Flavor Profile Scale
Taste notes on the front of a coffee bag can easily be misinterpreted though directionally, they should help narrow your search toward the best coffee you might enjoy. Taste notes don’t always tell you everything about a coffee or just relying on roast level information, which is why we created a 4-part scale describing a coffee’s flavor profile in more generalized buckets. Our classic to modern scale should give you one more piece of information on what you might expect when purchasing a coffee. These descriptors are meant to describe the coffee-drinking experience, not just notes we get when evaluating samples.
Coffees marked Classic tend to have less acidity and hit on more mild taste notes like chocolate, nuttiness, and some red or dark fruits. These coffees are great across many brewing methods, work well as a classic Italian espresso, and can cut through milk for those who enjoy milk-based drinks. In contrast, on the opposite side of the scale, one-of-a-kind taste notes will be present, driven by unique varietals, processing methods, and the utmost passion and craftsmanship from harvest to roast. Modern coffees are often roasted toward the lightest end of our roast scale to highlight full-origin characteristics. These coffees work best using a drip method or as a higher ratio espresso.
The Profiles
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Classic
Classic Flavor ProfileThose looking for approachable flavor profiles with muted acidity tend to appreciate coffees in this category. All coffees in Classic are roasted to a Medium - Specialty Dark range and are explicitly sourced to hit notes of chocolate, nutty, with mild red or dark fruit acidity.
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Balanced
Balanced Flavor ProfileThe balanced range has a bit more acidity than the Classic flavor profile, and while red or dark fruit notes are likely to be present, we also have coffees leaning in with bright citrus acidity and florals.
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Adventurous
Adventurous Flavor ProfileThe adventurous range is for those unafraid of acidity and eager to taste coffees roasted a bit lighter to help highlight the producer's and region’s complete range of origin characteristics and processing influence. Expect coffees in this range to be roasted from Very Light to Medium with bright acidity, notes of floral, and even tropical fruit notes.
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Modern
Modern Flavor ProfileThe unique flavors present in the Modern profile are driven by one-of-a-kind processing methods, rare varietals, with careful and intentional influence from the producer through every step of harvesting. These coffees are world class, the pinnacle of the taste horizon where anything is possible.
How to read the chart
Each profile bucket contains the coffees on our menu that are best represented by that flavor profile definition
- Profiles toward the top right of the scale (Adventurous and Modern) tend to have brighter acidity with more origin characteristics present
- Profiles toward the bottom left of the scale will have less acidity and tend to be roasted more toward the medium to specialty dark range.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Coffee Bros. flavor profile scale?
The flavor profile scale is a 4-part system ranging from Classic to Modern that describes a coffee's overall drinking experience in generalized terms. It was created to give shoppers more context beyond taste notes and roast level alone.
What are the four flavor profiles on the scale?
The four profiles are Classic, Balanced, Adventurous, and Modern, moving from muted acidity and chocolatey or nutty notes on the Classic end to bright acidity, florals, and unique processing-driven flavors on the Modern end.
What does a Classic flavor profile taste like?
Classic coffees are roasted in the Medium to Specialty Dark range and are sourced to highlight notes of chocolate and nuttiness with mild red or dark fruit acidity. They are approachable, work well across many brewing methods, and cut through milk easily.
How does acidity differ across the four profiles?
Acidity increases as you move from Classic toward Modern on the scale. Classic coffees have the most muted acidity, while Adventurous and Modern coffees have the brightest acidity with the most origin characteristics present.
Are the flavor notes on Coffee Bros. bags added to the coffee?
No, the flavor notes are naturally inherent to the bean and are shaped by the coffee's origin, varietal, processing method, and roast level.
Which brewing methods work best for each end of the scale?
Classic coffees work well across many brewing methods and as a traditional espresso, while Modern coffees are best suited to drip brewing or as a higher-ratio espresso to highlight their full range of flavors.
What makes a coffee fall into the Modern profile?
Modern coffees feature one-of-a-kind flavors driven by rare varietals, unique processing methods, and intentional craftsmanship from harvest through roast. They represent the highest expression of origin characteristics and are considered world-class cups.
Coffee Education
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What is Specialty Coffee
Specialty coffee: a multipurpose term that defines an industry Introduction Specialty coffee has become a term representing more than the difference between commodity-grade coffee and higher-end lots. In our view,...
What is Specialty Coffee
Specialty coffee: a multipurpose term that defines an industry Introduction Specialty coffee has become a term representing more than the difference between commodity-grade coffee and higher-end lots. In our view,...
