Would you like to learn to recognise the flavour notes in a coffee? Get ready to close your eyes, smell, taste and let yourself be carried away by the sensations. We're going to show you how to identify the different flavour notes in a coffee.
As you probably know, flavour notes are one of the main factors that let us tell one coffee apart from another. To do this, we look at what each coffee represents to our sense of taste and smell, in other words, taking its organoleptic properties into account.
In this way, flavour notes are the terms used to describe that flavour, and for this reason it's fairly common for them to be linked to other flavours, for example lemon, apple or honey, among many others.
Identifying the flavours in a coffee is far from simple. It's a complex process that takes a lot of practice and has become quite a challenge for many people. Up for it? Here's everything you need to know.
Taste and smell
Both taste and smell are senses open to perception, and being able to recognise or identify them will depend on each taster's personal experience.
When it comes to smell, an average person can perceive somewhere between two thousand and four thousand different odours. As for taste, it's worth noting that the mucous membrane covering the tongue holds around ten thousand receptors, whose signals boil down to four basic groups of flavour: sweet, salty, sour and bitter.
The human tongue is the organ that lets us perceive different flavours in different areas. If you notice the flavour at the tip of the tongue, we're talking about sweet flavours. If you notice it on the sides, it will be sour flavours, while if it's at the back, it will be the more bitter, heavier flavours. So, the first step towards recognising a coffee's flavour notes is identifying which part of the tongue picks up that flavour.
How do you identify the different flavour notes in a coffee?
The basics of identifying a flavour note come down to understanding how it works. The key is to build a link between the flavour you perceive and a similar flavour that evokes the same sensation in you. It's a bit like giving a real name to a flavour that's intangible, abstract and imaginary.
After paying full attention to what you're tasting, the second step is learning to put flavours into words. This is where our more emotional side comes in, triggering sensations, emotions and even memories.
When tasting a coffee, most often you won't feel able to pin down one specific flavour, but you will notice some nuance that sets it apart, such as the creaminess of caramel or the spicy sweetness of ginger or cranberry.
When it comes to sweetness, you can always specify what type it is or whether it reminds you more of honey, a peach or a caramel.
So, to describe the different flavour notes in coffee you can use terms such as fruity, floral, or with a caramel or nutty flavour.
It's worth stressing that, although it may seem like we're talking about external flavours added to the coffee, we're always referring to flavours determined by the coffee variety used, the roast, or climate conditions, among other factors.
Flavour tasting wheel
Since tasting notes are subjective and depend on each person, the Speciality Coffee Association created, back in 1995, the flavour tasting wheel, later updated, with the aim of making it easier to identify everything you perceive, with all its nuances and complexities.
It's a visual guide to flavours that lets you recognise aromas and tastes and narrow them down to one specific flavour. To use it correctly, you should start from the centre and work outwards.
Moving through different levels, the wheel lets you select increasingly specific flavours until you can pin down a single one.
What's more, since every perception is unique, none is right or wrong, and you might even recognise flavours that aren't even on the wheel.
We know that learning to identify a coffee's flavour notes isn't easy at all and takes a lot of practice. Don't be afraid to try, and… let yourself go!
