“Have you ever come across this situation at a wine, coffee, or whisky tasting when someone suddenly says, ‘Ah, I taste raspberry and elderflower.’ Or when another person talks about getting notes of orange, pomegranate, and strawberry but all you taste is COFFEE?

So what went wrong? Why weren’t you able to identify that flavour or that fruit note when you have been consuming it all your life? I can tell you now that you are not alone and your experience is common. Those coffees truly tasted like coffee. It is just that your tasting skill has not yet been developed and your ability to explain what you have tasted or experienced is not yet structured properly.

Don’t feel feel frustrated. It is completely normal. It happened to me when I first started working in coffee. In fact, it is really easy to develop your own personal sensory tasting awareness. I am here to assist you.”

– Freda Yuan, Sip ‘n’ Slurp: A Guide To Expert Coffee Tasting