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Flavor
Aroma and Taste come together in the cup to form our overall impression of flavor. Flavor is comprised of all that is distinctive about a particular coffee varietal or blend. Acidity, aroma, and body are all components of flavor but even together they do not adequately define a particular cup of brew. All of these balanced together are what will create your perception of flavor. Below is a list of terminology used in the coffee industry to help identify flavor.

Fragrance & Aroma
What you detect in the dry, and wet, roasted and ground coffee is to a large extent what will be present in the flavor of the brew. Fragrance is what we capture when sniffing dry roasted coffee. If a cup of coffee has a flavor characteristic with deep, low notes such as chocolate or nuts it will reveal itself here in the fragrance. Once roasted and ground coffee has been infused with hot water it releases what we refer to as the aroma. If a particular coffee has a winey, or citrus, or bright flavor characteristic it can first be detected in its damp aroma. These high notes are often synonymous with the presence of acidity. The object is to make the connection between a coffee's fragrance and aroma and it's flavor in the cup. The fragrance and aroma are often subtle but once you develop a "coffee vocabulary" it becomes easier to distinguish the flavors in the cup. If a chosen coffee fills your nose with a particular sensation and intensity, it will likely mirror itself in the cup.

Finish
Finish describes the presence of coffee once it has been swallowed. The presence of body in coffee will usually mean a lingering finish. A light-bodied coffee such as a Mexican Chiapas will have a clean finish; meaning its flavor disappears shortly after drinking. A coffee with a strong, lingering finish is well-suited to go with rich deserts. They also do well for those who like to add milk to their brew. How intense the flavor is within the finish is different with each coffee. Just because a coffee is light-bodied does not mean the finish will not be pronounced. It simply indicates the flavor will probably fade quickly.

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