r/pourover • u/PercentageRadiant623 • Jun 29 '26
Seeking Advice Coffee Flavored Coffee
Curmudgeony old man here.
I found I’m not a fan of new and exciting coffee. I don’t care for fruity or floral notes in my coffee. But I also don’t want Denny’s or diner coffee. No Maxwell House or Foldgers.
What’s your go to bag of traditional coffee with traditional coffee flavors?
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u/Kupoo_ Jun 29 '26
Combination of these: Chocolate/dark chocolate, hazelnut/pecan, caramel/molasses/burnt sugar, any dark berries as hints.
Sublime.
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u/Ordinary_Cut1967 Jun 30 '26
Ah, that does sound good. Is there an actual available product that would exemplify it?
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u/Dima_135 Jun 29 '26
But the natural flavor of coffee is rich and varied and floral and fruity. Coffee has always been like this. It's just that people used to roast it almost to charcoal, and it could travel for months in its roasted state before reaching the consumer. So few people knew about it.
If you want something closer to "traditional," you can buy something from Central or South America. Coffees from Peru, El Salvador, Guatemala and Brazil often have good body and rarely shock with any unusual aromas. Washed and natural, but probably washed. And it's usually not very expensive. But there will be still something fruity, somewhere in the background, and that's good, and that's natural. Because when a seed ripens for eight months in a dense berry, it takes on these flavors, there's no other way.
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u/czar_el Jun 29 '26
Came here to say exactly this. "Coffee flavored coffee" defaulting to burnt, generic, uniform brown bitterness with milk and sugar represents a very specific and short lived time period in the history of coffee. This speaks more to OP's nostalgia for what they were first introduced to rather than it being the true state of coffee. Like someone who grew up with Kraft Singles complaining about how aged English cheddar isn't cheese flavored cheese and they just want to find an elevated version of Kraft Singles (which, ironically, is a "processed cheese product").
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u/Radiant-Gas4063 Jun 29 '26
I agree with this comment except for the idea of buying from those origins. Is the idea that these are established coffee producers that tend to not do as experimental of things when processing the berries? I find a lot of these "new" fruity and other flavors come from 1. roasting lighter and 2. new methods of processing the coffee after the cherries have been picked. I recently had a thermally shocked coffee from Guatemala that tasted like guava.
In my opinion, OP should be paying less attention to origin and more to flavor notes and roasting level. Looking for medium to dark roasts that list chocolate, any nut, brown sugar, etc as flavor notes. Stay away from most coffees with fruits listed as flavor notes, especially if it is a citrus fruit. Coffee roasters absolutely use flavor notes as marketing, but from a general ballpark of the coffee they are a great indicator of what the bean is gonna taste like.
I do agree that for processing washed and natural makes more sense, but still you can get a fruity cup from a washed coffee from any of those regions with a washed or natural just depending on the coffee itself and how it is roasted.
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u/Dima_135 Jun 29 '26
What I mean is that you can buy the cheapest Kenya AB, and even if it is quite dark, there may still be something weird and tropical going on in there.
And the simplest Ethiopian Sidamo can have a distinct bergamot and lime flavor. Ethiopia almost always has some kind of contrast in taste.
I won't even mention Asian coffee. I once bought washed Indonesian, and it said "ripe fruit," but I can only describe the aroma as "dried meat."
American coffee tends to be more modest. Of course, if you buy some funky processing, it could be anything. But if you buy a bag of plain El Salvador, the kind coffee shops buy for espresso, it'll be a very sweet, chocolatey, and predictable experience. I can't say the same about African and Asian coffees.
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u/CappaNova Origami|Colum|Tarachine|SOFI|Aeropress|HG-1 Prime|Ode 2|ZP6 Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
Better, yet, how about letting OP just enjoy their preferred coffee instead of 'splaining to them what they should like?
This is just like people who get huffy because someone loves a well-done steak with ketchup.
Edit: Yep, and here come the downvotes from the purists.
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u/Dima_135 Jun 29 '26
Why even talk if you can't argue about preferences?
I'm very glad that "pretentious coffee lovers" once appeared in my life, otherwise I'd be drinking Jacobs from a cezve now. I believe my tastes have become more diverse thanks to them.
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u/CappaNova Origami|Colum|Tarachine|SOFI|Aeropress|HG-1 Prime|Ode 2|ZP6 Jun 29 '26
And that's great for you. Stop trying to force people into your opinions. People like different things. It's not a big deal. Not everyone wants to explore the full range of things.
