Coffee Tasting Notes You Need To Know Before You Die
Kenneth Thomas, Courtney Orlando
When I first got in to coffee, I had a subscription to a mystery coffee sampler through Angel's Cup. I'd get the coffees with little descriptive cards through the mail. I brewed the coffees, slugged them down, and made desperate guesses as to what the real tasting notes were on each coffee. Honestly, I felt like an idiot. I could never guess anything close to the flavor descriptions on those little cards...until one day.
It was a weekday morning, and I was on my way to work. I tasted the coffee once it cooled and thought, this tastes like a cinnamon raisin bagel. With that as my 'final answer', I eyed the card - sure enough, cinnamon raisin bagel was one of the flavor notes! I kid you not, I literally pulled my car off the side of the road to soak it all in.
I bet you've been there - feeling like you're 'bad at tasting coffee'. I'm here to tell you that you're not. It's just the difference in knowing what to look for. You can be just as good (or better) at tasting coffee as the professionals I work with.
It all starts with understanding the basics and getting a few answers to the questions we're sometimes scared to ask because our local barista has a permanent scowl tattooed on his face.
Two Quick Points:
- Tasting notes do NOT mean the coffee is flavored. We get this question a decent amount. I get it. It is confusing, but tasting notes are simply notes acquired from the fragrance, aroma, flavor, and aftertaste of the coffee. It is inherent in the bean and not added.
- 70-80% of taste is actually from smelling the coffee. I honestly get alot of insight into a coffee from the smell of the dry grounds (fragrance) but people also get insight from the smell of the wet grounds (aroma). The rest of Taste comes mainly through Flavor (tasting the coffee) and Aftertaste (flavors that remain after the coffee is gone). Some notes show up stronger in one phase than another — and that’s normal.
COMMON COFFEE TASTING NOTES YOU NEED TO KNOW
The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) uses something it calls the Coffee Value Assessment (CVA). In this, there are some main category descriptors for describing taste in coffee. These are the flavors we'll list below. Master these (or even just get them right every once in a while) and you're on your way to becoming a coffee ninja!
Floral
Floral notes come more from the smell than the taste, although I have tasted coffees before that were like sipping on rose petals. As a beginner, you can take a sip and then breathe out through your nose. You should not expect to immediately taste a flower. From this you will detect floral notes. You may smell jasmine, lavender, or chamomile.
Examples:
- Jasmine
- Rose
- Orange blossom
- Hibiscus
- Lavendar
Berry
Look for these especially in Ethiopian coffees. These coffees are juicy with a lively acidity usually. You tend to get these notes in naturally processed coffee where the coffee cherry is dried with the fruit attached to the bean. The fruit-bean contact creates a bigger sensation of fruit flavors.
Examples:
- Blueberry
- Strawberry
- Raspberry
- Blackberry
Dried Fruit
Dried fruit notes are deeper, richer, and more concentrated than fresh fruit. They tend to feel slightly wine-like, often lingering into the finish. TMI, but I love a coffee with some dried fruit in the tasting notes.
Examples:
- Raisin
- Fig
- Date
- Dried cherry
- Prune
Stone Fruit
Stone fruit sits between berry and citrus and is close, but different to dried fruit. It's a soft and sweet berry-like but still rish and juicy. Some of my favorite coffees have tasting notes that include dired or stone fruit. The absolute best for me personally remind me of a really ripe stone fruit or the taste you get right close to the pit of the fruit itself.
Examples:
- Peach
- Apricot
- Nectarine
- Plum
- Cherry
Citrus Fruit
Citrus notes bring brightness and acidity to a cup. They show up as refreshing acidity rather than sourness. They can sometimes taste sharp. Think mainly of things like grapefruit and oranges. A classic Kenyan coffee with an SL-28 cultivar is usually a good example of a citrus-forward coffee - especially as a lighter roast.
Examples:
- Lemon
- Orange
- Grapefruit
- Lime
Roast
When you smell and taste things like malt and toasted bread in your coffee, it's usually attributed to the roasting process itself. It makes sense because the browning process of coffee as it roasts is the same as for bread, leading to similar sensory experiences.
Examples:
- Toasted bread
- Malt
- Cereal
- Toasted grain
Nutty
Nutty notes are often associated with lower acidity, smooth, approachable coffees as well as coffees that are more medium to dark roasted. Nuttiness is fairly common in coffee, so expect to see this one quite a bit.
Examples:
- Almond
- Hazelnut
- Peanut
- Walnut
- Cashew
Cocoa
Chocolate notes are also common in coffee. Chocolate and nuts are common - especially among washed coffees. This is a bold statement BUT I don't think you can go wrong making some kind of chocolate-based suggestion as a tasting note for any coffee you assess.
Examples:
- Cocoa powder
- Dark chocolate
- Milk chocolate
- Baker's chocolate
Vanilla
Vanilla shows up as a appealingly soft, aromatic sweetness and not a bold flavor. It mellows out a cup. It's close, but different compared to chocolate.
Examples:
- Vanilla bean
- Vanilla ice cream
- Créme brûlée
Brown Sugar
Brown sugar notes are warm, rich, and comforting. They feel deeper than simple sweetness, often anchoring fruit or cocoa flavors in the cup.
Examples:
- Brown sugar
- Caramel
- Molasses
- Maple syrup
Spice
Spice notes add complexity and warmth. They help coffee feel layered. I've had some great spice-forward coffees from places like Papua New Guinea and Sumatra.
Examples:
- Cinnamon
- Clove
- Nutmeg
- Pepper
Moving Forward
So now you know all the tricks. You can pick up on and describe the most common tasting notes. Congratulations - you're on your way to becoming a pro at this coffee stuff!
Here are some concrete ways you can grow more confident in your skills:
- Sample blueberries, raisins, plums, and oranges. See how they're similar and how they're different.
- The next time you're in a flower shop or any home improvement store that has flowers, smell as many as you can. It's great to have the opportunity to smell them comparatively all there together at once.
- Buy some milk chocolate and some dark chocolate. Taste the differences. The milk chocolate will have a softer, sweeter taste and the dark chocolate will have a sweet, fruity bite to it. They're different. Give it a try.
- Raid the pantry - grab some vanilla, molasses, honey, brown sugar, and maple syrup. If you really wanted to get crazy, do a blind smell and/or taste test!
- Raid the pantry...again - smell and taste spices (pepper, clove, anise, cinnamon, etc). This will not only help you in coffee, but you may end up becoming a foodie too!
THE TAKEAWAY
- Fragrance and Aroma often reveals more than Flavor alone
- With what you've learned here, you can tackle most any coffee tasting notes with confidence
- Clarity comes from time and experience
THE BIG PICTURE
When you learn how to identify tasting notes with confidence, coffee stops feeling exclusive and starts feeling personal. Don't let tasting notes intimidate you. It isn't a pass/fail test, but more of a conversation.
At Umble, we have several fun coffees that cover many tasting notes described in this article. Check them out and let us know what you think.
And, remember, if you taste or smell something, you're not wrong. Nobody knows how you perceive things but you. So, go boldly into your day with a great cup of coffee that has tasting notes you came up with and LIVE A STORY WORTH TELLING.
References
- Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) – Coffee Value Assessment (CVA) Framework
- SCA Sensory Lexicon & CATA Methodology
- World Coffee Research – Sensory Foundations