A day last week when I was pondering just what flavours really are I tripped, and fell down that darn rabbit hole of science.
When I woke up I remembered reading about the 5 distinct basic tastes, umami being one of them, and how they'd been conceptualized by the Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda in 1908. Umami is primarily caused by ( free) glutamates and ribonucleotides. These are characterized by a pleasant, savoury, or meaty sensation, like you'd find in aged cheeses, cured meats, seaweed, mushrooms, and tomatoes.
Hey there, don't doze off, I'm not done yet. (
https://perfectdailygrind.com/2022/07/umami-flavours-in-coffee/)
Apparently, it seems that while caffeine contributes to the bitterness in coffee, the amino acids provide umami gustatory sensation. Hence coffee, and teas, can taste savoury. However, the pleasant umami we seek differs with caffeine levels:
Caffeine levels in different types of coffee:
- Brewed coffee (8 oz) — 80-100 mg of caffeine
- Decaffeinated brewed (8 oz) — 2 mg of caffeine
- Cold Brew (8 oz) — 100 mg of caffeine
- Espresso (8 oz) — 1 oz shot equals 75 mg of caffeine
- Instant coffee (8 oz) — 30-150 mg of caffeine (https://cafely.com/blogs/info/caffeine-in-instant-coffee)
So it seems, it's all in our taste buds, and up to our personal preferences. My preference is to start the day with a shot of espresso, otherwise a cappuccino takes me to my happy place. Later in the day, strong black tea is called for, followed by an evening herbal chamomile.
I've tried just about every instant out there and have yet to be impressed, but I do have a jar of instant dark roast that is kinda okay.
Tea bags are easy companions to take on a trip, even for gram weenies. I insist on taking ground coffee and a chosen pot.