Have you ever been shopping for coffee, turned over a bag, and seen tasting notes of apricot, strawberry, or jasmine? Or, maybe you’ve seen notes of brown sugar, syrup, or chocolate? Does that mean that the coffee actually tastes like that? Well, yes…maybe.

There are over 400 volatile compounds in coffee, which means that there is a lot going on in regards to smell and taste. Often times, the tasting notes are the ones that have really come out in this particular coffee when tasted by the person evaluating the coffee. Notes can get pretty specific, or be somewhat general (like what I put on the description), but there are definitely different tasting notes for different coffees. An expert cupper (taster) will be able to pick out those notes much easier than the general public, but that’s usually the result of training and experience.

Here’s my take on this. I am definitely not an expert, but am becoming better at picking up on flavor notes. I try to give people an idea of what they might expect when tasting one of my coffees, but that doesn’t mean everyone will taste that coffee exactly the same. Some will pick up on those notes, and others will not necessarily agree. That’s totally fine! If you like the coffee, then drink it. Try different coffees and see if you can pick up on the suggested notes. If you don’t agree, or taste the coffee in the same way, it doesn’t mean that anyone is right or wrong. Everyone will notice differences in coffees, but how wrapped up in the tasting notes you get is completely up to you. It’s fun to just taste different coffees to see what you pick up on.

One last point of interest, is that tasting notes are often biased based on the experience of the taster. Not everyone in the world knows what green apple or maple syrup tastes like. A taster in another part of the world might use a different descriptor to express a citrus flavor or a sweet flavor. No one is right or wrong, but is simply trying to find a way to express to the consumer what they might expect in terms of flavor.

Here’s to great coffee and the people that drink it!