Here's How To Properly Use The Flavor Notes On Bagged Coffee
NEWS
BY ALLI NEAL
The flavor notes on a bag of coffee don't define flavored coffee, but rather flavors found in the coffee beans that help you anticipate what flavors and aromas are in the brew.
Some flavor notes can be abstract, such as "grassy" or "earthy," so pros define notes based on the Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel developed by the Specialty Coffee Association.
The flavor wheel lists 110 flavors. The center of the wheel has nine categories: fruity, sweet, floral, roasted, spices, nutty/cocoa, sour/fermented, green/vegetative, and other.
The next layer outward breaks that down even further. The fruity category, for example, has sub-categories such as berry, dried fruit, other fruit, and citrus fruit.
Another tool to use is the Not Bad Coffee project’s interactive wheel complete with flavor cards. For example, it notes that "earthy" means damp, black soil.
If you intentionally look for the flavor notes in coffee, you'll learn what flavors you do and don't like. If there are no flavor indicators, check the roast level and geography.