SENSORY FOUNDATION 1

SENSORY
FOUNDATION
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SENSORY FOUNDATION 3

This book is an introduction to sensory methodology

for coffee professionals and covers SCA’s Sensory
Foundation Curriculum.

As a sensory scientist at Copenhagen-based specialty

coffee consultancy, CoffeeMind, Ida Steen spends her
time teaching, consulting and researching the sensory
aspects of coffee. The focus of Ida’s PhD is to find the
best training method to teach sensory skills in coffee
tasting. She is an authorized SCA Trainer and also part
of the working group who strive to continuously improve
the SCA certification exam system.

Ida would like to acknowledge Jesper Alstrup for his

contribution to this book, especially chapter 2.1.4
The Sense of Touch where Jesper applied his knowledge
from his Master Thesis project. During Jespers’ time as a
student he assisted Ida in sensory training and profiling.
The many great experiences led to a growing interest
in the speciality coffee industry. This inspired Jesper to
conduct research projects about coffee, and finally to
write his Master’s thesis on the effect of roast profile
modulations on the sensory perception of ‘body’ in the
coffee brew.
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CONTENTS

1 FLAVOUR: TASTE AND AROMA 5

WHAT IS TASTE? 6
WHAT IS FLAVOUR? 7

2 SENSORY ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY 8

2.1 THE SENSES 9
2.1.1 THE OLFACTORY SENSE 10
2.1.2 THE SENSE OF GUSTATION 10
THE BASIC TASTES 10
THE TASTE BUDS 13
2.1.3 FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF TASTE AND SMELL 14
2.1.4 THE SENSE OF TOUCH 16
2.1.5 THE SENSE OF VISION 19
2.1.4 THE SENSE OF HEARING 20

3 SENSORY ANALYSIS 22
3.1 FLAVOUR WHEELS 24
3.2 WHY IS SENSORY ANALYSIS IMPORTANT IN THE
COFFEE BUSINESS? 26

4 PREPARE A CUPPING SESSION 28

CUPPING PREPARATION 29
BREW PARAMETERS 30
4.1 HOW TO SET UP A CUPPING TABLE 31
4.2 CORE SENSORY EQUIPMENT 32
4.3 SCAA CUPPING PROTOCOL 33
CUPPING IN THREE ROUNDS 35

WHAT’S NEXT? 36

REFERENCES 38

ABOUT COFFEEMIND 42
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SENSORY FOUNDATION 5

FLAVOUR:
TASTE AND AROMA

ROASTED
NUTTY
SWEET
INTENSITY
BITTER
COMPLEXITY
FRUIT
ACIDIC
BODY
CHOCOLATE
6 SENSORY FOUNDATION

When you take your first step into sensory science it

is important to understand the difference between
taste and aroma. A popular definition of taste are the
sensations in your mouth during eating. A good example
of how it is used in everyday language is to say “this ice
cream tastes like vanilla”. However, If you look at this
scientifically it does not taste like vanilla, it has a vanilla
aroma that is perceived by our retronasal system – which
makes us think of it as a taste.

Orthonasal
Olfaction Retronasal
80% Olfaction

20%

Gustation
(taste)

Taste and aroma: As a general rule, 80% of the flavour of a cup of coffee is perceived
through our nose whereas only 20% is perceived in our mouth.

WHAT IS TASTE?
Taste is what we perceive in our sal, through our oral cavity and up to
mouth as the five basic gustatory the olfactory epithelium. Retronasal
sensations; bitter, sweet, sour, salty aroma perception is activated only
and umami (savory). Whereas aroma when breathing out through the nose
can be perceived either as orthonasal, between chewing or swallowing
through our nasal cavity, or retrona- (Mozell et al., 1969).
SENSORY FOUNDATION 7

TIP: Remember to breath through TIP: Pinch your nose if you want full
your nose during cupping if you don’t focus on the taste and mouthfeel of
swallow! the coffee!

