Aki was doing some reading and came across a piece quoting Shirley Corriher, which discussed the use of using salt to reduce bitterness and explaining that small amounts of salt in coffee can be used combat the bitter flavor of over-roasted beans. Curious, that evening Aki proceeded to set the coffee pot up as usual, except she added a pinch of salt to the whole beans in the grinder without mentioning anything to me. The next morning as we were drinking coffee, coffee that actually seemed more alive with distinct flavors, Aki revealed her findings and actions. The coffee really was better. I was tasting more nuance and becoming aware of characteristics which I had previously missed. The following day I forgot to season the coffee and upon taking the first sip could taste the difference. This disparity is one I would not have noticed had I not already been privy to seasoned coffee. The next day I remembered to season the beans and the coffee once again danced upon my palate.
We are not liberally seasoning our coffee beans like a steak or even deftly seasoning them like a delicate salad. The beans are getting just a small pinch of salt, perhaps little more than a gram, and this small adjustment in each pot of coffee brings an HD-quality experience to our normal morning ritual. Of course now that we're seasoning our coffee, I do wonder about other beverages like wine or even a glass of milk. Are there tastes which we have been gliding over simply because we have not paid attention? Aki's leap demonstrates that the gift of paying attention and acting on found bits of information allows for the possibility of discovering a series of small delicious miracles, which increases our great capacity for culinary delight.
*Just as side note, I didn't try the experiment because we don't like our coffee, I simply wanted to see what the effect of the salt would be on the flavor. To my way of thinking there is always room for experimentation and possible improvement. You'll never know unless you give it a try...