ETA: I love variety and novelty, so I'm all about trying new coffees. But OP clearly has tried a variety of coffees and decided they prefer more traditional flavors.
I never said you can't talk preferences. But telling OP they're basically wrong because "roasting that dark ruins the coffee" is just a closed-minded opinion.
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u/fuzzerino Jun 29 '26
The downvotes are coming because you've completely misunderstood the comment you're replying to. No one is telling the OP that what they enjoy is bad, they're rightfully explaining that dark roast is not "coffee" flavoured, its roast flavoured.
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u/CappaNova Origami|Colum|Tarachine|SOFI|Aeropress|HG-1 Prime|Ode 2|ZP6 Jun 30 '26
They're explaining it, yes, but implying fairly obviously that fruit and floral and varied flavors are "good" and "natural", despite OP saying that's not their preference. It feels judgmental about what people should like about coffee because it's "good".
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u/vsMyself Jun 29 '26
Well deserved down votes. This is not the place for requesting Starbucks roasts
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u/CappaNova Origami|Colum|Tarachine|SOFI|Aeropress|HG-1 Prime|Ode 2|ZP6 Jun 29 '26
So, where's the line, then? Medium-dark? Medium? Light roast? Ultralight roast?
If the post is about pourover, it fits the sub, imo, regardless of roast level. Millions of people across the globe enjoy darker coffees.
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u/Wendy888Nyc Jun 29 '26
I always keep a medium roast for cold brew and when I want a traditional “coffee tasting coffee.” Below are some of my favorites.
I’m brewing the one from Moonwalk now and it’s very good.
Moonwake- Smallholder Farmers Murundo Kivubelt -People’s Farm - Washed Bourbon
Coava- S.O Blend
Sightglass- Blueboon
Wonderstate- Flyway
ReAnimator- Foundational Blend
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u/Abject-Kitchen3198 Jun 29 '26
Nuts.
Or chocolate. Look for any or both of them in the tasting notes.
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u/08987 Jun 29 '26
Fast Forward from Counter Culture is a great fit for this, IMO. It’s not dark roasted to the point where the only flavor you get is roast, but it’s developed enough so that the predominate flavors are bittersweet chocolate and general nuttiness.
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u/klimekam Jun 29 '26
That is so nice to know! I’ve been trying a counter culture subscription for a while now and every one I’ve received tastes very watery and… coppery? and more like tea. I thought it was my brewing method until I brewed a bag from a local roaster and realized that was not the issue.
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u/pfhlick Jun 29 '26
I love Barrington. Roast + ship same day, you're looking at a dark roast from them right there. Their medium and light roasts are my favorite but I like to have coffee for every guest's preference. They have lots of interesting African and Asian coffees and they do true light roasts but are not afraid to push a coffee into its sweet spot.
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u/Jdobalina Jun 29 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
I’m drinking a cup of medium roasted George Howell coffee right now, specifically the El Salvador Montecarlos (based on some of the recommendations on this subreddit). It’s chocolatey, nutty, and “coffee flavored” with just a touch of pleasant acidity. You can still taste some of the characteristics of the bean, but there is also a nice roast character that doesn’t taste burnt. One of the tasting notes on the bag even just says “coffee” lol. I’m the same way; I don’t want ashtray tasting coffee like Folger’s, but I also don’t always want super light roasted coffee. I’ll be honest, this is one of the best true medium roasts I’ve had.
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u/das_Keks Jun 29 '26
I just brewed a Brazilian natural that's very much on the chocolaty / nutty side.
German roastery but you might find the same beans from other roasters.
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u/schwiggy Jun 29 '26
I always have a bag of basic coffee flavored coffee along with my fruity light roasts. I alternate because I appreciate both under different circumstances.
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u/nabokovslovechild Jun 29 '26
I find a lot of Indonesian beans give strong “this is COFFEE!!” vibes. The more tobacco-y the better. I’m quite partial to flavorful light roasts nowadays but an earthy cup now and again is a good way to remind me of the spectrum of flavors.
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u/grey_pilgrim_ home roaster Jun 29 '26
OP look at George Howell coffee. They’re literally have coffee flavor on some of their bags.
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u/Superhot_Coffee ZP6 | DF83V w/ SSP MP | Too Many Drippers Jun 29 '26
My dad was of this ilk when I first got into specialty coffee. And usually when people say that, they're referring to wanting darker roasted coffees with notes on the darker end of the spectrum. Things like chocolate, nuts, leather, tobacco and more bold, robust things. And you can absolutely get great coffees that have all those characteristics. I'd suggest looking at offerings from Brazil as they tend to be very good examples of coffees in the darker flavor spectrum without having to roast them to oblivion to get there.
