A coffee master's ground rules for flavor

By Emily Shartin, 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. (Full Story)