A speciality coffee flavour note across London.
Black plum in speciality coffee presents as a deep, slightly tannic fruit sweetness, richer and darker than red plum, with a faint skin-like bitterness at the finish that adds complexity. It sits closer to dried or jammy fruit than fresh, giving the cup a rounded, full-bodied quality. This note is typically associated with natural or anaerobic processing, where extended contact between the cherry fruit and the bean allows fermentation to concentrate darker fruit compounds, and it tends to emerge most clearly at medium to medium-dark roast levels.
Coffees from Ethiopia, particularly from the Yirgacheffe and Sidama regions, often display black plum characteristics when processed using the natural method, where the whole cherry is dried intact. Sumatran and other Indonesian coffees can also carry this note, typically as a result of wet-hulling processing combined with the region's distinctive soil and growing conditions. Yemen is another origin that often produces this darker fruit quality, with centuries-old dry processing traditions contributing to the note's depth and intensity.
On a bag or cafe menu, look for tasting notes that combine black plum with complementary descriptors such as dark chocolate, dried fig, tamarind, or brown sugar, as these tend to appear alongside one another in coffees with this profile. Natural and anaerobic process coffees are the most reliable indicators that a darker fruit note may be present. Brew methods that highlight body and sweetness, such as French press, Moka pot, or a slower pour-over with a lower temperature, tend to draw out black plum characteristics more clearly than faster or cooler extraction methods.
Take our 60-second flavour quiz and discover roasts across London that are aligned with your palate — including ones carrying plum (black) notes.