WHAT IS FLAVOUR?
Flavour is a useful word that includes EXPERIMENT
all the sensory impressions in the
Firstly, pinch your nose before
mouth. This means that if you de-
taking a flavoured jelly bean
scribe the flavour of a cup of coffee,
(cinnamon works very well)
you are talking about the perceived
and chew it a couple of times.
combination of taste, aroma and
Notice that you can only taste
mouthfeel. Although the definition of
the basic tastes as sweet and
flavour varies from author to author,
acidic. Maybe you also feel a bit
this book considers the definition of
of chemesthesis on your tongue
flavour to include:
which are sensations that arise
from chemical compounds acti-
• Aromatics: Olfactory perceptions
vating receptors associated with
caused by volatiles released from
other senses such as thermal
the coffee either by orthonasal or
perception. Even so, you are still
retronasal detection.
not able to describe the aroma
• Basic tastes: Gustatory perceptions of the jelly bean. Now breathe
caused by coffee in the mouth. through your nose and experi-
ence how the aroma is flowing
• Somatosensory system: Chemical
to your olfactory epithelium re-
feelings that stimulate trigeminal
tronasally – suddenly the aroma
nerve ends and include sensations
description is obvious!
such as astringent, pungent, spice,
heat, cooling etc.
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8 SENSORY FOUNDATION

SENSORY ANATOMY
AND PHYSIOLOGY
SENSORY FOUNDATION 9

2.1 THE SENSES

The basics of sensory science is to the sensory impression (e.g. interior

use all of our senses to evaluate a design, brand culture, social circum-
product, and sometimes to isolate stances etc) is also a strong deter-
just one sense at a time in order to minant of the sensory impression
focus on specific sensory attributes. itself but fall outside the scope of this
Without being aware of it, we are book.
using all of our senses to judge the
final cup of coffee. From the moment As sensorists we are interested in
we hear the coffee start brewing and all these impressions that led to the
the milk being steamed we start to sensory perception of coffee. Yet, to
build an impression. This is enhanced know exactly how we describe the
when we see the golden brew or the coffee, and whether the description
perfectly made latte art. As we start is similar to another taster’s percep-
to smell the aroma of the coffee, we tion, we need to use standardized
feel the warmth of the cup and finally methods. This is where sensory
we taste the coffee and summarize science becomes extremely useful.
the impressions in a final perception However, let us first look into the
of the brew. The wider context of different senses.

Hearing
Sm
t
Sigh

ell

Ta
st u ch
e To
10 SENSORY FOUNDATION

2.1.1 THE OLFACTORY SENSE

Volatile odorants are sensed either general, we all have good odour memo-
through orthonasal or retronasal ry, we can perfectly remember a smell,
detection by the olfactory epithelium but a common problem is that we tend
located in the roof of the nasal cavity to forget the name of the smell (Jönsson
(see figure on page 6). Optimal contact and Olsson, 2003). To name what we
between aromas and the olfactory smell is exactly what we need to train,
epithelium is obtained by moderate to become better coffee tasters.
inhalation (e.g sniffing) for one or two
seconds. At the end of two seconds TIP: Try to smell only for 1-2 seconds
the receptors have adapted to the when evaluating the aroma of a cup of
new stimulus. Five to 20 seconds or coffee, and wait 5-20 seconds before
longer are required for them to rea- you smell again!
dapt before a new sniff can produce a TIP: Ask a friend to cover different food
full-strength sensation (Laing 1983). In products and try to detect the smell.

2.1.2 THE SENSE OF GUSTATION

THE BASIC TASTES tastes guide us to identify and con-

The sense of gustation or the sense sume nutrients while avoiding toxins
of taste involves the detection of five (Chaudhari & Roper, 2010).
recognised taste qualities:
• sweet Sweet taste is stimulated by sucrose
• sour and other sugars (e.g. fructose,
• bitter glucose) and sweet substances (e.g.
• salty saccharin, aspartame) and signals
• umami sugars and carbohydrates. A bitter
taste is thought to protect us against
These tastes are detected by taste ingesting poisons. For this reason,
buds that are primarily located on we need to learn to appreciate bitter
the surface of our tongue, specifical- products such as coffee for example
ly in the mucosa of our palate and by repeated exposure. Bitter taste is
areas of our throat. Our ability to stimulated by chemical compounds
recognise and distinguish the basic including quinine and caffeine.
SENSORY FOUNDATION 11

