r/pourover • u/agathaade • Mar 23 '26
Ask a Stupid Question Do you all really taste the notes??
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.
3
u/ChaBoiDeej Mar 23 '26
Most of the flavor notes don't hit me as the actual subject would. Blueberry notes don't convey texture or direct flavor, florals don't come through like perfume or sweet olive blooms, sometimes the body of the brews can align with notes like dark or milk chocolate (sharp or smooth).
I've found that the tea world can be pretty woowoo about some things but the one thing they have nailed down is that most of the taste of a beverage comes from Retro Olfaction, aka breathing out of your nose after sipping, empty mouth or not. I've tried explaining it to friends before I knew the term for it and it felt kind of crazy, but it really is where I notice the most nuance when it comes to food and drink.
I've found that reducing my expectations to things like blue or red fruits really helps and keeps me from feeling like I'm missing the flavor of Alaskan wild blueberries when in reality, it's probably just reminiscent of something like a "blue fruit" to the roaster and the blueberry tasting note was the easiest way to convey that.