Reading Tasting Notes

Tasting notes used to feel like snobbery to me — blueberries in coffee? But they're just a shortcut to what a coffee might show, not a promise. Here's how I actually read them.

How to use them

Treat notes as a range, not a recipe. Brew, taste, then decide if you want it brighter or heavier, and adjust one variable.

Don't overthink it

Tasting notes are someone's shorthand, not a contract. I read them as a range, brew, then decide if I want it brighter or heavier. The cupping sheet is a map, not the territory — your cup is the territory.