How to Keep a Coffee Tasting Journal
Share
You loved a coffee three months ago, and now you cannot remember its name, how you brewed it or why it was so good. A coffee tasting journal fixes that. Learning how to keep a coffee tasting journal is simple: after each new coffee, write down what it was, how you brewed it and what you tasted, using the same few headings every time. After a dozen entries you will start seeing patterns: the origins, roasts and brew settings you actually prefer.
Below you will find a ready-to-copy template, a filled-in example, a simple scoring system and tips to keep the habit going.
Key takeaways
- Record the same core details every time: coffee, roast date, brew method, recipe and tasting notes.
- Judge four things in every cup: aroma, acidity, sweetness and body, then add the flavors you notice.
- Use a simple 1–5 scale for each attribute and an overall score; consistency matters more than precision.
- Review your journal once a month to spot what you like and what to buy next.
In this article
- Why keep a coffee journal?
- How to keep a coffee tasting journal: the template
- A filled-in example
- How to taste for your entries
- Paper or digital?
- Turning notes into better coffee
- FAQ
Why keep a coffee journal?
- You remember your favorites. No more guessing which bag you loved.
- You brew better. Writing down grind, ratio and time lets you repeat a great cup and fix a bad one.
- Your palate improves. Putting flavors into words forces you to pay attention, and that attention builds skill over time.
- You buy smarter. Patterns appear: maybe you always score washed Central American coffees higher, or always prefer medium over dark.
How to keep a coffee tasting journal: the template
Copy these headings into a notebook or a notes app. Fill in one entry per coffee, or one per brew if you are dialing in.
| Section | What to write | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Date | The day you brewed | Lets you track freshness and change over time |
| Coffee | Name, roaster, origin or blend | So you can buy it again |
| Details from the bag | Roast level, process, variety, roaster’s tasting notes | To compare your impressions with the label |
| Roast date | From the bag | Coffee changes over the weeks after roasting |
| Brew method | French press, pour-over, espresso, moka pot, AeroPress, cold brew | The same coffee tastes different by method |
| Recipe | Coffee weight, water weight, grind setting, water temperature, time | So you can repeat or adjust |
| Aroma | Dry grounds and brewed coffee | First clue to flavor |
| Acidity (1–5) | Brightness, from flat to sparkling | One of the biggest differences between coffees |
| Sweetness (1–5) | From none to very sweet | A sign of good coffee and good extraction |
| Body (1–5) | From light and tea-like to heavy and syrupy | How the coffee feels in your mouth |
| Flavors | Two to four words: chocolate, citrus, berry, nut, caramel, floral, spice | The fun part, and what you will remember |
| Finish | Short or long, clean or bitter | Separates good from great |
| With milk? | How it changed with milk or sugar | Useful if you drink lattes |
| Overall (1–5) | Your personal enjoyment score | The number you will sort by later |
| Next time | One change to try | Turns notes into action |
A filled-in example
Here is what a real entry might look like for a home pour-over:
- Date: Saturday, week 2 after roast
- Coffee: a washed Colombian single origin, medium roast
- Roaster’s notes: dried orange, berry, chocolate
- Brew: V60, 15 g coffee, 250 g water at about 200°F (93°C), medium-fine grind, 3:00 total
- Aroma: cocoa and something like orange peel
- Acidity: 3 – lively but not sharp
- Sweetness: 4 – brown sugar as it cooled
- Body: 3 – medium, smooth
- Flavors: milk chocolate, orange, a hint of red berry
- Finish: clean, medium length
- Overall: 4
- Next time: try 16 g for a little more body
Notice the entry is short. You do not need to write an essay. Ten lines are enough to be useful months later.
How to taste for your entries
- Smell first. Sniff the dry grounds, then the brewed coffee. Write the first word that comes to mind.
- Taste hot, warm and cool. Many flavors only appear as coffee cools. Take notes at least twice.
- Slurp. A quick, noisy slurp spreads coffee across your tongue and carries aroma to your nose. It is what professional cuppers do.
- Ask simple questions. Is it bright or flat? Sweet or dry? Light or heavy? Fruity, nutty or chocolatey?
- Use a vocabulary aid. The coffee flavor wheel helps when you know there is a flavor but cannot name it.
- Compare when you can. Tasting two coffees side by side makes differences obvious. Our guide to coffee cupping shows the professional method.
A quick scoring guide
| Score | Acidity | Sweetness | Body |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flat | None, dry | Watery, very light |
| 2 | Soft | Slight | Light, tea-like |
| 3 | Lively | Clearly sweet | Medium, smooth |
| 4 | Bright | Very sweet | Full, creamy |
| 5 | Sparkling, juicy | Syrupy, dessert-like | Heavy, syrupy |
Remember that a high number is not always better. Many people prefer a 2 on acidity and a 5 on body. The scale describes the coffee; your overall score says whether you liked it.
Paper or digital?
| Paper notebook | Notes app or spreadsheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Slowing down, the ritual of writing | Searching, sorting and long-term tracking |
| Extras | Tape in the bag label or a photo | Add photos of the bag, sort by score or origin |
| Downside | Harder to search | Easy to skip details when typing fast |
A good compromise: jot notes on paper next to your brewer, then copy the key fields into a spreadsheet once a week.
Turning notes into better coffee
Once a month, read back through your entries and answer three questions:
- Which coffees scored 4 or 5 overall? Look at what they share: origin, process, roast level, brew method.
- Which recipes worked best? Adopt them as your default.
- What have you never tried? Pick one new origin or roast for next month.
You can also use the journal for a fun blind test with friends. Our article on the lady tasting tea and blind coffee tasting shows how to set one up fairly.
Coffees to start your journal
The easiest way to build a useful journal is to taste very different coffees close together. Our Best Sellers Sample Pack gives you six coffees in 2 oz bags, from smooth to bold, perfect for six entries. Then compare a bright single origin like Kenya Nyeri with a deep, syrupy Sumatra Aceh to feel the full range of acidity and body. Every bag is roasted 1–5 days before delivery, so you can note a fresh roast date in your first entry.
Coffee journal FAQ
What should I write in a coffee journal?
The coffee’s name and origin, roast date, brew method and recipe, then aroma, acidity, sweetness, body, flavors, finish and an overall score.
How often should I make an entry?
At least once for every new coffee. If you are dialing in a recipe, write a short entry for each change.
I cannot taste the notes on the bag. Am I doing it wrong?
No. Tasting notes describe hints, not added flavors, and everyone’s palate is different. Write what you taste. Your vocabulary will grow with practice.
Do I need special equipment?
No, though a coffee scale makes your recipe notes much more useful.
Last updated October 2026.
Keep reading: Host a coffee tasting party · How to read a coffee label · Single origins