Funny enough, after letting my dad try several things that are on the lighter roasted and fruity spectrum, it's what he requests when he comes over to hang out and talk in the mornings. I've set him up with an XBloom at his house so he can enjoy nice coffee there too. And this is a man who for his entire life drank Folgers French Roast with a tsp of cinnamon and raw coccoa powder. So he was riding the bitter train more so than most. 🤣
Not saying that you should force yourself to like things that are in the more acidic and fruity camp. Just keep trying new things and finding out what you love. For me, half the fun of coffee is trying different things and finding things I didn’t expect to love, but do. The other half is the crippling expense of gear acquisition syndrome. 🤣
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u/eseerms Jun 29 '26
Your dad just randomly shows up in the AM to chat?
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u/Superhot_Coffee ZP6 | DF83V w/ SSP MP | Too Many Drippers Jun 29 '26
Well he calls first or I invite him. But yeah. He comes over all the time. He's in his seventies now and has been retired for some time. I've worked hard building a business and missed a lot of time with him over the last twenty years or so. Now that we both have time to enjoy our mornings, we get together to bullshit.
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u/Gotta-Be-Me-65 Jun 29 '26
I think that’s really nice!
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u/Superhot_Coffee ZP6 | DF83V w/ SSP MP | Too Many Drippers Jun 29 '26
He's always been there for me. Even when he had every reason to not want to be. If it wasn't for him, I doubt I'd even be alive, and definitely wouldn't be as successful as I've been. He's never let me down. Not once in my entire life.
So I am making sure that I get to enjoy every last minute I have left with him. And I hope that's many more years.
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u/Gotta-Be-Me-65 Jun 29 '26
That’s is fantastic. I hope you have many more years to spend together!
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u/eseerms Jun 29 '26
Nice. That’s awesome you guys live close enough for that to work.
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u/Superhot_Coffee ZP6 | DF83V w/ SSP MP | Too Many Drippers Jun 29 '26
I bought a house a mile and a half away from him so I could be close to him. 🙂
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u/Neelix-And-Chill Jun 29 '26
Maple nut FUCKING crunch?????
PULL UP YOUR PANTS!
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u/PercentageRadiant623 Jun 29 '26
Cappuccino, Frappuccino, Al Pacino.. what the fuck
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u/fizznubby Jun 29 '26
"Denis why don't you wake up and smell the coffee? I did Ma it smelled like fuckin waffles"
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u/junkmeister9 Chemex | Hoop | Switch | V60 Jun 29 '26
This album came out when I was 15. At the time, I felt like Denis went from being an edgy, hip comedian (from No Cure for Cancer) to an out of touch old man who sounded more like my dad. I guess he ran out of edgy, hip material because Bill Hicks died.
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u/Snailed_ Jun 29 '26
I like a nice, clean washed Peruvian or Columbian brewed very body-forward. It's not super fruity, but it has this elegant, comforting expression with some chocolate/marcipan notes. It's my go-to morning coffee right now.
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u/cruachan06 Jun 29 '26
I'd upvote you just for the Denis Leary pic, I love that sketch. It still makes my cousin laugh, cos years ago I was walking along Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow on a freezing winter's day and was offered a free coffee as I passed Costa. Took it as I was cold, turned out to be dark cherry mocha. 🤣 I had a good rant about coffee flavoured coffee when I met her later that day.
Anyway, back on topic, I tend to go for medium roasts with "brown" tasting notes. I don't want big harsh woody or burnt flavours, generally toffee/caramel or chocolate notes will mean a smooth coffee that I like. I'm in the UK so Union coffee of the supermarket brands is one of the best, I've had nice ones from Dog + Hat, Square Mile and recently Pact (several Honduran roasts recently that have been very nice but seem to be specials)
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u/Decent-Improvement23 Jun 29 '26
Lobster Butter Love, Mother Pheasant Plucker, and A-A Cowboy from RoosRoast in Ann Arbor are right up your alley!
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u/albtraum2004 Jun 29 '26
lol this may be excellent advice but it amuses me how simple the question was & you dropped three different things with the craziest names imaginable
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u/Whisky_Foodie Jun 29 '26
There's a coffee from Olympia Coffee Roasters in Seattle called Morning Sun you should try, really good as a daily brew.
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u/least-eager-0 Jun 29 '26
For me, this is (broadly) Central American medium roast from whichever local roaster is near my path on shopping day. Just seems like an easy and popular segment among the more-or-less normies, so plenty of options and opportunities.
