Can coffee taste nutty? As a general rule, coffee can most certainly have a nutty flavor which is the direct result of how it is roasted. Nutty flavor is generally considered a good thing. “Good” nutty flavors might include a hint of almonds, chestnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, walnut, cashew, or pecans. “Bad” nutty flavors would be a bitter, peanut-like taste.
Where are the nutty taste come from?
Coffee is prized for its depth and complexity of flavor, so no origin will fall entirely into one segment of the flavor wheel. That said, South American coffees are generally renowned for having nutty, toffee flavors, and coffees from Indonesia tend to be rich and spicy. But since some nutty flavor (e.g. dark chocolate, cinnamon, etc.) will have it’s bitter side, most coffee drinker still believe that nutty taste equal to bitterness. Coffee with stronger body, longer aftertaste will also add marks to a nutty coffee.
So that’s what roasting plays a role. Unroasted beans are not nutty taste at all, indeed very grassy. As a general rule, a lightly roasted coffee will retain more of its fruity acidity, a medium roast brings out the sweeter flavors, while a dark roast tends to bring out more of the bitterness. When closer and closer to second crack, most coffee taste quite similar because the bitterless level keep increasing.
What flavors fall under Nutty taste?
These are the definition of nutty on SCA Flavor Wheel.
- Cocoa – A brown, sweet, dusty, musty, often bitter aromatic associated with cocoa bean, powdered cocoa and chocolate bars.
- Chocolate – A blend of cocoa, including cocoa butter and dark roast aromatics at varying intensities.
- Dark chocolate – A high-intensity blend of cocoa and cocoa butter that may include dark roast, spicy, burnt, and musty notes with increased astringency and bitterness.
- Almond – A sweet, light brown, woody, and buttery aromatic with floral and fruity notes that may include rose, cherry, and apricot. It is also astringent and may be slightly smoky.
- Hazelnut – A woody, brown, sweet, musty/earthy, slightly cedar aromatic. May include floral, beany, oily, astringent, and bitter flavor notes.
- Peanuts – A sweet, light brown, oily, somewhat musty/dusty, beany aromatic that may be slightly astringent.
Where to find nutty coffee?
Brazil is definitely an ever-green nutty coffee. Nicaragua has a classic cup profile of the Central America area, having a rounded body with a gently acidity, coupled with sweet chocolate and almond flavors. Washed coffee from El Salvador is well-balanced with a creamy body, it’s packed with deep, chocolatey flavors and has a sweet caramel finish. Also coffee from the Oceania islands (e.g. Sumatra, Java, Flores, etc. of Indonesia), Burundi are also very good nutty coffee.