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tasting notes don't have to be pretentious, they are about distinguishing coffees when tasted side by side -- not for going deep into the made-up subtleties abo
by LesZedCB 5y ago
tasting notes don't have to be pretentious, they are about distinguishing coffees when tasted side by side -- not for going deep into the made-up subtleties about what minute flavors are present if you brew a single cup.
usually they are hiting flavor compounds that are in the coffee. in the example you gave, knowing what usually make it into coffee:
fruity i associate with citric acid.
winey is probably acetic acid.
mocha is the classic chocolate flavor of the maillard reaction from roast and bitterness
- jmiserez 5y ago>fruity i associate with citric acid. Minor exception: "Exotic" fruits like mango or pineapple may mean there are fermentation flavors present, e.g. with naturally processed beans (vs washed process). Good introduction by James Hoffmann: https://youtu.be/O9YnLFrM7Fs https://youtu.be/O9YnLFrM7Fs (decoding descriptions starts at 12:53)
- denton-scratch 5y agoThanks for the Hoffmann link - I just watched the first three videos. That was fun.
- LesZedCB 5y agoyeah, good point. have you heard of the podcast Making Coffee by Lucia Solis? it's really good on the topic of coffee fermentation, and she addresses those fruit compounds in particular because it's considered a defect in wine but she grew up eating papaya so enjoys the taste.