Tasting notes are the unique and natural flavor elements in coffee beans. In this article, we talk about the many different flavor notes in coffee, what affects them, and how you can identify them correctly.
What are flavor notes in coffee?
You will easily be able to pick up the flavor notes in coffee when you take the time to carefully pay attention to each brew. You can do this by smelling, inspecting, and tasting the coffee, whereby you will notice several flavor notes coming into play.
A great way to start picking out the flavor notes in coffee is by using a notebook to record all of your findings. By referring to a coffee flavor wheel or the notes described below, you will be able to pick out the individual tastes and aromas present in each brew.
The flavor notes in coffee are typically split into the following categories:
Flowery: This is where the coffee tastes floral or fragrant. An example of this would be hibiscus.
Nutty: This is where the coffee has hints of nuts or maltiness. Some examples of this would be hazelnut, pine nut, or almond.
Fruity: This is where a coffee can taste like citrus, berries, or a tropical fruit. Examples of this include pineapple, apple, orange, blueberry, banana, and mango.
Milky: This is where a coffee can taste like milk, such as with cream or fresh butter.
Smoky: This is where the coffee has elements of smokiness in it. For example, a lingering taste of toast or tobacco.
Grassy: This is where a coffee can taste like grass, such as fresh cut grass, hay, or bamboo.
Earthy: This is where the coffee taste can be categorized by ‘forest’ or ‘wood’. Some examples of this include wet leaves, moss, cedar, oak, mahogany, or compost.
Mineral: The final main flavor note in coffee can be mineral. This refers to flavors which are similar to chalk, granite, or volcano.
How to pick out different coffee tastes
Within this, you will be able to pick out several taste descriptors, such as:
Acidic: Words often used to describe different acidic tastes in coffee include ‘nippy’ and ‘piquant’.
Bitter: There are two main categories of bitter coffee notes, which are ‘harsh’ and ‘pungent’. These categories include alkaline, phenolic and caustic tastes.
Sweet: This can include flavors such as caramel, toffee, brown sugar, vanilla, honey, beeswax, and syrup.
Salt: There are two main categories of coffee saltiness, which are ‘bland’ and ‘sharp’. The former includes soft and neutral salt flavors, whereas the former includes rough and astringent salt flavors.
Sour: There are many different ways of describing the sour tastes within coffee, including tart, tangy, hard, and acrid.
What affects the flavor notes in coffee?
There are many different aspects that change the flavor notes in coffee, from location to processing methods. We will talk about these below.
Location
Firstly, one of the most important factors which define the flavor notes of coffee is the location. Where the coffee plant has grown largely affects the overall flavors, resulting in subtle variations between each brew.
Important location factors that affect the flavor notes of a brew are:
- PH of the soil
- Water composition
- Elevation
- Timing of the rain
- Latitude
- Temperature
Any pesticides and herbicides that have been used during the cultivation of the coffee plant can also affect the flavor notes.
Where is coffee grown?
There are three primary coffee growing areas throughout the world which rest on the equatorial region, as this produces the perfect climate for healthy coffee plants. These are Central and South America, Africa and the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
Arguably, the best coffee beans are those grown at high altitudes with a moist and tropical climate, rich soils, and temperatures around 70°F.
Process
The coffee bean undergoes several processes to turn it into the recognisable coffee bean that we all know and love. First, the coffee cherry needs to have the pulp removed, leaving behind the bean which is then dried. The most popular processing methods are as follows:
Wet/ washed process: In this processing method, the pulp covering the coffee bean is removed before the bean is dried. The coffee cherries are sorted by being immersed in water, which reveals whether the fruit is ripe or unripe. The skin of the cherry along with some of the pulp is then removed. Typically, this is done by pressing it in water through a screen.
Dry/ natural process: Also referred to unwashed or natural coffee, the dry process is the oldest method of coffee processing. Typically, the coffee cherries will be spread out in direct sunlight on large brick or concrete tables, and raised to waist height. The cherries will then be raked or turned by hand whilst they dry, ensuring even drying. It can take up to 4 weeks for the cherries to finish undergoing this process, at which point they have reached the optimum moisture content.
Semi-dry/ pulped natural: This is a hybrid process which is said to reduce the acidity and increase the body of the final brew. With this process, the coffee farmers will remove the outer skin of the cherries using pulping machines, and then they will store the coffee beans for up to a day. With this method, the coffee beans are left in their mucilage for the first day and then washed off, before being partially dried in the sun.
Roasting
Once the coffee bean has been processed, it will then need to be roasted. This also greatly affects the flavor notes of the coffee.
This is done using large roasters, which are heated up to approximately 347°F. Carefully, the complex flavor notes of the raw green coffee beans will be drawn out, usually by someone who has spent years learning about the ideal timings and temperatures for each type of bean.
The coffee bean will then undergo a color change from green to yellow to brown, where it is finally ready to be brewed. This is where all of the above characteristics can finally come into play and you can taste the many flavor notes of the coffee.
Hi, I’m Jen Williams, chief editor and writer for ThirstPerk.com.
I’ve been drinking coffee and tea for most of my life, but it wasn’t until I started working at Thirstperk.com that I became an expert on the subject. I’m a total caffeine addict who has spent hours upon hours reading about and experimenting with the different types of coffees out there in my search to find the perfect cup of joe.
I’ve been a tea lover for as long as I can remember as well. I grew up in a house with a mom who loved to drink herbal tea, and I think that’s where my love for tea first began. These days, I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting teas to try, and I love experimenting with different brewing methods and flavoring combinations.