Coffee Does Not Taste Like Fruit — Coffee Contains Fruit
One of the most misunderstood statements in coffee is this:
provocative Taste Palate by Alfred Gitau Mwaura
“This coffee tastes like mango, berries, or spice.”
To many people, that sounds like imagination, exaggeration, or personal opinion.
But here’s the truth:
By Kenya Coffee School & Barista Mtaani
Coffee does not taste like fruit. Coffee is a fruit — and the tastes are already inside it.
The coffee bean is the seed of a cherry. Everything we perceive in the cup originates from real chemical compounds formed in the fruit, the seed, fermentation, drying, roasting, and brewing. Nothing is added. Nothing is imagined.
Coffee Is Not Subjective — Coffee Is Objective
People often say: “Taste is subjective.”
That statement is convenient — but incomplete.
Subjective means biased.
Coffee quality is not biased.
Coffee is evaluated through:
- Chemistry
- Sensory science
- Calibrated human perception
- Reproducible standards
This is why professional cupping protocols exist. This is why trained tasters independently arrive at similar descriptions and scores for the same coffee.
The coffee does not change. The taster does.
You Cannot Describe a Fruit You Have Never Tasted
Here’s a simple truth that makes people uncomfortable:
You cannot describe what you have never experienced.
If someone has never tasted:
- Blackcurrant
- Stone fruit
- Cardamom
- Citrus zest
Then those references will feel imaginary — not because they are false, but because the sensory memory does not exist.
Coffee tasting is not guessing.
It is recognition.
Smell vs Perception vs Recognition
Let’s break this down.
How many smells can you perceive?
Science suggests humans can perceive trillions of odor combinations.
How many smells can you recognize?
Very few — limited by:
- Exposure
- Training
- Memory
- Language
How many smells can you name?
Even fewer.
This gap is why people say:
“I smell something… but I don’t know what it is.”
That does not make the aroma subjective.
It means the vocabulary and memory are underdeveloped.
Name One Truly Subjective Recognition
Try this exercise:
Name one aroma that is purely subjective —
One that no other trained taster can agree on.
You will struggle.
Why?
Because aromas are chemical realities.
Recognition varies, but the compounds remain constant.
Your Tongue Is Not a Judge — It Is an Instrument
Your tongue does not decide quality.
It detects:
- Sweetness
- Acidity
- Bitterness
- Saltiness
- Umami
That’s it.
Flavor lives mostly in the nose, memory, and brain.
So when someone says:
“I don’t taste that.”
What they are really saying is:
“My sensory database is still small.”
That’s not an insult.
It’s a starting point.
What the Coffee Industry Actually Sells
We like to say we sell:
- Taste
- Aroma
- Fragrance
But that’s only half the story.
We sell recognition.
We sell value as perceived by the buyer.
A buyer pays for what they can:
- Recognize
- Trust
- Reproduce
- Explain to their market
This is why training, calibration, and shared language matter more than personal preference.
The Final Truth
Coffee is not imagination.
Coffee is not opinion.
Coffee is not “vibes.”
Coffee is chemistry interpreted through trained human senses.
The more you taste,
the more you recognize.
And recognition — not subjectivity —
is where real coffee value lives.
— Kenya Coffee School Editorial Desk
Building calibrated palates, shared language, and real value in coffee.