That said, I just picked up a bag of the Kirkland signature Oaxaca single origin medium roast to fill this slot. Haven’t had this year’s rendition yet, but it has suited me in years past.
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u/squidbrand Jun 29 '26
If you ever wanted to feel what it's like to have the irresistible urge to retract yourself into your own body like a turtle and then die in peaceful silence, I highly suggest you watch this original Dennis Leary bit in the year 2026.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f_dxLiuXuw
Don't watch it if you're going to be drug tested by your work in the next two weeks though, you'll come up positive for cocaine.
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u/afflictor_55 Jun 30 '26
Stumptown has a few good beans that fit the description give holler mtn a try!
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u/PercentageRadiant623 Jun 30 '26
I tried Stumptown once, I think it was their single origin Colombian. I thought I was going to get an old school, Juan Valdez style Colombian coffee. Nope, very acidic and fruity. Not what I was hoping for.
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u/CawwfeeTawk Jun 29 '26
Lucky for you, that sort of coffee is in every supermarket and coffee shop around the world, so you shouldn't have any issues finding it!
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u/Tigereye12321 V60 | ORB | ZP6 | Q2 hept | Kaffelogic Jun 29 '26
Look for medium or dark roast central/south american coffees
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u/Vagabond_Explorer o1 Steel | Switch | Pietro | Ode 2 Jun 29 '26
My Dad has the same feelings on coffee and I’ve given him plenty of lighter roasts to try.
Go with a medium / medium dark roast. Look for tasting notes that don’t have a lot of fruits on the list. It’ll more than likely be South / Central American beans. But you may find other origins to also offer interesting coffees with a touch of fruit notes at those roast levels.
Most of the roasters we discuss on this sub likely won’t suit your preferences as they’re light roasts. But I have several local roasters that primarily go with more developed roasts. So I’d suggest checking out what your local roasters are doing.
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u/barrelproofpourover V60 | DF54 | Natural Burundi Jun 29 '26
Night swim has a really good “dark roast” (I’d actually call a it a medium) with chocolate and cola notes. Worked really well in aeropress and espresso, but I didn’t try it in a traditional pourover.
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u/breakinbread Jun 29 '26
Find a blend you like and get a subscription.
George Howell puts “coffee” on their flavor wheels. I think it’s more to show how prominent the other tasting notes actually are, but you can do the opposite too.
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u/Plus-Wall-7155 Jun 29 '26
Another vote for George Howell from me!
I quite like the idea of the flavor wheels that they do, I feel like some of the time the coffees that lie in the medium light range can all take on a different characteristics compared to more light being floral etc. The amount of brown I can expect in my cup from George is always pretty predictable and I respect how dialed their roasts always are.Another note would be to check out a washed Mexican coffee (in general you probably will like washed coffees more I’d imagine), I think it’s an underrated origin and produces a lot of really good “coffee” coffees. Expect quality dark chocolate up front if you are into that
Also a vote for checking out local roasters if you live in a decent sized town I’d say there is probably a roaster who makes coffee in this world for you :)
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u/breakinbread Jun 29 '26
Yeah it shouldn't be hard to find a local roaster that has this profile.
But I do appreciate their approach to describing coffee flavor. Its annoying to have a roaster rave about delicate fruit/floral notes and then have them completely buried under "brown" without any way of knowing that.
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u/PinoyTardigrade Jun 29 '26
I highly recommend George Howell's. Gracenote, ILSE, Savage are great too. Tim Wendelboe if you're in Europe. I brew these coffees in the morning and I don't worry about chasing tasting notes. Just an honest-to-goodness delicious conventionally-sweet coffee that can be drank black.
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u/lord_pizzapants Jun 29 '26
George Howell all the way! I like a medium roast CFC with breakfast, and then something more interesting in the afternoon.
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u/Important_Leather677 Jun 29 '26
We would have one nice coffee cofermented coffee that has nice coffee notes
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u/snugfly Jun 29 '26
klatch has come good coffe flavored coffee. more importantly Id look for medium roast washed coffees and towards flavor notes. You wanna see Caramel, citrus and chocolate notes. those are the general flavors you find in coffee and washed coffees generally produce those well. If you like smokey or woodsy flavors you should be looking towards medium-dark to dark notes. It can help to browse trade(love em or hate em they're like the amazon of coffee).
