# Tasting Notes



## DrRSG (Jul 11, 2017)

I have been trying quality beans from many roasters. Each comes with tasting notes but I try in vain to identify the tasting notes on the packaging.

I am a non-smoker in my 70's. How do others get on; have my taste buds atrophied?

Richard


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

How are you brewing the coffee?

Can you taste difference between beers, whiskies, fruit, chocolate, crisps?

Are you letting the coffee cool to around 50C?


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## kennyboy993 (Jan 23, 2017)

DrRSG said:


> I have been trying quality beans from many roasters. Each comes with tasting notes but I try in vain to identify the tasting notes on the packaging.
> 
> I am a non-smoker in my 70's. How do others get on; have my taste buds atrophied?
> 
> Richard


Has taken me nearly a year Richard at my consumption rate.

Took me months to appreciate the difference between 'tasting note' and 'taste'.

Keep going man, it's a long game that has incredible rewards if u stick at it ;-)


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

Some of it is how you brew and the temperature of the coffee when you taste it as mark rightly points out. But (for me anyway) there is a difference between "Tastes like" and "Reminds me of". In my coffee drinking any tasting notes supplied with the beans are very much "hmm yeah I see what they mean" rather than an unmistakable "is this orange juice or coffee?". Sometimes I just don't get any of the notes. Other times I see what they're driving at. Very occasionally it's blindingly obvious even if you haven't seen any notes. Ethiopian natural is fairly unsubtle but it's one of my favourite coffees, and blueberries, strawberries, even rhubarb and jaffa cakes are fairly noticeable. I once had a coffee called "the Earl's Mistress" due to its bergamot notes. That was as subtle as a slap in the face- it tasted very much like Earl Grey tea, but with tasting notes of coffee!

'Mot du jour' appears to be "Hibiscus". I don't eat flowers much so I can neither confirm or deny the suitability of this note!


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Best way to appreciate tasting notes is by cupping. Attending a cupping event where you can be guided helps but you can do it at home using some wide bodied cups - e.g. flat whites. There are plenty of videos explaining how to cup.

Appreciating tasting notes is same as wine wasting - takes a little practice but not difficult to master.


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

The Systemic Kid said:


> wine wasting.


Brilliant! I assume that was deliberate irony playing on the 'slurp and spit', and not a Freudian slip?

I only spit wine out if it's horrible!


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

No, more a Freudian sip


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## grumpydaddy (Oct 20, 2014)

Sometimes milk hides flavour, othertimes it brings out flavour.

Sometimes tightening the grind so that the same volume shot takes longer brings more flavour other times not and sometimes the converse is true

Varying the ratio of dry weight to fluid weight is well known for changing the taste, the acidity, the sourness. Flavour too no doubt

Even tiny amounts of sugar (a gram or less) or even salt will do the trick and in such tiny amounts the sweetness changes out of all proportion to the amount used

Letting the coffee cool is always a winner it seems

I never succeeded in getting the "caramel in spades" that folks spoke of but I love those Dark fruit types for being "in your face". My smoking is what makes me try things to overcome the broken tastebuds.

Not everyone here will agree with these additions but I reckon there are enough things to try to keep you experimenting for a while


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## DickL (Jan 16, 2017)

Up till now I have been the same using 12g to 200ml but I changed to 15g to 250ml and a bonavita kettle and at last started to get some flavor into the coffee but not as much as the suppliers say " artistic license " this is with V60


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

DickL said:


> Up till now I have been the same using 12g to 200ml but I changed to 15g to 250ml and a bonavita kettle and at last started to get some flavor into the coffee but not as much as the suppliers say " artistic license " this is with V60


Changing brew size at the same ratio shouldn't change much apart from the fact that bigger brews usually need a coarser grind & smaller brews a finer grind, for the same pour regime.

You have only told us the ratio you brew at & nothing about the factors that relate to the result? You can over/under-extract at pretty much any ratio with V60, but once dialled in, it's very consistent.

I don't always get, or agree with all the notes I see, but by and large, they make sense to me.

Do you taste differences/notes in other foods & drinks, or is it just with coffee that you can't identify them?


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## DrRSG (Jul 11, 2017)

Thank you all for your comments and advice.

I just had a 2 epiphanies; firstly, when roasters provide tasting notes should they not give the characteristics of the brew used to achieve them; i.e. grind of beans, quantity of coffee and water,etc.

Secondly, I just had some success with my current beans( tasting notes: treacle, dark chocolate, cinnamon) from the crema.

Richard

p.s. I don't have problems with tasting other things


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

DrRSG said:


> Thank you all for your comments and advice.
> 
> I just had a 2 epiphanies; firstly, when roasters provide tasting notes should they not give the characteristics of the brew used to achieve them; i.e. grind of beans, quantity of coffee and water,etc.
> 
> ...


Hi Richard,

Ideally, yes they should, but conveying grind for espresso is difficult. Different machines have different basket capacities. Different grinders may have different brew ratios at which a balanced shot is possible (if in doubt, try putting a little more water through the puck, to see if flavours open up, maybe you can grind finer & go back to shorter shots once they have). Espresso has the widest range of practical brew ratios. Also being so concentrated, it can be a deluge of flavour.

Do you need to make strong, concentrated shots? Would you be willing to dilute some shots with hot water from the kettle, to thin them out & maybe make flavours more accessible (even if you do this purely as a diagnostic exercise to see how well dialled in you are)?

Do you have 2 different coffees to hand, to compare?


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

DrRSG said:


> when roasters provide tasting notes should they not give the characteristics of the brew used to achieve them; i.e. grind of beans, quantity of coffee and water,etc.


Tasting notes are derived from cupping the beans. It's a tried and tested method and a very consistent process. You can do it at home without any extra kit although cupping bowls are a good idea if you plan to do it regularly. Use flat white cups if you don't have bowls. Watch a 'how to' video. Grind should be coarse.


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

The Systemic Kid said:


> Tasting notes are derived from cupping the beans. It's a tried and tested method and a very consistent process. You can do it at home without any extra kit although cupping bowls are a good idea if you plan to do it regularly. Use flat white cups if you don't have bowls. Watch a 'how to' video. Grind should be coarse.


True, but when someone wants to enjoy espresso & has spent on a machine, they should probably concentrate on getting what they want from that? Grind for cupping can vary widely, SCAA protocol is medium. It's no more consistent than drip brewing, I'm not even sure it is more consistent than espresso.


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