Does Coffee Resemble Wine?

You come home from work and you just want a nice cup of warm coffee to relax, or even more relaxing, a glass of wine. Have you ever thought about how similar these two beverages are?

You’ve got your lattes and macchiatos, and reds and whites; all there waiting for you to unwind after a long day! Both of whom are filled with neurotransmitters ("a chemical substance that is released at the end of a nerve fiber") that will have an effect on your mood.

Coffee has many neurotransmitters in a single cup, more specifically the caffeine carries transmitters such as norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. Wine is also filled with multiple neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, and opioid peptides. These mood changers will uplift, calm, and ease our spirits for the better. People prefer one of these over the other when they are looking for the most efficient way to loosen up. While not so recommended, it has even become a popular trend recently to combine wine with coffee beverages for the best of both worlds. 

HOW COFFEE RESEMBLES WINE

Similarities

Although two different entities, coffee and wine share similarities that go beyond mood changers.

Coffee and wine have an effect on our overall mood. We need our cup of joe in the morning to be able to start the very long day that is ahead of us, and our glass of wine at night to be able to get back to reality after a stressful day. Keep in mind that drinking both in moderation is an important factor to take into account! They make us feel comfortable and content in the toughest times of the day. Coffee and wine can both remind us of certain memories, taking us back to our most favorite nostalgic moments.

Both have an assortment of variations that allow them to have different tastes. There are multiple types of beans, ways to make coffee, and combinations, each giving us a different texture that is filled with new and exciting tastes. Like coffee, wine has its varieties as well. The type of soil, environment, and atmosphere that the grape trees are growing in has an effect on the different aromas and poignant tastes of wine.

Similar terms are also used to describe the tastes and aromas of coffee and wine. Words such as ‘mouthful,’ ‘aroma,’ ‘body,’ and 'acidity' are common words that one would find when it comes to being coffee and wine connoisseurs. To learn more read our post about how to evaluate your coffee like a pro.

The growing regions of both coffee and wine are also very similar to each other. In order to have good tasting products, the coffee and grape trees need to be in an environment with good climate and soil. Both flourish better in a mountainous region over lower areas. These growing conditions change the long-term taste of both the coffee beans and the wine grape. Eventually, only the best products are sold to the public since both of which play crucial roles in our daily lives. For example, we are proudly selling only quality Arabica beans grown in the prefect Colombian mountains area. 

Both coffee and wine have a stronger taste when they are aged. The aging allows the tastes to be heightened as it gives a softer taste to the overall drink, essentially making the blend taste better.

So to answer our initial question, yes, coffee and wine do resemble each other! Who knew coffee was like wine and vice versa?! Now having your cup of coffee after dinner is just like a nice glass of wine to relax on the couch with.

How Coffee is Different Than Wine

Although coffee and wine are very similar, they do have their differences as well. These distinctions are the reason for which we love both. One gives us more energy, while the other gives us that tranquility that we were craving for all day.

When it comes to the aroma of the drink, we find that it has an effect on the taste of the beverage. In the coffee world, the aroma of the brew is very crucial as it enhances the flavors of the specialty coffee. On the other hand, in the winery world, in order for wine to be considered “good” the bottle or the glass needs to be decanted so that the aromas can be aerated.

The way both are distributed is different as well. Coffee can easily be distributed world-wide and packaged in lighter and smaller packages. Wine on the other hand, being in the liquid form is more heavy to transport.

IS COFFEE MORE COMPLEX THAN WINE?

In past decades, studies have shown that coffee is starting to become more complex than its long time superior wine. Wine used to be something that was considered as being difficult to evaluate and judge, but now, coffee connoisseurs might be taking over the title.

With the accessibility of wine in more places in the past few decades, it is becoming easier to buy, thus causing a new age of knowledge about the drink. The more available it is to the general public, the more people are able to learn the terminology that is equipped with it.

Coffee on the other hand, has turned into a convoluted mess of terms that we barely know, let alone understand. In terms of coffee lingo, we now need to know more words for a simple cup of joe than we could have ever imagined. There are different words for types of coffee beans, how the coffee is made, coffee brews, and even sizes of the cup that we have had to adapt to in order to be able to just order a simple cup. Exactly because of this reason, we want to make it easier for you to love coffee. 

Aside from terminology, coffee also stumbles into an obstacle course when it is being prepped to be sold to the public. From coffee bean to coffee cup alone, there are many problems that could go wrong with the brew. There are 3 methods to which a coffee bean can be made and sold, it can be grounded, roasted, or brewed (and of course as instant coffee, which is a freeze dried brewed coffee). If one of these methods are done incorrectly, the entire package will be off-balanced.

Essentially, yes, the new wave of coffee with its cold brew, nitro coffee, etc. Coffee is becoming more complex sustenance than wine. Granting that wine is still at the top of the complexity list in terms of beverages, coffee is closing the gaps pretty quickly and slowly creeping up to dethrone wine from the top of the list. We think that like with wine, quality coffee shouldn't be so complicated to understand and shop. Help us make the coffee experience easier. Cheers!

Try our quality instant coffee here.