I'm sitting here with a lightly roasted Kenyan coffee that smells absolutely divine. The aromatics are stunning—exactly what you'd hope for from a quality African coffee that's been rested for two to three weeks. I've tried it with different grinders, adjusted my recipes, and done everything in my toolkit to bring out its best qualities.

And I don't like it.

There, I said it. Despite the beautiful fragrance, despite the careful roasting, despite my best efforts to dial it in perfectly, this coffee just doesn't do it for me. I'll finish maybe 100-150 grams of it before I move on to something else. And you know what? That's completely okay.

The "Not Special Enough" Problem

Recently, someone bought one of my Brazilian coffees and left a review. Four out of five stars—which honestly is probably where most of my coffee will average, and I'm fine with that. But one phrase stuck with me: "not special enough."

As someone who roasts coffee professionally, my first instinct was to get defensive. But then I realized something crucial: they're absolutely right. For them, it wasn't special enough. And that's their truth, their preference, their palate speaking.

Here's the thing we need to understand about coffee—once a bag leaves a roaster's hands, it becomes the customer's coffee, not ours anymore. It goes through their own protocol, their own ritual, their own sensory experience. They'll judge it through their own preferences, equipment, and expectations. And whatever conclusion they reach is valid.

Coffee Preference Is Personal (And That's the Point)

At the end of the day, we're talking about flavor and preference. That's it. One person's "not special" is another person's perfect cup. It's not a right or wrong situation—it's simply a matter of honest personal taste.

I have my own preferences that might sound contradictory to some coffee purists. I'm a medium to dark roast person who loves sweetness but needs an acidity kick. I'm not particularly fond of natural process coffees or profiles that are all acidity with no character. I like coffees that change as I drink them, from hot to cold. I appreciate clarity, but I don't want to have to pay attention to only the first sip.

Does that make me wrong? No. Does it make someone who loves bright, fruity naturals wrong? Absolutely not. We're all just drinking coffee.

The Brazilian Paradox

Let me tell you about my relationship with Brazilian coffee. To me, it's not the best coffee—but it's the most important coffee in specialty. Why? Because Brazilian coffee, when roasted properly, gives most people their first real introduction to what good coffee can be. It's typically better than what they're used to drinking, point blank.

Brazilian coffees tend to have chocolatey, nutty characteristics that work beautifully in milk drinks. They're approachable, familiar, and comforting. But here's my confession: even though it's one of my best sellers, I can only drink a couple hundred grams of it before I need something else.

Similarly with Colombians—tons of sweetness, generally lacking the acidity I personally crave, though you can find it sometimes. It's a staple of what I offer because people love it, but I don't drink it often. And that's fine! I'm not my customer, and my customer isn't me.

The Power of Honest Self-Assessment

The most powerful thing you can do as a coffee drinker is be honest with yourself about what you like and don't like. When you're truly honest, you remember. You'll remember that purple caturra that absolutely blew your mind three years ago. You'll remember why you loved it, what made it special, and you'll keep that as a reference point.

This honest self-knowledge becomes your compass. When you understand what notes you pick up from different regions, different varietals, different roasters, and how your brewing method affects those qualities, you've unlocked the key to consistently enjoying coffee.

What Coffee Labels Actually Mean (And Don't Mean)

Here's some uncomfortable truth: a lot of coffee labels are, to put it bluntly, bullshit. Mine included. When a bag says "chocolatey, nutty" or "jammy, raspberry," take it as a general indicator, not a guarantee. What you actually taste depends heavily on your grinder, your water, your technique, and yes, your own palate.

That said, these tasting notes do provide useful information. If you know you don't like "chocolatey, nutty" profiles, you can skip those coffees. If "jammy, raspberry" sounds appealing, give it a try. But don't feel like you've failed if you don't taste exactly what's on the label.

Track Your Preferences

Here's my practical advice: if you don't like a coffee, write it down. Ask yourself why you don't like it. Look at the notes on the bag. What did you pick up on? What was missing?

Over time, you'll build a database of your own preferences. You'll start to recognize patterns—maybe you don't like washed Kenyan coffees but love natural Ethiopians. Maybe you prefer medium roasts from Central America but darker roasts from Africa. There's no universal "correct" preference—only yours.

Growth Through Difference

I welcome criticism. I welcome feedback that contradicts my own opinions. Why? Because that's where growth happens. When someone tells me they experienced a coffee differently than I did, it challenges me to think about why. Sometimes I'll try their method. Sometimes I'll just sit with the information and ponder what it means.

The reality is, I'm selfish about growth—I care most about how I develop and learn. But I also hope that by sharing my journey, my honest assessments, and my own struggles with preference, others can benefit too. We're in this together, learning from each other's different perspectives.

The Bottom Line

Not every coffee in specialty coffee is going to be special to you. That's not a failure of the coffee, the roaster, or your palate. It's just reality. I have access to multiple grinders, I roast my own beans, I experiment with water chemistry, and I still regularly encounter coffees I don't particularly enjoy.

The goal isn't to like everything. The goal is to understand why you like what you like. When you know your preferences and the reasons behind them, you're doing coffee right. You're being honest with yourself, exploring intentionally, and making informed choices about what brings you joy in your cup.

So go ahead—judge, enjoy, like, dislike. As long as you're exploring and understanding what you're trying to get out of your coffee for that particular moment, that's all that matters. That's the only thing that matters.

Your taste is valid, your preferences matter, and being honest about them is the most powerful tool in your coffee journey. Now if you'll excuse me, I have about 100 grams of this Kenyan to finish before I move on to something I'll actually enjoy.