I could eliminate the taste. The butter pecan flavor managed conceal the note, but it was still there, ringing like a shrill bell. It then occured to me that incompletely brewed coffee had produced a sour flavor.

Sour is different than acid in that the sharpness, those high pitched notes in your coffee, produces an unpleasant taste. Some coffees have natural acidity, such as the Yemen Mocha. Acidity is dependant on a number of factors. Growth climates, coffee process, roasting, and brewing can influence the perceived acidity of a cup. My coffee, my Mocha Java blend, has a high amount of acidity, but incorrect brewing turned the acidity into sourness.

It wasn't until I tasted my sour coffee did I then note what acidity is. Those sharp, high notes on the sides of my tongue. Not too much. Acid coffee good. Sour coffee bad.