Umami taste is stimulated by l-amino Sour taste signals the presence of

acids and nucleotides (e.g. monosodi- dietary acids and is stimulated by
um glutamate (MSG) and is assumed organic acids such as citric, lactic,
to reflect food protein content. The malic, acetic, tartaric and phosphoric
taste of salt is stimulated mainly by acid for example (Chaudhari & Roper,
sodium salts (e.g. sodium chloride, 2010). There is some evidence that
sodium glutamate) and controls the free fatty acids may also be detected
intake of sodium and other salts by taste buds via dedicated recep-
essential for maintaining the body’s tors, but fat is yet to be included as a
water balance and blood circulation. basic taste (Mattes, 2009).

The basic tastes

Umami
t
Fa

Sa
lty

HoneY
Sw

r
tte
ee

Bi
t

Sour

TIP: Take small sips of coffee and keep each sip in the mouth for only a couple
of seconds. Wait for 15-60 seconds before tasting again. The first and second
sips are the most sensitive. Try to train yourself to accomplish your sensory
evaluation in those first sips!
12 SENSORY FOUNDATION

UMAMI

The word umami is japanese, and roughly translates as ‘delicious taste’.

Even though it is not that pleasant in its pure form, it can enhance other fla-
vours which makes it desirable. Umami is attributed to the taste of monoso-
dium glutamate (MSG) and ribosides such as salts of 5′ inosine monophos-
phate (IMP), and 5′ guanine monophosphate (GMP) (Kawamura and Kare,
1987). Alternative descriptions of the taste of umami is a savory or meaty
taste (Nagodawithana, 1995).

EXPERIMENT

Familiarise yourself with the basic tastes by tasting them in watery s­ olutions:
Sweet: 24 g sucrose (sugar) per liter water
Sour: 1.2 g citric acid per liter water
Salty: 4 g NaCl (salt) per liter water
Bitter: 0.54 g caffeine per liter water
Umami: 2 g monosodium glutamate per liter water

These solutions are quite strong, try to dilute them into lower concentrations
to train your detection of the basic tastes.
This text is produced with a special permission from ISO from ISO 3972:2011
© ISO 2016 All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or
utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from ISO’s member
body in the country of the requester.
SENSORY FOUNDATION 13

Each of these papillae

contain several taste buds.

Bumps called papillae

cover the tongue.

Each taste bud is filled with gustatory (taste) cells.

The tip of each gustatory cell protrudes through
a pore on the surface of the tongue.

Nerves send signals from the gustatory cells

to the brain.

The tip of each gustatory cell is covered

with receptors for the basic tastes,
as bitter taste receptors.

BITTER

Anatomical basis of gustation including

SOUR SOUR The outdated
the tongue, papillae and taste buds tongue map.
LTY
SA
LTY

SA

SWEET

THE TASTE BUDS For example, when a matching key

Our tongue is covered with papillae, (i.e. a basic taste) reaches the keyhole
which are the bumps that you can see for that specific taste, a signal is sent
on your tongue. Each of these papilla to the brain that we are eating some-
contain multiple taste buds that are thing that corresponds to one or more
filled with gustatory – or taste – cells. of the five basic tastes such as bitter
The tip of each gustatory cell, that (Chaudhari & Roper, 2010). We are
protrudes through a pore on the able to detect all basic tastes across
surface of the tongue, is covered with the whole tongue, which challenges
receptors for the basic tastes. You can the outmoded representation of the
imagine these receptors as keyholes. tongue map in the illustration above.
14 SENSORY FOUNDATION

