What do "Tasting Notes" on a coffee bag mean?
Flavor descriptions perceived by roasters or cuppers during tasting—e.g., blueberry, chocolate, caramel. Not ingredients, but aromas the coffee reminds them of. Similar to wine descriptions.
Why that is
"Blueberry, jasmine, brown sugar"—anyone reading tasting notes on a coffee bag for the first time often thinks, "But there's only coffee in here." And that's true. Tasting notes don't describe ingredients, but rather flavor associations.
How tasting notes are created:
Coffee contains over 1,000 aroma compounds—more than wine. These compounds create flavor impressions that remind us of other foods. When a cupper notes "blueberry," it means: a specific combination of acidity, sweetness, and fruitiness is reminiscent of blueberry—chemically similar aroma compounds are at play.
The most common categories:
- Fruity: Blueberry, strawberry, citrus, stone fruit, tropical fruit
- Sweet: Caramel, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup
- Chocolaty: Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, cocoa
- Nutty: Hazelnut, almond, walnut, peanut
- Floral: Jasmine, rose, lavender, orange blossom
- Spicy: Cinnamon, cardamom, pepper
- Other: Tea, grain, tobacco, leather
Why you don't always taste them:
- Tasting notes are determined during professional cupping—under controlled conditions, with trained palates.
- Brewing at home can highlight or suppress different aromas.
- Sensory perception is subjective and can be trained.
- Darker roasts cover up origin flavors with roasted notes.
The SCA Flavor Wheel: The SCA has developed a standardized flavor wheel that categorizes over 100 aromas. It serves as a common language for the industry—if a cupper in Ethiopia notes "blueberry" and a roaster in Berlin reads "blueberry," they mean the same thing.
Tips for tasting: Try the coffee black, slurp it slowly, taste it again as it cools. Many aromas only become noticeable when the coffee has cooled below 60 °C.
In practice at Green Wall Coffee
Tasting notes are a guide, not a promise. I tell guests at Sophienstraße 27: if you taste chocolate even though the label says "blueberry," you're not wrong. Taste is subjective—the notes are a starting point, not a strict rule.
You'll find us at Sophienstraße 27 in Berlin-Lichtenberg, Monday to Friday 8am–5pm and Saturday 10am–5pm.
Further reading
Related questions:
- Why does specialty coffee cost more than supermarket coffee?
- 'What does 'Cup of Excellence' mean?'
- What is specialty coffee?
Also relevant:
- What do terms like fruity, chocolatey, nutty mean on the packaging? — Flavor, Sensory & Aromas
- Why does coffee taste like blueberries or chocolate? — Flavor, Sensory & Aromas
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