Greetings, brave brewers and flavor-seeking adventurers! Whether you’re sipping our Necromancer in a dark wizard’s tower or brewing a gentle cup of Monk under the morning sun, you’ve likely noticed something curious in our coffee descriptions: words like "cherry," "chocolate," or "floral" referring to the tasting notes.

And then someone asks the age-old question:
“So... do you add chocolate to this?”

Today, we cast Identify on this common confusion and break down the difference between tasting notes and flavored coffee. One is born of the bean and the roast, the natural alchemy of time, temperature, and environment. The other? A secret ingredient, added to the brew.

Now, let’s venture deeper into this magical divide.

What Are Tasting Notes?

Tasting notes are the natural flavors that emerge from a coffee bean during roasting and brewing. Much like how fine wines or artisan cheeses can boast complex flavor profiles, coffee beans, especially high-quality Arabica, carry subtle and often surprising notes based on where and how they were grown, processed, and roasted.

Tasting notes are not ingredients. They’re experiences that your senses pick up on, like clues to a greater flavor mystery. No cherry syrup, no cocoa powder, no cinnamon is added to any of our brews (except Oathbreaker), just the magical result of nature and roasting.

Common Tasting Notes You Might Encounter:

- Fruity: blueberry, citrus, cherry

- Sweet: caramel, honey, molasses

- Nutty: almond, hazelnut

- Floral: jasmine, rose

- Earthy: tobacco, cedar, mushroom

- Spicy: cinnamon, clove, pepper

Each of these flavors is a whisper of the bean’s origin. A single-origin Peruvian roast like our Paladin might sing with notes of apple and caramel, while a Colombian roast could lean toward rich chocolate.

How Do Tasting Notes Get There?

Tasting notes are shaped by many powerful forces, none of which involve added ingredients. Here are the big ones:

1. Origin & Terroir (The Environment)

Just like a vineyard’s grapes, coffee beans are deeply influenced by their environment:

- Soil composition

- Altitude

- Climate and rainfall

- Nearby flora

Beans grown in the misty highlands of Ethiopia will taste wildly different from those grown in the volcanic soil of Guatemala.

2. Processing Method

After coffee cherries are harvested, the beans must be separated, dried, and cleaned. This process affects the final flavor.

- Washed (wet-processed): Clean, bright, acidic

- Natural (dry-processed): Fruity, sweet, sometimes wild

- Honey (semi-washed): Balanced, sweet, creamy

3. Roasting Style

As roasters, we conjure the final flavor from the raw bean. The length and temperature of the roast affect what tasting notes are amplified or diminished.

- Light roasts retain more of the origin’s bright, fruity, or floral notes.

- Medium roasts like our Paladin roast strike a balance between natural origin flavor and roast character.

- Dark roasts like Necromancer often highlight chocolate, smoke, and spice.

So Then… What Is Flavored Coffee?

Flavored coffee, on the other hand, involves adding ingredients, either natural or artificial, to roasted coffee beans to give them a specific taste profile. This is common with seasonal coffees (such as vanilla hazelnut, pumpkin spice, peppermint mocha) or novelty blends.

This is usually done by:

- Coating beans in flavored oils after roasting

- Blending ground coffee with powdered flavor additives

Flavored coffee is fun and festive, but it’s a completely different genre of coffee alchemy. While it can be delightful (especially around the winter solstice), it’s not the same as the natural notes that emerge from a pure roast.

At Dragon Roast Coffee, we offer a seasonal flavored coffee in the form of Oathbreaker. This take on the Paladin Roast involves adding apple-pie flavored oil to the beans so they take on a sour apple and apple pie flavoring. Oathbreaker takes the natural apple notes of Paladin and alters them with a more potent apple flavoring, a natural twist on the previously righteous roast.

Why Do Tasting Notes Sound So Specific?

We get it. When a bag of beans says “notes of chocolate, raspberry, and lilac,” it might sound like a potion recipe rather than a roast description.

But tasting notes aren’t meant to be literal. They’re sensory metaphors. Think of them like a bard describing the vibe of a tavern: they capture the essence, not the ingredients.

And here’s the cool part: everyone’s palate is different. One adventurer might taste tart cherry, while another picks up sweet plum or dark chocolate. All are valid and natural ways to experience the flavors of coffee.

How to Taste Coffee Like a Lorekeeper

Want to start decoding your own tasting notes? Here’s how to tune your senses:

1. Start with Fresh Beans – Whole bean, recently roasted, and properly stored (psst… we sell Airscape canisters for this exact reason).

2. Use the Right Brew Method – Pour over, French press, or espresso will all bring out different aspects of the roast.

3. Smell First – Inhale deeply before sipping. Your nose will catch the high notes before your tongue does.

4. Let It Cool a Bit – The flavor opens up as it cools slightly.

5. Slurp (Yes, Slurp) – Aerating the coffee helps cover your tongue and highlight subtle flavors.

6. Describe What You Taste – Don’t stress about being “right.” Are you getting toasted almond? Stone fruit? Maple? Excellent! Trust your senses.

The Final Sip: Know Your Notes

Understanding the difference between tasting notes and flavoring helps you appreciate your coffee on a deeper level, like a mage who finally understands the theory behind their spells. It’s not about added flavors or tricks. It’s about unlocking the story each bean already has to tell.

At Dragon Roast Coffee, we’re proud to craft roasts that let those stories shine. From the berry-bright shimmer of Druid to the shadowy chocolate of Necromancer, every roast reflects its origin, roast profile, and the care we put into every batch.

So next time you read “notes of citrus and caramel,” know that’s not something we added. Those with allergies to citrus, apple, or caramel can safely enjoy our coffees without fear. We only reveal the natural flavors of the bean so you can experience them in full.

Now grab your favorite mug, draw a card from the flavor deck, and taste the magic.