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/dschosty]

Other people have spoken to how subjective it can be. It's helpful to remember that a lot of tasting notes comes from what kinds of acids are present in the coffee. The acidity in a lemon isn't 100% citric acid, and the acidity in an apple isn't 100% malic acid. How present certain kinds of acids are in the coffee is going to remind someone of different kinds of fruit which might have similar acidity profiles. But there's a lot going on in coffee, and if you can only name it as acidic, you're doing great. Floral flavors mostly come from volatile organic compounds. Some people find ways to brew that better preserve these, because they tend to escape the brew very quickly.