Dr. Coffee? Yes, It's a Thing. Discover 15 Fascinating Coffee Facts from a World-Renowned Taster

Andrej Godina might just be the world's most alert man—and for good reason. As a doctor of coffee (yes, that’s an actual career, and a lucrative one at that), he 'gets to' taste around 60 (!) cups of coffee a day.

Despite being only 40, Godina already holds a PhD in coffee, a field he was introduced to at age 15 when he helped his father check the quality of green coffee beans in his hometown of Trieste, Italy. "It’s a long-standing and respected profession in Italy; even my grandfather was involved back in the 1950s," Godina shares.

While at university, he chose to study economics and statistics, but later expanded his knowledge by delving into biology and chemical engineering seeking to decode the DNA of coffee and improve his precision as a coffee roaster. For his doctoral dissertation, he conducted extensive research interviewing coffee enthusiasts worldwide to understand not just their feelings while drinking coffee but also their reactions to these sensations.

So, what insights does he wish to share from his rich experience in identifying good coffee?

1. The higher the quality of coffee, the less sugar is needed.
2. There are about 80 different types of coffee globally.
3. How do you know if coffee is good? For espresso, ensure the foam on top is stable and its color resembles hazelnut. Then, smell the coffee itself—good coffee should have a particularly strong aroma. Finally, taste it: a good flavor should linger in your mouth for at least ten minutes.
4. To be able to taste so many types of coffee, Godina 'fasts' the night before the tastings, keeping his palate clean and neutral.
5. Coffee tasting doesn’t happen in a café but in a sterile, windowless lab setting devoid of colors. Godina explains, "Every tasting involves emotions and influences from the brain, so I must ensure optimal conditions. When in the lab, far from sounds, colors, smells, and other 'distractions'—it's much easier to focus on the taste of coffee," he says.
6. Typically, Godina tastes about eight cups of coffee a day, but his record was around 60.
7. The tasting process is akin to wine tasting, involving sipping and spitting without swallowing ("otherwise I’d be running around frantically all day").
8. In Israel, people drink their coffee with their meal, whereas globally, it’s customary to drink it afterward.
9. According to Godina, Israeli coffee is significantly better than Italian coffee.
10. Will the future bring coffee shops that pair coffee with meal components? Godina believes that day isn’t far off, as coffee's taste is greatly influenced by the types of foods we consume, he states.
11. In Godina’s opinion, the best coffee beans come from Ethiopia.
12. Good coffee is defined by beans bought from independent growers whose coffee production lasts just three months. Coffee made from such beans isn’t too acidic and has a slight sweetness.
13. Northern Italian coffee typically uses Arabica beans, lending it a sweet, acidic, and very aromatic taste. In Southern Italy, however, the coffee is more bitter and burnt.
14. Turkish coffee? Not in Godina's realm. "Since Turkish coffee is made from cheap beans, every Turkish coffee I’ve tasted was atrocious," he says.
15. And what does he have to say about our instant coffee? No surprises there. "Israeli coffee is as bad as American coffee. Not because of the brewing method, but because it’s the cheapest coffee available. It’s too bitter, too roasted, and simply not tasty."