A whirlwind of sensations: the Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel
Perhaps that is why, for years, coffee was prepared in just one way: pouring boiling water over three heaped teaspoons and sweetening it with two sugar cubes. Unfortunately, treated like this, every coffee, even the best, tasted exactly the same: bitter and astringent, giving our aunts' and uncles' generation stomach ulcers.
How our senses experience coffee
Imagine the surprise among coffee lovers when it turned out that a less hardcore brewing method allowed beans to release aromas nobody had suspected they contained. Thanks to alternative brewing methods, we discovered that coffee is not simply bitter: it can actually be sweet, with a slight touch of bitterness. Or citrusy, with hints of nuts and chocolate.
As we learned more about “non-invasive” ways of making coffee — drippers, AeroPress and Chemex — coffee revealed more of its secrets. At the same time, flavour enthusiasts found new words for the aromatic notes in their cups. Before long, rather exotic-sounding descriptions began appearing on bags of Arabica. Blueberry, grapefruit, dark chocolate, maple syrup and jasmine became permanent fixtures in almost every caffeine lover's vocabulary.
Interestingly, contrary to what some people think, most of these terms were not plucked out of thin air. They come from an extremely precise scientific tool for assessing coffee's sensory qualities: the famous SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel.
The flavour wheel is not just a cheat sheet for professional Q graders and coffee industry workers. It is also a fun tool for anyone who wants to discover all that currant flavour for which our Peru HB MCM is known. To encourage you to try this fascinating tool, here is how to make the most of it.
A journey into the senses — naming flavours and aromas
The Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel — a sensory wheel of flavours and aromas — consists of several concentric circles divided into an increasing number of segments. At the centre are the broadest descriptions of what we perceive in coffee: fruity, sour, green/vegetable, other, roasted, spicy, nutty, sweet and floral.
As you move outwards, the names of tastes and smells become more specific and precise. This layout lets you move from the general to the particular, describing in increasing detail the notes your nose perceives as aromas and your tongue perceives as flavours in a blend or single-origin coffee.
An example? Pick up your afternoon cup of that classic among classics, Brazil Santos. Put your nose right into the cup and smell it, then take your first sip. We are almost certain that the first thing you will notice is its characteristic sweetness.
Now look at the flavour wheel and find the section labelled “sweet”. You will immediately see that it branches into, among other things, vanilla and brown-sugar-related flavours. Perhaps you decide that what you notice is more sugary than vanilla-like, and stop there. Or you can go a step further, take another sip and ask yourself: does that sugary note remind you of honey? Or perhaps maple syrup or caramel? Repeat this whenever you discover a new note in your coffee — and believe us, you will find more every day!
Let your sixth sense take the lead
How should you name coffee's flavours and aromas? Quickly and intuitively. Most sensory specialists say the first association that comes to mind is usually closest to the truth. So if your first sip immediately makes you think of... fresh cucumbers, it does not mean there is anything wrong with your palate. Quite the opposite: you are probably drinking our Ethiopia Djimmah, with its pleasantly fresh cucumber notes.
Why bother identifying and naming currants and almonds in an ordinary cup of coffee? This may surprise you, but it is not necessarily just to appreciate our roasters' craftsmanship! :D
It is really about appreciating the wealth of flavours and aromas hidden inside the humble coffee seed. And if, along the way, you enter a kind of coffee trance and start celebrating every new aromatic note you can name? Well, congratulations: you have begun a wonderful journey into the world of the senses!