How to Choose Coffee Beans Based on Your Taste

Choosing coffee can feel unnecessarily complicated.

Light roast. Medium roast. Dark roast. Single origin. Chocolate notes. Fruity notes. Different countries. Different processes.

Where do you even begin?

Here’s our advice:

Start with flavors you already enjoy.

If You Like Chocolate, Caramel & Nuts…

Look for coffee with tasting notes like chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, and nuts.

These profiles often feel familiar, rich, and comforting—especially if you typically add milk to your coffee or enjoy espresso.

Brazilian and some Central American coffees can be great places to explore these profiles.

If You Like Something Bright & Fruity…

Look for tasting notes mentioning citrus, berries, apple, stone fruit, or tropical fruit.

These coffees can feel brighter and more vibrant, particularly when enjoyed black or prepared as pour-over coffee.

If You Want Something Balanced…

This is where many coffee drinkers should start.

Look for medium roast coffee with a combination of sweetness, acidity, and body.

Balanced coffees are incredibly versatile. You can brew them as drip coffee, pour-over, espresso, French press, or even over ice.

Don’t Be Afraid of Tasting Notes

Remember: when a bag says “honey,” “chocolate,” or “apple,” those ingredients haven’t necessarily been added to the coffee.

Coffee tasting notes describe flavors and aromas people naturally perceive in the bean.

Think of them as a roadmap rather than a promise.

You might taste exactly what the bag describes.

Or you might discover something completely different.

That’s half the fun.

At Don Eugenio Café, our collection explores coffee from across Latin America, giving you the opportunity to discover how dramatically flavor can change from one origin to another.

Your perfect coffee isn’t necessarily the one with the highest rating.

It’s the one you want to brew again tomorrow.