How to Choose Coffee at Black Bag

Several bags of coffee beans from Black Bag Coffee Club arranged on a white surface with scattered coffee beans in front, and a potted plant in the background.

If you don’t recognize every origin, process, or tasting note, that’s normal.

This guide is here to help you choose with confidence.

A black and gold label for Colombia Finca Villa Betulia Honey Caturra coffee, a list of flavors including black cherry, mango, honey, mint, cardamom, ginger, and lemongrass.

how to read tasting notes

Tasting notes are not ingredients. They’re reference points.
You don’t need to taste “bergamot” to enjoy a coffee described that way.

Three simple ways to read them:

  • Chocolate / nutty → round, familiar, comforting.

  • Fruit-forward → brighter, more lively.

  • Floral / tea-like → lighter, more delicate.

What origin tells you

Origin offers a general sense of style, not a guarantee.
Two coffees from the same country can taste completely different.

Three general truths:

  • Latin America → balance and clarity.

  • East Africa → brightness and fruit.

  • Indonesia → depth and body.

A scenic view of a lush green mountain range during sunset with a colorful sky filled with clouds.

Process refers to how the coffee is prepared after harvest.
It has a strong influence on flavor, often more than origin alone.

Three common processes:

  • Washed → clean, clear, structured.

  • Honey → rounder, sweeter, more expressive.

  • Natural → fruit-forward, fuller, sometimes wild.

Close-up of dark purple and black berries spread out on a mesh surface with a wooden board and blurry background.

What Process Means

You may also see experimental terms like fermented or anaerobic.

These describe controlled techniques used to influence flavor, not spoilage or guesswork. When done well, they can add intensity, aroma, or unusual character. When done poorly, we don’t release them.

If you’re curious, they can be exciting. If you’re not, they’re easy to avoid.

Roast Level

Roast level matters because it changes what you’re tasting.

Lighter roasts retain more of the coffee’s original character. You taste the bean, the process, and where it comes from.

As roasts get darker, the flavor of the roast itself starts to dominate. At a certain point, different coffees begin to taste the same. You’re tasting roast, not origin.

That’s why darker roasts are often used for lower-grade coffees. Roasting darker can hide defects and flatten differences.

There are exceptions, and preference matters. If you enjoy darker roasts, that’s valid.

Close-up of a coffee roasting machine, showing roasted coffee beans inside the roaster, with metal and wooden handles and parts of the machinery visible.

Don’t be afraid to experiment. Taste across styles, processes, and roasts. What surprises you is often what teaches you the most.