A coffee master's ground rules for flavor

By Emily Shartin, Boston Globe Staff

John Barry tastes coffee the way some people taste wine. He smells it, considers its body and acidity, and he can even recommend foods to pair it with. He can often tell in one sip whether a coffee has Latin American or Indonesian origins.

Barry, who is based in Newton, is a district manager and regional coffee and tea specialist for the java giant Starbucks Corp. He has been certified by the company as a ''coffee master," a process that typically takes 1-3 months, and he offers regular tasting seminars for staff and the public.

New England coffee drinkers, whom Barry describes as having a ''mild palate" tend to prefer Starbucks' Breakfast Blend -- probably of little surprise given the popularity of Canton's Dunkin' Donuts and its mild morning brew.

But customers who want to venture beyond should consider such characteristics as body, which is the weight of the beverage on your tongue. Breakfast Blend, for instance, is light-bodied. Coffees from Indonesia are more full-bodied.

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