2.1.3 FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF TASTE AND SMELL

Three sensory phenomena that are pure sugar and another sample with
important to be aware of already at the same amount of sugar but also
the Foundation level are the func- acidity added, a machine would tell
tional properties of taste and smell us that they are equally sweet – but a
called adaptation, mixture suppres- human will perceive the pure sug-
sion and release from suppression. ar sample as more intense. From a
sensory perspective, it is the human
Adaptation is a lesser response of perception that we are interested in.
the senses at constant stimulation
and will result in a weaker sensory Finally, we have the property that
perception. This is something that we call release from suppression.
we all experience everyday without Release from suppression happens
noticing. If you work in a roastery or after adaptation to a component in a
a café you might notice costumers mixture, the other components are
commenting on the nice smell in less suppressed and therefore their
the room, while you are not able to intensity increases. An everyday ex-
smell anything. Maybe you smelled it ample of this is to eat a Danish pastry
in the morning, but after some time together with a glass of orange juice.
you do not notice it any longer. This After taking a bite from the pastry,
is because you have adapted to the you get adapted to its sweetness
smell of coffee. From a biological and therefore do not perceive the
point it makes good sense, since it sweetness in the orange juice, while
is not important for us to notice a other tastes and sensory perceptions
constant stimulation but is only nec- of acidity are released (Lawless &
essary to be aware of it when there is Heymann, 2010).
a change.
These functional properties are the
Mixture suppression occurs when reason why it is strongly recommend-
single taste and aroma impressions ed to use palate cleansers and take
are less intense in a mixture com- recuperation time in between each
pared to when they are tasted or sample when cupping coffee. If you
smelled alone. This is a good example are evaluating two cups of coffee, the
of why we need trained sensorists to chances are that you will perceive the
perform sensory evaluations and not first coffee you taste more intense
machines. If we have a sample with in both taste and aroma compared
SENSORY FOUNDATION 15

to the second coffee. To make a fair

judgment it is also recommended CARRY-OVER EFFECT
to randomize the order of samples
Carry-over effect is the influence a
between tasters, to even out the
previous sample can have on your
­‘carry-over’ effect.
perception of the next sample
tasted. This is best avoided with
recuperation time in between
each sample and with the use of
palate cleansers.

EXPERIMENT

Prepare three solutions below:

Sweet: 24 g sucrose (sugar) per liter water
Sour: 1.2 g citric acid per liter water
Sweet + sour: 24 g sucrose + 1.2 g citric acid per liter water

First, experience mixture suppression by tasting each solution alone and

rinse your mouth with water in between. Then experience release from
suppression by tasting the sweet sample before going directly to the
sweet + sour. Notice how the taste changes to just being sour? Now try
the opposite with the sour and the sweet + sour sample.

EXPERIMENT

Make a cinnamon and vanilla milkshake and serve a vanilla and a

­cinnamon stick next to it. First taste the milkshake and notice its flavour.
Then smell the vanilla and take a sip of the milkshake – do you only
­perceive the cinnamon flavour? Then, try the opposite and smell the
cinnamon before taking a sip of the milkshake, now do you only perceive
the vanilla flavour?!
16 SENSORY FOUNDATION

2.1.4 THE SENSE OF TOUCH

Our sense of touch plays a large role define body as the perceived viscos-
in the sensory perception of coffee; ity, weight or fullness of the coffee
both in terms of mouthfeel but also as we swirl it around our mouth. We
through our fingertips. The sensation try to describe body by using descrip-
of heat, the material and shape of tors ranging from ‘thin’ or ‘watery’ to
the cup all influence in the overall ‘thick’ or ‘heavy’.
experience. This is why leading res-
taurants, such as Noma in Copenha- Another type of perceived mouthfeel
gen, offer a variety of dishes that can is grittiness, which is the sensation of
eaten using our fingers. (Spence & small particles present in the coffee.
Piqueras-Fiszman, 2016) For example, you will often find a
small amount of sediment in the bot-
The overall experience of drinking tom of the cup when brewing coffee
a cup of coffee involves the combi- by means of a French Press. Research
nation of multiple senses. The most has found that particles down to
well-known are the basic tastes (e.g. the size of six micrometers can be
sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami – or sensed by our tongue and hard pal-
savoury) that we can perceive along ate (Bourne, 2002). To put this into
with a large variety of aromas. A third perspective, a human hair has the
element is mouthfeel, which can be diameter of around 50 micrometers.
described as the tactile perception of
the coffee in our mouth. This sen-
sation is part of our sense of touch,
which plays a major role in how we
perceive the world around us. Mouth-
feel is different from tastes and aro-
mas as it is sensed by nerve endings
on the surface of our skin such as our
lips and tongue.

