The best way to store your L’OR coffee is in an airtight container; this will help to preserve the intense flavours and aromas for as long as possible. Remember it’s always a good idea to store coffee beans, ground or instant coffee in a cool, dry place.

Coffee pods or capsules are another great way to keep your coffee as fresh as possible. We pack our ground coffee in aluminium because it locks in aroma and flavour, that means you always get a perfectly fresh-tasting cup of coffee.

What’s the easiest way to prepare ground coffee or freshly ground beans? A coffee maker is your best bet — and there are so many kinds to choose from! As soon as the hot water comes into contact with the coffee the aromas are released and shortly you have a delicious hot coffee ready to enjoy. Coffee makers are also available in a variety of sizes so that you can prepare as much or as little as you need.

«'If a coffee label says chocolaty, smell a piece of chocolate and see if you can find these taste notes in the coffee' »

- Roland Brouwer, L'OR Coffee Artist

Fast and intense as an espresso or smooth and comforting as a cappuccino, each coffee experience is unique and often the coffee you prefer reflects something about your personality. Sweet or strong? Cream or oat milk? The choice is all yours.

Do you like your coffee with a bit of sugar? Try pairing L'OR coffee with white sugar, rather than brown sugar or honey. The latter have more distinct tastes which can impact the coffee’s flavour profile and dull or hide its best qualities.

L’OR’s Coffee Artists recommend drinking your coffee from stoneware, earthenware or porcelain cups; this type of cup allows a better development of aroma than glass or metal ones.

Another way to get the most out of your L'OR experience is to preheat your cup before you add the coffee.

If you’re interested in exploring the panorama of flavours in your favourite L'OR coffee, try doing it as soon as it's been brewed. The most elusive aromas are also the most volatile and you need to enjoy them as soon as the coffee is in your cup, while they are at their best.

The best way to discern these aromas is to deeply inhale the vapour rising above the cup two or three times.

Anyone interested in becoming a coffee expert needs to have an excellent sense of smell. There are almost 2000 different elements that compose your coffee’s aroma and 80% of them can be discerned by your nose.

So far, only about 800 of them have been identified by coffee experts. That certainly explains why the smell of coffee is so impossible to reproduce. There’s still so much to discover about coffee!

Part of being able to detect the different aromas in L’OR coffee is knowing the different categories of coffee scents. Let's start exploring!

1. Enzymatic: Because coffee beans are fruit seeds, something like cherry stones, many types of coffee have floral or fruity aromas. These aromas fall under the category called enzymatic and include notes that range from berry-like to citrus and from herbaceous to floral.

2. Sugar browning: During roasting, when sugars and amino acids are exposed to varying degrees of heat, they can bring out aromas described as nutty or even chocolaty. Different types of coffee beans contain different amounts of sugar, these influence how your cup of coffee will taste.

3. Dry distillation: Some parts of the coffee beans are also 'burnt' in the roasting process. This releases unique and characteristic aromas that can be described as woody, spicy or even smoky, like pipe tobacco. Darker roasts have more emphatic dry distillation aromas.

Ready to start tasting? Before you sip, stir the coffee to evenly distribute it throughout the cup. If your coffee is too hot or the bitterness is concentrated on the surface, it can mask the more subtle nuances. Best to let it cool just a bit before tasting it.

Want to make sure you’re getting the full tasting experience? Remember that some spices, like aniseed, mint and liquorice, can change how the coffee tastes.

Taking small sips ensures that you won’t over-saturate your palate. Once you have a little coffee in your mouth, swill it around over your tongue and palate for 5 to 10 seconds before you swallow. This is the best way to distinguish the intensity of the various aromas.

Although you shouldn’t wait longer than 10-15 minutes, do keep tasting the coffee as it cools. This way you’ll uncover any aromas which may have been masked by the heat.

It’s possible to distinguish familiar notes, like acidity, bitterness or even smoothness when you take the time to taste your coffee attentively. The more you practice, the more you’ll notice the more subtle notes: spicy or floral, strawberry or dried fruits. A high-quality coffee will be well-balanced, smooth, full-bodied and intense, it won’t taste bitter, burnt or gritty.

When tasting, focus on the coffee. While milk and sugar are delicious additions, they can reduce the intensity of certain aromas and flavours. When tasting our blends, L’OR’s Coffee Artists never use milk or sugar because they want to get the full taste experience and detect every nuance of a specific coffee’s profile.