A speciality coffee flavour note across London.
Tahini as a coffee flavour note describes a smooth, slightly bitter nuttiness with an underlying richness that recalls sesame paste rather than roasted nuts. It tends to sit in the mid-palate with a creamy, almost oily texture, and carries a mild earthiness that lingers into the finish. This character is typically associated with the presence of certain amino acids and lipid compounds that develop during medium to medium-dark roasting, often in coffees with naturally dense, high-fat bean structures.
Coffees from Ethiopia and Yemen often exhibit tahini-like qualities, particularly when processed using natural or anaerobic methods that allow extended contact between the bean and its fruit, encouraging deeper, more complex fat-soluble compounds to develop. Washed coffees from parts of the Middle East and East Africa can also produce this note, though typically at a subtler level. Robusta-influenced blends sometimes carry a comparable sesame-like bitterness, though in speciality coffee the note is more often found in single-origin Arabica with good density and a moderate roast.
On a bag or cafe menu, look for tasting notes that include sesame, nut butter, halva, or earthy nuttiness alongside descriptors such as creamy body or rounded bitterness, as these tend to signal a similar flavour profile. Natural and anaerobic process coffees are worth seeking out if this note appeals to you. Brew methods that preserve body and reduce brightness, such as French press, Moka pot, or a slower pour-over using a metal filter, generally allow the tahini-like richness to express itself more clearly than methods that produce a lighter, cleaner cup.
Take our 60-second flavour quiz and discover roasts across London that are aligned with your palate — including ones carrying tahini notes.