Within our database of thousands of single origin coffees, for this graphic we selected 600 at random and recorded the first three tasting notes included in their descriptions. We then color-coded the flavor buckets (see the key in the top right corner) and then organized all 600 coffees into the chart below.
The chart offers a high-level sense of the types of flavor notes and combinations that are dominant across a large sample of single origin coffees. For example, many roasters use single origins to bring out the in-demand bright, berry-like flavor profiles that may not be possible with blends. Coffees from Africa are especially conducive to these bright profiles.
Take stock of how visually dominant yellow, blue, and pink/magenta are across the chart – these are the colors that correspond to the bright/citrus/berry/floral profiles.
On the other end of the spectrum, roast and spice notes are very rare and only are associated with a handful of origins, such as Sumatra. Sumatran coffees are also fairly rare as a single origin offering, usually because they do not possess the intrinsic properties to create the popular bright/citrus/berry/floral profile, even if roasted lightly. Check out our blog post about intrinsic flavor of coffee, and our other data visualization takes here and here on common taste profiles tied to specific origins.
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? …
