Coffee Tasting | The Captivating Floral Aromas in Coffee - Can You Identify Them?

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Most coffee enthusiasts know that the majority of specialty coffees contain floral aromas. However, coffee aromas are so complex, and there are so many types of floral scents—how do you determine whether a coffee has floral notes and what type of floral aroma it belongs to?

Therefore, it's necessary to share with everyone the knowledge I learned from communicating with coffee teachers who have many years of experience in the industry. This is merely meant to spark further discussion.

First, let's look at the coffee flavor wheel

Three types of flowers are mentioned here: chamomile, rose, and jasmine.

Actually, these three flowers should be understood as representing three categories of floral scent profiles, rather than necessarily being these three specific floral aromas.

1. Chamomile — Mellow floral type

With a slightly pungent aroma that can feel intense at first, other representative floral scents include osmanthus.

Osmanthus aroma is particularly prominent in Guatemala Balsa.

2. Rose — Subtle floral type

Creating a calming and soothing sensation, other representative floral scents include lavender.

Natural processed Sidamo Flower Queen is most prominent for its tea-like floral aroma.

3. Jasmine — Fresh floral type

With an uplifting and vibrant aroma, other representative floral scents include coffee flowers. There are quite many coffees with this type of floral profile.

Panama's Blue Label Geisha, FrontStreet Coffee's Flower Butterfly, and Geisha Village Geisha all belong to the jasmine floral type.

Panama La Esmeralda Red Label Geisha possesses both jasmine and rose floral aromas.

Panama Hartmann—Red Wine processing method has a strong coffee flower aroma.

How to distinguish floral aromas in coffee

Now that we understand different types of floral aromas, let's focus on how to distinguish floral notes in coffee. After all, coffee aromas are very complex, and floral scents hidden among other coffee aromas are not easy to identify. However, the method we're using today isn't about so-called orthonasal or retronasal perception, but rather the frontal sinus! Simply put, it's about the sensation in your forehead. By identifying how your frontal sinus feels combined with the aroma you perceive, you can more easily determine whether a coffee has floral notes and, if so, which category they belong to.

This theory is based on years of experience summarized by teachers and has been personally verified by me, so its credibility is quite high. As shown in the image above, when we smell aromas, aroma molecules fill the sinuses within the nasal cavity. The sinuses also contain olfactory receptor cells, which explains why some people feel dizzy when smelling certain aromas. We can leverage this natural ability to distinguish floral aromas!

First, let's look at the mellow floral type. When this type of floral aroma enters the nasal cavity, it first gathers in the frontal sinus, then moves toward the top of your head. If you detect a similar floral aroma in your coffee and feel a full sensation in your head, you can basically confirm it's a mellow floral type.

Next is the subtle floral type. This type of floral aroma gathers in your frontal sinus after entering the nasal cavity, creating a full sensation that makes your brow slightly tense. Too much exposure can make you feel dizzy. It only accumulates in the forehead area and doesn't spread elsewhere.

Finally, the fresh floral type rushes into the frontal sinus and then disperses, making you feel refreshed. It doesn't accumulate anywhere, so its duration isn't very long. Coffees with fresh floral aromas are usually accompanied by excellent fruit aromas as well.

Of course, everyone has their own way of judging coffee—this is just my personal method. There's also another category of floral aromas that doesn't fall into the above three types, but rather resembles small wildflowers, so everyone should pay attention to distinguishing them! Coffee sensory training is long-term and extensive. Only through continuous practice and memory building, forming your own taste memory bank, can you properly appreciate coffee.

Additionally, I should mention that floral aromas are mostly found in light to medium roast coffees and gradually dissipate over time. In coffee brewing, floral aromas are more easily detected in the wet aroma, especially at medium to low temperatures. Everyone can try to pay more attention to these aspects when tasting coffee based on the content above. I believe you'll definitely be able to capture those floral notes!

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473