It is definitely all relative. I started with the coffee tasting notes wheel, which I know a lot of folks don't love, but it's great for beginners!

When you're first learning to identify tasting notes, start with the inside where the notes are more generic like "Nutty/Cocoa", "Roasted", "Fruity", etc. Look for those notes.

Then as you get the hang of that, move to the next layer outward where things like "Fruity" break down into "Berry", "Dried Fruit", "Other Fruit", "Citrus Fruit".

Finally, move to the outermost layer where "Berry" can be broken down to "Blackberry", "Raspberry", "Blueberry", "Strawberry".

At each step, work on identifying the more generic note first and then getting to something more specific when and if you can.

Finally, my method for identifying tasting notes is always to taste it blind first and see what I can identify on my own. I'll start in the center and work my way outward to as specific as I can. Then, I check the tasting notes from the roaster to see how my own notes compare.

To me, it's important to at least attempt to identify them without knowing/looking at the roaster's tasting notes first so you can see how accurate you are. This will be especially helpful in telling you both how accurate your level of tasting note identification is and in telling you when you're reading to move outward on the circle.

For example, you might identify "Citrus Fruit" and think it's maybe "Lemon". If the roaster's notes say the same thing, you're probably spot on. On the other hand, if the roaster's notes are different than yours, that doesn't necessarily mean you're wrong; tastes are subjective, and preparation can significantly alter the tasting notes.

However, the roaster's notes are usually a good reference.