Mouthfeel is a very broad term that

includes a variety of different sen-
sations. An important mouthfeel
that we often describe in the coffee
industry is called ‘body’. We usually
SENSORY FOUNDATION 17

Other examples of mouthfeel are Mouthfeel and body are used as

chemical feelings such as astringency, synonymous descriptors on the SCA
heat and cooling: quality cupping form, thus involving a
large range of perceptions under the
• Astringency is often described as same term. The focus on the cup-
the dry, puckering mouthfeel caused ping form is to assess the perceived
by substances such as tannins. The quality (i.e. a subjective evaluation of
tannins bind to our salivary proteins pleasantness of the mouth feel of the
that cause proteins to aggregate, coffee). For example, higher quality
leading to a dry sensation. body’ or mouthfeel can be smooth,
• Heat is the burning sensation in the soft and juicy - as opposed to rough,
mouth caused by certain substances hard and astringent.
such as capsicum found in chilli or
peperin from peppers.
• Cooling is the cool sensation in the
mouth or nose produced by sub-
stances such as menthol or mints.

EXPERIMENT: INVESTIGATING MOUTHFEEL

Prepare small samples of low and full fat milk, natural and sparkling
water, over-extracted earl grey tea, or even a small drop of tabasco sauce.
Taste the sample, and focus on how it feels on the skin of the lips and
inside the mouth - not how it tastes or smells.

Tip: Practice sensing and identifying the various types of mouthfeel. Ideal
reference materials include:

Body: Use a hand mixer to dissolve 1-2% xanthan gum in water

Coating: Olive oil, or milk with different levels of fat content
Astringency: Brew a cup of over-extracted earl grey tea and notice the
dry sandpaper-like feeling in your mouth
Gritty: Dissolve a small amount of flour in water
Smooth: Compare the ‘gritty’ reference with pure water
Heat: Bite a chili - if you dare!
Cooling: Try a menthol sweet.
18 SENSORY FOUNDATION

The CoffeeMind
Flavor Wheel with focus

E
SALT

RATUR
on Mouth Feel

Y
UM

ITT
AM

GR
TEMPE
SW
TH
I

EE O
T O
SM
BIT Y
TER MO E NC
TE ING
TR
AS
U
S

TH
TA

FEEL
SOUR OVERALL COATING
FLAVOUR
VISCOSIT
BOD Y
G REEN Y
WEIG
HT
AR
OMA FUL
L FR LNE
A UI SS
RE TY
CE
CHO

FL
O
Y

D
IC

RA
COL
STE
SP

L
NUTTY
ROA

ATE

Brew temperature is an often forgot- This means that our ability to detect
ten parameter but plays an important basic tastes is higher in the 20-30°C
role in sensing mouthfeel. Research range. Therefore, tasting coffee at
has revealed that temperature has a too high or too low temperatures
big influence on our ability to perceive might have a negative influence on
flavours. Most evidence points our sensory performance (Spence &
towards a U-shaped detection thresh- Piqueras-Fiszman, 2016).
old as a function of temperature.
SENSORY FOUNDATION 19

2.1.5 THE SENSE OF VISION

The appearance of food or a bever- tions does vary between individuals,

age has a large impact on perceived and especially between cultures. The
flavour. For example, colouring a surrounding environment therefore
beverage red leads a lot of western has a profound influence on the
consumers to believe that the drink flavours that we receive from visual
is sweeter, and even has a strawberry cues in a food or drink (Piqueras-Fisz-
flavour. The extent of these expecta- man & Spence, 2014).

DID YOU KNOW?

