The visualization below is a different take on summarizing the common tasting note profiles associated with the top coffee-growing countries of origin. Instead of listing a large set of coffees individually as a visual high-level summary, below is a list of only the most common combination of tasting notes by top coffee-growing countries. While no country will produce a completely consistent set of tasting notes across all their coffees, these are the dominant combinations overall.
Or put another way, these are the tasting note combinations you are “most likely” to get if you taste a single origin from one of these countries.
You can see most of the origins in Africa produce a primary note of citrus, followed by a secondary sweet note. Also note the pattern of sweet primary tasting notes for coffees from several countries in Central America. And, we can see Sumatra standing alone with its primary earthy note, followed by chocolate.
This is a real coffee flavor wheel, based on 1,200 actual single origin coffees and their tasting notes as described by the roasters. The size of each slice is proportionate to the frequency that note is mentioned across the 1,200 coffees …
How does the taste of coffee vary based on the region it originates from? There are clear patterns when it comes to the dominant notes of coffees from different coffee-growing regions around the world …
How does the flavor of coffee vary with the altitude at which it was grown? What primary tasting notes are more common from lower-altitude coffees, as opposed to higher altitudes? …
What roast level and tasting note pairings are common? Where are the pockets of uniqueness? Can a dark roast really have a citrus as a primary tasting note? …
