The Guide to Describing Taste

To help everyone talk about taste the same way, Mosaic Flavors has developed several categories of taste terms to keep projects moving.

SWEET | FRUITY | CONFECTIONERY

Candy Like – Cooked sugar, cotton candy, caramelized
Jammy – Ripe, preserved fruit, sticky sweet
Citrus – Lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, juice or zest
Tangy – Mouthwatering, sharp
Tart – Sour, puckering, clean acid
Vanilla – Creamy, floral, warm
Honey – Syrupy, floral, sweet
Berry – Mixed berries, sweet tart, red fruit
Tropical – Pineapple, guava, mango, passionfruit
Melon – Juicy, watery, cantaloupe, honeydew
Stone Fruit – Peach, apricot, nectar, fuzzy
Apple – Crisp, fresh, red/green apple
Pear – Juicy, floral, subtly sweet
Grape – Concord, juicy, candy like
Lychee – Floral, juicy, perfume like
Fig – Syrupy, earthy sweet, jammy
Date – Dark fruit, rich caramel, molasses
Coconut – Creamy, fatty, toasted, or fresh
Marshmallow – Fluffy, vanilla sweet, powdery
Caramel – Toasted sugar, buttery, warm
Toffee – Browned butter, rich, caramel, nutty
Butterscotch – Creamy, sweet, brown sugar
Molasses – Deep, bittersweet, mineral rich
Maple – Earthy sweet, woody, syrupy
Brown Sugar – Toasted, slightly molasses, warm

BAKERY | NUTTY | DAIRY

Buttery – Rich, creamy, fatty
Creamy – Smooth, lactic, round
Milky – Fresh dairy, clean lactic
Yogurty – Tart lactic acid, cultured
Cheesy – Aged, salty, umami, sharp or mild, pungent
Nutty – Roasted, almond, peanut, walnut, earthy, woody
Hazelnut – Sweet, rich, roasted
Pistachio – Earthy, green, slightly sweet
Oatmeal – Grainy, creamy, nutty
Wheaty – Toasted grain, cereal
Malt Like – Sweet grain, cereal milk, toasted
Bready – Yeasty, toasted, crusty
Doughy – Raw, uncooked flour, chalky
Pastry Like – Buttery, flaky, baked
Cakey – Soft, sweet, vanilla
Custard – Eggy, creamy, sweet
Whipped Cream – Airy, milky, vanilla
Condensed Milk – Sweet, thick, cooked dairy

SPICY | WARMING | ZESTY

Warm Spice – Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg
Cinnamon – Sweet spice, woody, hot
Nutmeg – Earthy, warm, slightly nutty
Clove – Intense, numbing, aromatic
Ginger – Sharp, peppery, citrusy
Allspice – Clove like, warm, sweet spicy
Peppery – Sharp, hot, black peppercorn
Chili Heat – Capsaicin warmth, spicy
Herbaceous – Green herbs, basil, oregano
Piquant – Bright, sharp, acidic spicy
Zesty – Citrus rind, tangy, lively
Curry Like – Turmeric, cumin, blended spice

SAVORY | UMAMI | EARTHY

Umami – Mouth coating, savory, glutamate rich
Brothy – Meaty, rich, stock like, fatty, savory
Gravy – Deep meat notes, salted fat
Roasted – Dark cooked, browned, caramelized
Smoky – Burned wood, hickory, mesquite
Charred – Blackened, fire grilled, carbon
Soy Like – Fermented, salty, umami, beany, green
Miso – Savory, fermented, bean based
Earthy – Rooty, soil like, damp forest
Mushroom – Savory, earthy, slightly musty
Truffle – Funky, rich, deep forest umami
Lactic – Fermented milk, tangy, yogurt
Beany – Cooked legume, earthy, mild vegetal
Vegetal – Green, chlorophyll, bell pepper
Herbal – Dried herbs, thyme, sage
Resinous – Pine, sap, woody
Woody – Dry bark, cedar, forest floor
Hay Like – Dry grass, barn, subtle vegetal

BITTER | CHEMICAL | OFF NOTES

Bitter – Unsweet, sharp, back palate
Acrid – Biting, chemical, scorched
Burnt – Carbonized, over toasted, bitter char
Ashy – Dusty, dry bitter, smoky
Cardboard – Stale, papery, oxidized, mild bitter, musty, bitter
Musty – Damp, moldy, cellar
Phenolic – Plastic, smoke, clove like
Chemical – Metallic, solvent like, artificial
Sulfurous – Rotten egg, garlic, gas
Soapy – Detergent, floral chemical, slick
Rancid – Rotten oil, spoiled fat
Caustic – Harsh, acidic, stinging
Oxidized – Flat, stale, lifeless

TEXTURE | MOUTHFEEL | OTHER SENSORY

Astringent – Dry, puckering, tannic
Alkaline – Chalky, dry bitter, basic
Waxy – Crayon, coating, slick
Oily – Slick, fatty, lubricated
Gritty – Textural, sandy
Chalky – Dry, powdery, flat
Juicy – Wet, ripe, mouthwatering
Clean – Crisp, no off notes, neutral
Delicate – Mild, refined, soft
Bold – Strong, assertive, complex
Round – Balanced, full bodied, no sharp edges
Dry – Without sweetness, low-moisture impression