Coffee Tasting Notes: What They Mean and How to Taste Them
Coffee tasting notes are the flavors a roaster tastes in a coffee, like chocolate, berry or caramel. They come naturally from the bean, not from added flavoring. A bag that says "strawberry jam" doesn't contain strawberry. It means the coffee has a sweet, fruity flavor that reminds the tasters of strawberry jam. Notes are shaped by where the coffee was grown, how it was processed after harvest, and how it was roasted.
We never add flavoring of any kind to our coffee. Every note on our bags comes from cupping, the standard way coffee professionals taste and compare coffees side by side.
Common Coffee Tasting Notes
| Flavor family | Example notes | Often found in |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate and cocoa | Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, cacao | Brazil, Colombia, Central America, medium and dark roasts |
| Nutty | Almond, hazelnut, peanut | Brazil, Central America, medium roasts |
| Caramel and sweet | Caramel, toffee, brown sugar, honey | Most well-roasted coffees, especially medium roasts |
| Berry and jammy | Strawberry, blueberry, jam | Natural process coffees, Ethiopia |
| Citrus | Lemon, orange, grapefruit | Kenya, Ethiopia, washed coffees, light roasts |
| Floral | Jasmine, bergamot, honeysuckle | Ethiopia, Geisha varieties, light roasts |
| Stone fruit | Peach, apricot, cherry | Central America, East Africa |
| Spice and earthy | Clove, cedar, black pepper | Indonesia (Sumatra), some dark roasts |
| Winey | Red wine, currant, fermented fruit | Kenya, Ethiopia, natural process coffees |
Where Tasting Notes Come From
1. Origin
The country, region, altitude and coffee variety all shape flavor. High-grown East African coffees tend to be bright, fruity and floral. Brazil tends toward nutty and chocolatey. Central America often lands in between, with chocolate, caramel and stone fruit. For more, see our guide to coffee varieties like Geisha and Bourbon.
2. Processing
How the coffee fruit is removed after harvest has a big effect. Washed coffees have the fruit removed before drying, which gives clean, bright flavors. Natural coffees dry whole inside the fruit, which adds jammy, berry sweetness. Honey process sits in between. Our Ethiopia Natural Guji tastes like strawberry jam because it's a natural process coffee.
3. Roast level
Lighter roasts keep more of the coffee's fruit and floral notes. Darker roasts bring out chocolate, caramelized sugar and roasty flavors, while origin character fades. Read What Does Roast Level Really Mean? and What Is Coffee Roasting?
4. Freshness and brewing
Fresh coffee shows its notes clearly, and stale coffee tastes flat. Brewing matters too: a weak or bitter cup hides flavor. Our brew guide has recipes that help notes come through.
What Makes High-Quality Coffee?
The clearest tasting notes come from high-quality coffee. Here's what separates great coffee from ordinary coffee:
- Species and variety. Most specialty coffee is arabica, which tastes sweeter and more complex than robusta. Within arabica, varieties like Bourbon, Typica and Geisha each have their own flavor, much like grape varieties in wine.
- Elevation. Coffee grown at higher altitudes ripens more slowly in cooler temperatures, which builds more sugar and acidity in the bean and more complex flavor in the cup.
- Harvesting and sorting. Specialty coffee is usually hand-picked so only ripe cherries are harvested, then sorted to remove defects. One underripe or damaged bean can add harsh, off flavors.
- Processing and drying. Careful washing, fermenting and drying keeps flavors clean and prevents mold or sour, fermented tastes.
- Grading. Specialty coffee scores 80 points or higher out of 100 when professionally tasted, or cupped. Most grocery coffee scores lower.
- Roasting and freshness. Even great green coffee can be ruined by a bad roast or by sitting too long after roasting. See how to store coffee beans.
Tasting Notes in Our Coffees
- Loom Blend: nutty, toffee, chocolate. A classic, comforting medium roast.
- Abstract Blend: honey, berry, cacao. Sweet and a little fruity, our café espresso.
- Fringe Blend: chocolate, peanut, jam. A rich, chocolaty dark roast.
Not sure which notes you'll like? Take our 60-second coffee quiz.
How to Taste Coffee Tasting Notes at Home
- Taste two coffees side by side. Differences are much easier to notice in comparison. Our Coffee Sampler is built for this.
- Smell first. Most of what we call flavor is aroma. Smell the grounds, then the brewed coffee.
- Let it cool a little. Flavors are easier to pick out as coffee drops from hot to warm.
- Slurp. Slurping spreads coffee across your tongue and pulls aroma up into your nose.
- Start broad, then narrow down. Is it fruity, chocolatey or nutty? If fruity, is it berry or citrus? A coffee flavor wheel helps.
- Read the bag after. Taste first, then check the notes and see what you picked up.
Don't worry if you don't taste "blueberry" right away. Notes are a guide to a coffee's character, not a promise of an exact flavor, and everyone's palate is different.
Quick Answers
What are coffee tasting notes?
They're descriptions of the natural flavors and aromas in a coffee, like chocolate, caramel or berry, chosen by the people who taste it.
Are tasting notes added flavors?
No. In specialty coffee, tasting notes describe the coffee's own flavor. Flavored coffees, like hazelnut or vanilla, are a different product with flavoring added. We never add flavoring to ours.
What are the most common coffee tasting notes?
Chocolate, caramel, nuts, berry, citrus and floral notes are the most common, along with sweetness descriptors like honey and brown sugar.
Why can't I taste the notes on the bag?
Usually it's freshness or brewing. Try fresh coffee, a good grind, the right ratio, and let the cup cool a little. Tasting two coffees side by side also helps.
Which coffee tastes fruity?
Ethiopian, Kenyan and natural process coffees are often fruity, especially as lighter roasts.
Which coffee tastes chocolatey?
Brazil, Colombia and Central American coffees at a medium or dark roast are often chocolatey, like our Loom and Fringe blends.
What determines coffee quality?
The coffee's species and variety, the elevation it grew at, how carefully it was picked, sorted and processed, its cupping score, and how well and how recently it was roasted.
