The Flavor Lab: How to Identify the Notes in Your Coffee

Every bag of specialty coffee comes with a promise: a story of taste waiting to be explored. But how do you actually taste the notes listed on the label? In this guide, we’ll help you tune into your senses and uncover the flavor language of your favorite brew.

This is your guide to identify the notes on that amazing coffee that you just purchased, where chemistry, mindfulness, and curiosity meet in the cup.

What Are Coffee Tasting Notes?

Tasting notes are descriptions of the aromas and flavors naturally present in coffee due to its origin, processing method, roast level, and brew style.

They don’t mean the coffee was flavored with fruit or spice, they’re sensory cues, like:

• Green apple: crisp acidity, bright and tart
• Peach: juicy sweetness, soft and round
• Vanilla: smooth finish, warm and comforting

These notes come alive when you slow down and sip with awareness.

Start with the Basics: Smell, Sip, Savor

To identify notes like a pro, engage your senses:

1. Smell the ground coffee before brewing, note any fruity, floral, or nutty aromas.
2. Smell the bloom (when hot water hits the coffee) to detect bright or earthy scents.
3. Sip slowly and let the coffee coat your palate.
4. Exhale through your nose after swallowing, this retro-nasal experience helps reveal flavor nuances.

Keep it simple. Don’t chase complexity, let it come to you.

How Brewing Method Affects Flavor

Your brew style can either highlight or mute certain notes:

• Pour-Over: Best for clarity and brightness, ideal for detecting fruit and citrus.
• French Press: Offers more body, enhances chocolate, spice, and heavier notes.
• Cold Brew: Smooth and low-acid, great for pulling out vanilla and mellow fruit.
• Espresso: Concentrated and intense, flavors hit fast but evolve quickly.

Try brewing the same coffee multiple ways and compare what changes.

Gititu Gold: A Flavor Study in a Cup

Opaqa’s Gititu Gold is a Kenya AA coffee with a silky body and layered complexity. Here’s how to spot its tasting notes:

• Green Apple: First hit of acidity, bright, almost sparkling on the tongue
• Peach: Mid-palate sweetness, juicy and soft, balancing the tang
• Vanilla: The gentle fade, subtle warmth that lingers at the finish

Best enjoyed as a pour-over or flash-chilled espresso to highlight the full flavor arc.

Build Your Sensory Skills at Home

The more you taste, the more you notice. Try these:

• Create a Flavor Wheel Journal: Use a basic coffee flavor wheel and log what you taste daily.
• Smell & Compare: Line up fresh fruits or spices and smell them side by side with brewed coffee.
• Taste Blind: Have someone brew for you and guess the notes with no bias.

Taste is trainable. All it takes is curiosity and repetition.

Taste as a Exploration

At Opaqa, we invite you to slow down and let your morning cup become a moment of discovery. Tasting isn’t about perfection, it’s about presence. It’s about being fully awake to what’s in your cup.

Ready to identify your own flavor favorites? Shop Opaqa Gititu Gold and let your taste buds travel, one golden ritual at a time.