Experimenting with coffee can be a fun and interactive way to develop your senses and find some great (and not so great) tips and tricks that you can incorporate into your daily coffee routine.
Citrus coffee is just one example of how you can mix up your daily cup. And, for science, we’ve put five different citrus fruits to the test to see which one is the zest!
About the Author: Jenna Pawlak
Jenna is a true lover of all things coffee. She and her husband, Tyler, are co-founders of Blended Bean Coffee, a specialty-grade coffee roastery in Cincinnati, OH. With a coffee in hand, Jenna expertly navigates the challenges of running a business and managing her two-year-old daughter and eight-year-old dog. With another kiddo on the way, she anticipates a lot more coffee will be needed soon!
[Coffee] Ground Rules
To keep things consistent for this citrus coffee experiment, we used a pour-over method for brewing. Ingredients and measurements included:
- 10g coffee
- 2g of citrus zest (combined with the coffee grounds)
- 150g water for brewing
- 40g tasters per cup
This ensured that each test was balanced, allowing the citrus to interact with the coffee in a measurable way.
Lime
Bloom & Brew Notes:
As soon as the water hit the grounds, we were met with a waft of aroma from the lime, which took on a cooked flavor, not unlike the smell when adding lime to a hot dish such as a soup. There were also slight notes of a dried corn, which seemed to be a modified component of the coffee itself as a reaction to the lime.
Aroma:
The smell of this cup of citrus coffee was sweet and tropical. There were distinct notes of mango and passion fruit.
Taste:
The sweetness from the aroma did not seem to translate to the cup, and a slightly bitter, dark chocolate note was present alongside the very obvious lime flavor.
Overall Impression of Lime Citrus Coffee:
This cup kept us guessing the whole way from bloom to belly. Each step of the process brought new and different sensory experiences that seemed unpredictable at times. The actual drinking experience is not bad at all, with the sour, acidic notes of the lime balancing some of the bitterness in the coffee itself.
Lemon
Bloom & Brew Notes:
The aromas coming off of this blend of coffee and lemon were intriguing and delicious. Notes of vanilla punched through, leading to a full picture of baked lemon bars and custard.
Aroma:
The same aroma from the brewing process made its way into the cup, with some additional sweetness. Thoughts of gummy bears and lemonheads felt right at home next to this brew’s aromatic experience.
Taste:
While not as sweet as the notes of the brewed cup, the taste of this citrus coffee is heavily reflective of the same notes and level experience in the bloom and brew. It tastes of a freshly baked lemon bar.
Overall Impression of Lemon Citrus Coffee:
Whereas the lime kept us guessing throughout the process, the lemon kept its course. Each step of the process built on the last instead of deviating from it, creating a very unified and predictable experience. The flavors were quite nice, and I could see this being a great addition to a more adventurous cup after experimenting with ratios.
Orange
Bloom & Brew Notes:
The total experience of the bloom and brew with the orange zest was more subtle. Slight notes of raisin came through, but only as a hint.
Aroma:
Similar to the brew, the smell coming off of the brewed cup with orange was not overwhelming by any means. Only a slight note from the orange is present, as if it were just a twist on the glass instead of being integrated into the drink.
Taste:
There was absolutely no sour or off taste to this cup, it was quite pleasant. Some nuttier flavors (specifically pistachio) started to come through with a little bit of milk chocolate.
Overall Impression of Orange Citrus Coffee:
This was our favorite cup overall. The orange zest added to the flavor of the coffee while not distracting from it. The flavors that it did bring were complimentary to the ones we already expected from the coffee itself, so it seems like a natural pairing. We highly recommend trying this one out!
Sumo Orange
Bloom & Brew Notes:
Similar to the brew with lemon, this bloom-and-brew process brought us beautiful tropical aromas like mango.
Aroma:
We started to get excited about this cup after the brew was over, and we went in for a smell. A candy-like sweetness was coming from the cup, perfectly paired with a touch of tangerine.
Taste:
Unfortunately, we were left disappointed by the flavor in this glass. For some reason, this left the coffee feeling very hollow and one-dimensional. It also had an odd, almost fermented orange flavor that came around after you swallow. This most closely reminded us of a cup of diner coffee that was made over an hour ago.
Overall Impression of Sumo Orange Citrus Coffee:
As the most expensive citrus on the list, we can definitively say that you should not try this. It was a pretty disappointing cup, teetering on the edge of being just a bad cup of coffee.
Grapefruit
Bloom & Brew Notes:
The grapefruit bloom and brew was quite round and juicy. There was a slight sharpness to the aroma, but not an alarming amount.
Aroma:
The aroma of this cup seemed to be more muted than most of the other cups. More coming from it than the orange, but less than the rest. The smell was that of almost a generic citrus acidity that I wouldn’t pin on one fruit.
Taste:
The flavor of this brew was really fun. It played with a bunch of different flavors at once, giving us sourness at the front of our palettes and a slight bitterness at the back of the throat. The taste tipped the scale slightly closer to bitter, but only slightly.
Overall Impression of Grapefruit Citrus Coffee:
While it wasn’t our favorite of the bunch, this cup of citrus coffee still provided a lot of fun through its variety of flavors and smells. A good one for an experiment, but maybe not an everyday addition to your morning cup!
Adding citrus zest to your coffee while brewing is just one example of how you can change the taste of coffee.
For other ideas and more experiments, check out our ground spices in coffee experiment.
Other Mix-In Ideas for Coffee:
