A speciality coffee flavour note across London.
Raw almond in the cup presents as a dry, slightly bitter nuttiness with a pale, floury quality that sits towards the back of the palate. It differs from roasted almond in that it lacks caramelised sweetness, instead carrying a mild astringency and a clean, starchy character reminiscent of blanched almonds or marzipan without the sugar. This note tends to emerge from naturally occurring compounds such as benzaldehyde and certain amino acids, and is most commonly associated with lighter roast profiles where delicate bean chemistry is preserved rather than driven towards darker, more developed flavours.
Coffees from Central America, particularly those from Guatemala and Honduras, often carry this raw almond quality, typically as part of a broader nut-forward flavour profile. Washed processing tends to highlight it most clearly, as the removal of the fruit layer allows the inherent character of the bean to come forward without competing sweetness or fermentation notes. Certain Ethiopian washed coffees, particularly those from higher-altitude growing regions, can also present a subtle raw almond quality alongside their more commonly noted floral and citrus characteristics.
On a bag or cafe menu, look for tasting notes that include almond, marzipan, hazelnut, or blanched nuts alongside descriptors such as clean, delicate, or tea-like, as these often signal a similar flavour family. Washed or wet-processed coffees at lighter roast levels are the most reliable places to encounter this note. Brew methods that emphasise clarity, such as pour-over or Chemex, tend to allow raw almond to register more distinctly than immersion or espresso preparation, where other flavours may overshadow it.
Take our 60-second flavour quiz and discover roasts across London that are aligned with your palate — including ones carrying almond (raw) notes.