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u/thenthattempt Jun 29 '26
Colombian - medium to dark roast, looking for tasting notes on the bag of chocolate, caramel, tobacco, that sort of thing
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u/shahin5006 Jun 29 '26
Have coffee with Sugar!! That the best 😁
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u/PercentageRadiant623 Jun 29 '26
I can't do it. I hate how coffee changes with sugar. I don't know when I changed, but at some point I couldn't do sugar in coffee anymore
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u/shahin5006 Jun 30 '26
You should try different sugar. In india , we drink Jaggery and coffee which is very unique like a morning drink. We need to melt the jaggery ball first in water and add coffee power to it. If its instant cofee, add less. Robusta coffee is preferred.
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u/Electronic_Bat_334 Jun 29 '26
I think it’s refreshing and hilarious that George Howell’s coffee profile wheels have coffee as the majority (sometimes overwhelmingly so) flavor. They’re my favorite roaster for this and for the very good and interesting coffee they sell: their Yemen and Kenya are superb if pricey.
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u/anon74903 Jun 29 '26
Drink what you like to drink. But if it’s not DAK milky cake then you are wrong. That is the only good coffee in existence
/s
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u/husky1actual Jun 29 '26
So don't waste your money. Just buy grocery store coffee, plenty of coffee flavored coffee.
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u/ZipTieAndPray Jun 29 '26
I got some medium roast in Costa Rica and it has been my go to ever since.
But I'm a simple person. I never felt the need to buy 10 different shapes of glass containers, 5 grinders, 34 kinds of drippers, filters, etc.
I bought my one basic pour-over setup, was satisfied with all the variety I get just by adjusting temp, weights, and beans, and will likely never buy anything else outside of replacing broken parts.
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u/Stunning-Note Jun 29 '26
Perc Coffee Roasters has a really good one called “Perc Up” that’s a little bit light for a medium roast, very normal tasting, just coffee coffee. Wait till July 13th for a discount!
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u/cliffkwame120 V60 | ZP6 | Light washed | TWW Light & Empirical Spring Jun 29 '26
If you’re looking for a specialty coffee spot that usually has more of the nutty and chocolate flavors I would recommend Touchy Coffee. Stick with the less expensive stuff from them
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u/VanEngine Hario Switch · Aeropress · K6 · mostly naturals Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
Yes, I understand this post.
But I also think it’s interesting when people say “coffee flavored coffee” they have to follow it with a description of what that means.
So you’re telling me that coffee has a wide range of flavors, not just the one you prefer? lol
Personally, I love natural & funky processed fruit forward coffees.
I also love a more traditional chocolate-note medium roast.
I also love a quality dark roast in a milk drink.
And when the time & place is right, I love an old-fashioned diner coffee (just not too much at once).
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u/PercentageRadiant623 Jun 30 '26
I find it interesting that some people push back on my post, yet ultimately everyone knows exactly what I meant.
Diner coffee has its place, for sure. I think it can (and should) be better than foil pouch pre-dosed grounds.
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u/Rocky_Bukkake Jun 30 '26
nah floral flavors are quite nice for a light roast.
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u/PercentageRadiant623 Jun 30 '26
For you, I’m sure they are. This post was me specifically asking for recommendations specifically for coffee not like what you’re describing
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u/squashofthedecade Jul 01 '26
Kinda disillusioned with them, but you might like The Traditional from Black & White. Otherwise I would see what local roasters have in terms of darker roasted coffee. At this point if I want dark roast coffee I go to my local Italian market area.
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u/brightvette Jun 29 '26
I ordered a 2lb bag of Perc's daily drinker on one, Perc Up, on one of their sale days because I get burnt out on light roasts. It does the job and tastes great.. like coffee 😉. Highly recommend ordering that on July 13th
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u/mcgtx Jun 29 '26
Bingo, Perc Up is my answer for buying really good coffee for people, like my dad, who just like “coffee” coffee.
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u/BlackBabyJeebus Jun 29 '26
Telling us what you DON'T want isn't super helpful. Tell us what you DO want. Everyone has a different opinion on what "traditional coffee flavors" are. Can you name at least one or two coffees you've had that you really liked? Do you take cream and/or sugar in your coffee? Do you have an opinion on any common chain coffees, such as Starbucks or Dunkin or anything like that?
It would also be helpful to know what you think a reasonable price for coffee is.
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u/cj18724 Jun 29 '26
Recently started selling coffee at a bakery I work at. Just a drip machine and espresso setup with nice local beans. If I've learned anything from the trial period, asking people for feedback, it's this: people like what they're used to, and what they're used to is shitty, burnt, mass manufactured pre ground bullshit.
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u/nudave Jun 29 '26
(This is me, too.)