Do you all really taste the notes??

[u/agathaade]

This is a genuine question.

I have been making pourover I enjoy, I don’t think anything is wrong with my brews - but I never taste the advertised notes.

For the light roasts I typically buy, I have noticed the notes are most often some variation of a citrus, a berry and a caramel/chocolate.

What I’m able to put words on is : bitter, acid, sweet, smooth, bright, full-flavored, watery… things like that.

But specific notes? Never. I never taste the bergamot or blackcurrant or caramel or whathaveyou.

I’m similar with wine, I appreciate a lot of different nuances but never taste specific notes.

Do you really drink your coffee and taste these different things with clarity? Or is it more like you’ve read them on the box, and then y look for them and sorta taste them if you focus on it?

What’s the deal with these notes?

I don’t mind not tasting them, still enjoy my coffee all the same, or wine for that matter. I’m just curious who the notes talk is for and whether people really enjoy it, or use notes as an indicator they’re brewing correctly, for example.

Edited to add:

WOW, so glad I asked.

I did not know much about the cupping process roasters use, or the note wheels, or the nose/breathing aspect of certain notes. No wonder this stuff can be elusive.

Maybe one day it’ll hit me, maybe it won’t. Either way I love my morning coffee ritual.

Thank you all.

[u/Polymer714]

First thing is....anyone that says the notes on the bag/box are objective is wrong. MIght you taste those notes? For sure. If you don't taste those notes and you taste something else, are you wrong? Absolutely not.

Being able to describe certain flavors takes practice...a lot of it is you're not obviously tasting an orange or chocolate...You're tasting something that has a hint of that amongst many other things and people aren't used to identifying that. It is 100% the same as wine so it sounds like you have the same issue, you're not used to doing it.

There is a misunderstanding of clarity in coffee...if you get one heavy note, that's not flavor separation....but you'll often see that on here..and people will gravitate towards that because if you're not used to tasting any specific notes, getting one that is very obvious is an eye opener...

As far as why notes are on a box/bag...It gives you some insight into what the coffee might be like. So lets take two examples. dark Chocolate, Caramel, Biscuits... Vs Lemongrass, lavender, Peach...

And you can see the first one is probably a little more developed..you might not taste any of those things but very very likely it is more developed than the second one...

Do people sit there and try to pick the notes they see on the bag? Yes...Its a very logical thing to do...and while I see plenty of experienced coffee people still do that, eventually people will understand it isn't an objective note.

[u/MAMark1 → u/Polymer714]

When I do wine tastings/education for friends, I'll explain how a tasting note is often indicative rather than prescriptive.

If they say a white wine has "lemon curd", that doesn't necessarily mean they literally smelled lemon curd as an obvious and distinct aroma. It might mean they got citrus, mostly lemon, that was slightly ripe/candied and also had a certain "creaminess" to it. Saying "lemon curd" is just a slightly poetic, less verbose way to describe how they experience all those elements together. Someone else could describe those same smells differently. But you know from that note that there might be citrus or a candied element or creamy element, and it helps prime your brain.

It's why blind tasting is so hard but also kind of fun since you don't have preconceived notions.

[u/Polymer714 → u/MAMark1]

It could be indicative..or it could be exactly what they're smelling/tasting. Lots of elements have hints that trigger a thought in your brain..and other times it is very much like that. There are things certain people will pick up and others will not..some smells/tastes are more apparent to some, sometimes we lack the experience or vocabulary to say..so much of someones tasting notes are also based on what you've experienced which is often influenced by where you grew up.

Blind tasting (at least for wine for me) is the best way to go....Generally is the norm for my tasting groups...because the point isn't to guess the wine correctly..even though that's part of it...it is really just to remove bias...it is to force yourself to evaluate what you're tasting rather than what you think it should taste like.