By Paul McGowan

My favorite Fair Trade coffee describes itself as having “smooth earthy notes”. The coffee I thought I would like, but do not, describes itself as “sweet and rich with floral notes”.

These poetic offerings attempt to describe how one will respond to what’s on offer. They remind me of how we audiophiles refer to the sounds of our stereo system: full bloom, foot-tapping, syrupy, slam.

Using poetry to describe emotional responses makes more sense to some while infuriating others. Why the dichotomy?

What I prefer between the two coffees is how one is inviting while the other off-putting—probably because the one I like has lower acidity (or whatever it is that gives some coffee a “bright” taste). The same could likely be said for different stereo designs: a list of lower this and higher that.

Would we really better off with a laundry list of variables as opposed to poetry reflecting emotion?

Isn’t the end goal of a good cup of coffee and a great listening session how one feels at the end of it?

It is for me.

For more on this story go to: PS AUDIO