— After three years of design, testing and refinement, The art of caffeine announced the launch today Taste-to-Ace: Cards About Coffee on Kickstarter. A high-quality 56-card deck designed to make the taste of coffee less intimidating while still helping
daily drinkers to better understand taste, build confidence and engage more deeply with what’s in their cup.
Following the success of its first deck, Sip-to-Suit, Taste-to-Ace delves into the basics of coffee tasting. The deck combines clear visual design with practical tips, offering an accessible alternative to established coffee education that removes the intimidation often associated with tasting terminology and elaborate flavor charts.
Each card provides detailed information, visual cues and tasting tips to aid users identify and express what they experience in the cup. The heart of the system is the “Trail of Flavors”, a unique sequence of 3×3 cards that function as an intuitive map for navigating flavors, from general impressions to more precise observations.
Taste-to-Ace is available in two editions: a Reserve Edition printed on the highest quality casino paper and a waterproof edition produced on strong PVC for employ in practical brewing environments. Both are designed with versatility in mind, serving as learning, reference and casual play tools.
The Reserve Edition will be produced in one Kickstarter-exclusive edition and will not be available for retail sale after the campaign ends. However, it is planned that the waterproof edition will be available for continuous sale and will remain in retail sale after the end of the Kickstarter.
Designed by industrial designer Vincent Lam, the tabletop reflects an emphasis on utility and intentional visual learning. With over 25 years of experience in consumer and healthcare product design, Lam offers a structured, user-centric approach to simplifying elaborate information
in accessible visual formats.
“Taste-to-Ace is not just about recognizing flavor notes,” Lam said. “It’s about building confidence, enjoying the process of discovery and giving people a clearer way to engage with what they taste without being intimidated.”
Whether you employ it at home, in a coffee shop, or during a cupping session, Taste-to-Ace offers a practical and engaging way to better understand coffee, one tab at a time.
Kickstarter campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aoc/taste-to-ace-cards-about-coffee
About the art of caffeination
Art of Caffeination is a Texas-based design studio focused on creating thoughtful tools that make coffee more accessible and engaging. Founded by Vincent Lam, the studio combines industrial design principles with coffee education to develop products that prioritize clarity, usability and visual learning.
Following the success of its first Kickstarter project, Sip-to-Suit, Art of Caffeination continues its mission with Taste-to-Ace, combining design, education and coffee culture in a format that is open to beginners and enthusiasts alike.
