• Beans

  • Are we too fussed about the notes in the coffee?

I think there definitely a lot of marketing in tasting notes. You could call something citrus, or even better lemon, but yuzu sounds more exotic again.

It’s like any food menu that doesn’t have roast lamb, it has slow roasted lamb. Cheese & Onion crisps are mature cheddar cheese and caramelised onion.

However, just to contradict myself. I guess most roasters would have a coffee that could come under the red berries description, but they won’t all taste the same so describing one as cranberry and one as redcurrant might just be so there’s differentiation between roasters.

I personally go for a general style of coffee, usually avoiding anything with too many chocolate/nut flavours but won’t get too hung up on trying to find a specific flavour.

    Cuprajake It quickly reminds me of a perception of what we think the tasting notes are.

    Take for an example, Django’s Santa Ana. Very good roaster. Of their notes of blueberry, blackberry and vanilla, the blueberry and vanilla come out clearly.

    My 83 year old MIL is enjoying these SO coffee with milk. She always smells the beans. Without any hesitation she said the beans and the coffee smell and taste of a jack fruit!

    She asked me what the notes should be. I showed her the bag. She did 🙄

    Go figure! 😂

      I think I remember a James Hoffman video where he mentioned that tasting notes aren’t supposed to be specific, just a general guide. So a coffee saying ‘tastes like lemons or oranges’ isn’t actually going to taste of lemon or orange, just slightly sharp citrus notes.

      I think milk makes an enormous difference also. My taste in black coffee / espresso is exclusively medium/dark roasts with chocolate/caramel tasting notes. However I really enjoy some of the lighter, fruitier roasts with milk that I find almost undrinkable as espresso.

        I think I remember a James Hoffman video where he mentioned that tasting notes aren’t supposed to be specific, just a general guide. So a coffee saying ‘tastes like lemons or oranges’ isn’t actually going to taste of lemon or orange, just slightly sharp citrus notes.

        I think milk makes an enormous difference also. My taste in black coffee / espresso is exclusively medium/dark roasts with chocolate/caramel tasting notes. I got into coffee through what I suppose would be classed as Italian style, so something that resembles it in some way is my preference.

        However I really enjoy some of the lighter, fruitier roasts with milk that I find almost undrinkable as espresso.

        Dusk It’s like any food menu that doesn’t have roast lamb, it has slow roasted lamb. Cheese & Onion crisps are mature cheddar cheese and caramelised onion.

        I agree, marketing is a wonderful thing.

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          Dusk I personally go for a general style of coffee, usually avoiding anything with too many chocolate/nut flavours but won’t get too hung up on trying to find a specific flavour.

          Chocolate and nutty flavours are very good either as black or importantly with milk. They are also easy to dial in.

          Dusk won’t get too hung up on trying to find a specific flavour.

          I am glad a lot of us feel the same way.

              Ernie1 I think milk makes an enormous difference also. My taste in black coffee / espresso is exclusively medium/dark roasts with chocolate/caramel tasting notes. However I really enjoy some of the lighter, fruitier roasts with milk that I find almost undrinkable as espresso.

              My daughter loves black long as they are less acidic and less fruity. With milk, she doesn’t care and in fact thinks light and medium light or fruity coffees are best served with milk. She loves these fruity notes coffee with milk. So is my wife.

                My family is in complete agreement on this subject. (A rarity.) We all like coffee that tastes primarily of coffee. A hint of chocolate, nuts and smoke is welcome but anything fruity is an absolute no-no. This applies to drinks with milk, long blacks and espresso.
                We have one go to coffee and, although we do experiment, we keep coming back to the same one.

                  A common view in a family is rare! It’s a divine gift, if we have them!

                  On coffee matters or buying anything, my family thinks that I have gone nuts! A hopeless gone case! 😂

                  Rob666 one go to coffee

                  Which is ?

                      LMSC We probably lost track some where down the line in our coffee quest, focussing too much on the notes.

                      Not dissimilar to wine… which can be a lot more expensive (and often the notes are just a label/brand/year… trust it at your own peril).

                          I can only echo what has already been said. For me I tend to avoid the citricy flavours just because I’m not into the to more acidic taste. Chocolate, nuts, caramel, fudgy tend to get my attention. I’ll admit though, the only real stand out flavour that my un-educated tastebuds seem to recognise reglarly is…smokey; and no I don’t and never have. The only time I actually could taste a fruit mentioned in the tasting notes (Peach) was when I had a cold brew at a meeting of members of the forum that shall not be named. That had a very intense Peach flavour.

                          At the end of the day though, I have stopped trying to get the flavours the tasting notes hint at, if one come through then that’s a bonus, but as long as it’s got a good coffee taste, then I’m happy with that.

                          LMSC my family thinks that I have gone nuts!

                          I can relate 😂😂

                            It does not seem that long ago that fruity / acidic coffee’s were the ‘thing’. I personally have never liked fruity / or acidic coffee, I am more for the’ old fashioned coffee flavour’, full flavour with rich full mouth feel.

                            As for notes, spicy, tobacco, chocolate are more to my taste hence a liking for OBJ, mahogany roast malabar or monsooned M/ bar. Also fond of full flavoured Brazilian. No I am not a smoker.

                              DavecUK Never knew you get coffee with tobacco flavour. I think it is a dark roast.

                              Small bag won’t hurt for sure! I wonder how would my wife and MIL react if they ever find out their coffee had tobacco notes. Perhaps, something like this might happen! 😂

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