"Blueberry jam with a floral finish" — but all you taste is coffee. You're not broken. You're just untrained. And the good news? This is a skill anyone can develop.
What Are Tasting Notes, Really?
Tasting notes aren't marketing fluff (well, not always). They're a shorthand that roasters and Q-graders use to describe the natural flavour compounds found in coffee — compounds that genuinely do resemble fruits, flowers, nuts, and spices.
These flavours come from the coffee's origin, the variety of the plant, how the cherries were processed, and how the beans were roasted. An Ethiopian natural-process coffee really does contain aromatic compounds similar to those in blueberries. A Kenyan washed coffee might carry the same bright acidity as a ripe blackcurrant.
💡 The tricky part
Your brain hasn't learned to name these flavours yet — not that they aren't there. Flavour perception is mostly about memory and vocabulary, and that's something you can train.
Why You Can't Taste Them (Yet)
When you taste something unfamiliar, your brain searches its library for a match. If it can't find one, it defaults to the most familiar label: coffee.
The more flavours you've consciously experienced — and put a name to — the richer your tasting vocabulary becomes. It's the same reason a trained chef can identify individual spices in a complex dish while the rest of us just say "smells good."
How to Start Picking Out Flavours
5 techniques to try right now
- Smell first. Aroma carries up to 80% of what we perceive as flavour. Before your first sip, take a moment to inhale. Does it smell fruity? Nutty? Earthy? Even a vague impression counts.
- Let it cool a little. Hot coffee numbs your palate. The best flavour window is around 55–65°C — warm, not scalding. Many notes only appear as the cup cools.
- Slurp it (yes, really). Professional tasters slurp coffee to spray it across the whole palate. It aerates the liquid and helps volatile aromatics reach your nose from the inside.
- Think in categories, not specifics. Ask broad questions first: Is this fruity or nutty? Bright or earthy? Sweet or bitter? Work from wide to narrow — fruity → citrus-like → lemon → lemon zest.
- Taste side by side. Brew two different coffees at the same time and compare them. Contrast is one of the fastest ways to train your palate.
A Beginner's Flavour Cheat Sheet
Not sure what you're tasting? Use this as a starting point to narrow it down.
| If you notice… | The note might be… |
|---|---|
| Bright, sharp acidity | Citrus, green apple, tamarind |
| Sweet, jammy quality | Stone fruit, berries, dried fruit |
| Smooth, rounded body | Chocolate, caramel, brown sugar |
| Earthy or woody tones | Cedar, tobacco, walnut |
| Delicate, perfume-like | Floral notes — jasmine, rose, lavender |
It Gets Easier (And More Fun)
The first few times, you might still just taste coffee. That's completely normal. Keep at it — try different origins, different brew methods, and different roast levels. Each cup is a small training session.
Over time, that Ethiopian coffee won't just taste like coffee. You'll catch a fleeting berry sweetness in the aftertaste. A faint floral note as it cools. And one day, you'll read "blueberry jam with a floral finish" and think — yeah, I can taste that.
That moment? Absolutely worth it.
☕ Start exploring
Tasting single-origin coffees is one of the best ways to train your palate. Browse our current bean selection — each bag comes with tasting notes to guide you.