I guess I'm confused on some of the terms people use to describe taste. Some have been described as sweet with notes of chocolate and honey. That actually wouldn't have anything to do with how acidic it would be, right?
I definitely want low acidity. So medium roasts from Africa or Costa Rica (lower elevations?).
What are "floral" notes? Like it actually tastes perfume-y and flower-y? I've enjoyed Kona in the past. Those shouldn't be acidic, right?
So the more acidic coffees all tend to be from South America. I've noticed that a lot of the European coffee brands tend to be acidic (I more or less dislike all "premium" coffees from Harris, Lavazza, Illy, etc), so many of them must source from South America then, or is it because the European brands all seem to be dark roasts?
A lot of the flavor notes you might see in descriptions or reviews are for single origin coffee beans. "Brightness" does relate to acidity, but the flavors people can detect won't tell you much about acidity - that's more a function of the roast and how much ground coffee you are using per cup. A very bright coffee will be acidic, but not all coffees described as bright are acidic... at least to me. It comes down to personal taste, really.
Floral notes are just subtle aromas/flavors (it's hard to separate smell from taste since smell does affect taste) of, well, flowers. It's not overwhelming and honestly I never tasted floral notes until my first cup of peaberry (specifically, Tanzanian) coffee. I get the distinct impression that, like for wine, half the experts and amateurs are just making up or placebo effect/imagining some of the stuff they describe.
Since then I've picked up more floral, citrus, and berry flavors in African coffees in particular, though, but a lot of it is dependent on estate, how green the coffee is, roast, etc. Coffee and chocolate are VERY similar because they are both essentially roasted cherry-like berries, so don't be surprised if you discover chocolate (cacao) notes as the first thing you can detect.
I'm still a relative newb when it comes to coffee, but since you are looking for low acidity and smooth coffee with some body, it's not hard to say start off with Indonesian, Kona, or Jamaican coffee, and then try Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, which is nore variable in regards to acidity. These are the "smooth" coffees, with my favorite being Jamaican Blue Mountain. Sublime with very little acidity. Unfortunately it's also one of the most expensive varieties, so I usually just get Ethiopian like Yirgacheffe (I cant ever spell that right) or Blue Nile. Kona and Blue Mountain are unfortunately often blended with other, cheaper varieties, so pay attention to packaging. Use a site like coffeereview if you want to find highly rated coffee that isn't too acidic or too bright. Just keep in mind that coffee can vary wildly in a region, and to pay attention to estates, as well.
I can't say for sure if Europeans generally get South American coffee, but I am sure darker roasts are preferred in most places in the U.S. and Europe, from what I've seen. That kills a lot of the flavor for me, adds some additional bitterness and acidity, and is usually lower caffeine (contrary to what the average person believes, lighter roasts usually have MORE caffeine, not less).
If you are preparing your coffee via anything other than drip, you'll be fine. Some coffee snobs swear over one method over another - and probably some version of pour over with a cold brew is the best - but I just use a french press with a hand crank burr grinder because it's easy, convenient, portable, and quick (non electric grinder proved damn useful during Sandy, too).
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