A speciality coffee flavour note across London.
Cognac and brandy notes in speciality coffee present as a warm, rounded sweetness with a distinctly boozy, oak-tinged depth, often accompanied by dried fruit and a gentle burn on the finish. The sensation is more about richness and complexity than sharpness, sitting somewhere between ripe stonefruit and aged wood. These notes typically arise from the interaction of natural fermentation sugars, elevated lipid content in the bean, and a medium to medium-dark roast that coaxes out caramelised, spirit-like compounds without tipping into bitterness.
Coffees from Ethiopia, particularly those processed using natural or anaerobic methods, often carry this character due to the extended contact between the bean and fermenting fruit sugars. Wet-hulled Sumatran coffees can also produce similar spirit-forward warmth, typically alongside earthy and herbal undertones. Central American coffees, particularly from Guatemala or Honduras, sometimes express brandy-adjacent qualities when subjected to experimental fermentation processing, where controlled yeast activity encourages the development of complex, alcohol-reminiscent flavour compounds.
On a bag or cafe menu, look for tasting notes that include words such as dried fruit, oak, dark cherry, fermented sweetness, or stone fruit alongside references to natural, anaerobic, or extended fermentation processing methods. These flavours tend to express themselves most clearly in brew methods that preserve body and sweetness, such as French press, espresso, or AeroPress prepared with a longer steep time. Lighter, faster brewing methods like a fine-grind filter may dilute the depth needed for these notes to register fully.
Take our 60-second flavour quiz and discover roasts across London that are aligned with your palate — including ones carrying cognac/brandy notes.