A little edumacation

"Rarely is the question asked: 'Is our children learning?'" -G.W.

Just to make sure we're learning, and to keep pesky Papa Herman happy, I'll start a little series on coffee ed. There's a lot of info out there that is more complete than what I'll write, but none will be as sassy.

Papa Herman: "I have no sense of smell. Will that effect how my coffee tastes?"

Larry the Barista: "The word is affect, not effect."

P H: "First of all, that's not fair--you're making up my part of the conversation. How can you criticize my grammar? Secondly, what about my original question?"

L.t.B: Well, as long as you've learned your lesson, we can move on to your question: Yes, your useless nose does affect (that is, it causes an effect, see the difference?) how you taste coffee. That is, you're missing most of the taste. Your tongue can only sense sweet, sour/bitter, and salt. Any other "taste" comes from your sense of smell. With your limited abilites, you will be able tell if the coffee is over-roasted (bitter/biting), brewed at too low a temperature (sour), has a natural sweetness, or perhaps, as our head-roaster claims, you'll detect the rare "salty" taste.
What can I say--you're missing all the nuance. Life could be worse, at least you still get the caffeine buzz.

P. H.: Thanks for the explanation, grammar nazi.

L.t.B.: No problem. That's...what I do.