THE STORY OF YELLOW JELL-O

In World War II, a navy chef became unpopular amongst his diners due
to the lack of red, cherry-flavoured Jell-O on the ship. People complained
that the only available Jell-O was the yellow, lemon flavoured kind. The
chef resorted to a creative sensory approach and added red food colour-
ing to the lemon Jell-O. The response from his guests was overwhelmingly
positive and some even complimented him for finally putting the right
cherry-flavoured Jell-O back onto the table. Although anecdotal, it is an
interesting example of how easily we can be fooled by our eyes. This is
called ‘expectation assimilation’ which means that what we taste is biased
by our own imagination (Wansink, 2010).
20 SENSORY FOUNDATION

2.1.6 THE SENSE OF HEARING

Several studies have shown that the Songs and stories about products
sounds around us influence our gus- all feed into the overall perception
tatory perception (Zampini & Spence, of a product. If we believe it to be
2010). Evidence shows that auditory something special, then we may be
cues have a big influence on how predisposed to like it more, and are
we perceive our food and drink. The probably even more willing to pay
sound of milk steaming in a café, for a premium price for it. This is why a
example, can create predictions of variety of attractive adjectives are
whether it will be a good or bad cap- used in the food industry to trigger
puccino. This is true for several foods expectations, and the reason why
as we may have certain expectations large amounts of money are invested
as to how they should sound. When into branding. Research shows that
biting into a crisp or potato chip, we if the consumer believes the product
may expect a pleasant crispy texture to be of high quality, they will have a
followed by the sound of the crack- preference over cheaper alternatives,
ing between your teeth. If the crisp even if they cannot taste the differ-
is soft, however, it will not provide ence in a blind test.
the sound that we expect, leading to
feelings of disappointment.
SENSORY FOUNDATION 21

CASE STUDY

Researchers have shown that music and storytelling influences sensory

preference. In the study (Carvalho, F. R. et al., 2015), participants were
exposed to four different situations when tasting a chocolate sample.
The four different situations are described as follows:

A: Tasting chocolate while listening to a song

B: Tasting chocolate while listening to a song, and the sounds of the

­chocolate being produced

C: Tasting chocolate while listening to a song, and told that the song
had inspired the chocolatier to create the chocolate sample

D: Tasting chocolate while listening to a song, and told that scientists

had selected the chocolate sample to see how it influences taste.

It was shown that situation ‘C’ had the greatest impact on the participant’s
multisensory experience. They rated their liking of the chocolate sample
higher, and said they were willing to pay more for the experience. This
demonstrates that auditory stimuli may actually contribute to the identity
of a product, and its perceived value.
 3
22 SENSORY FOUNDATION

SENSORY ANALYSIS
SENSORY FOUNDATION 23

Sensory analysis is a scientific disci- before participating in a sensory anal-

pline where a person measures or ysis (ISO 3972). Sensory analysis can
analyses products in a controlled and be divided into three main categories
standardised way. A sensory analysis which is covered in detail in the Sen-
always follows a standardised prepa- sory Intermediate curriculum:
ration protocol and a product such as
coffee is evaluated as it is perceived • Discriminative tests:
by the senses of sight, smell, taste, Is there a d
­ ifference between
touch and hearing (Stone and Sidel, products?
2004). It is important that the panel
evaluating the samples are calibrated • Descriptive tests:
and trained (Meilgaard et al., 1999). What character­ises the difference?
This means that sensory analysis
relies on trained and regular tasters, • Affective test:
and therefore panelists are often Does the difference have any
screened for their sensitivity of taste meaning for the consumer?

EXPERIMENT

Evaluate two cups of coffee with all your senses.

Prepare two cups of very different coffees (e.g. a washed Brazilian vs. a
natural Ethiopian coffee) and evaluate the difference between them by
filling out a form like this:

Sample 1 Sample 2

Appearance

Smell (orthonasal)

Basic taste

Aroma (retronasal)

Mouth feel

Aftertaste
24 SENSORY FOUNDATION

3.1 FLAVOUR WHEELS

When performing descriptive tests If you are not about to conduct a

where the aim is to describe the ­descriptive sensory analysis you
difference between coffee samples, it can use a flavour wheel for training
is important to calibrate the panel by purposes to detect the flavours in
­using specific references. For example, coffee. The figure below illustrates
if the coffee has a chocolate flavour, the sensory descriptors that we in
it is useful to have real choco­late as CoffeeMind has chosen for introduc-
a reference to ensure agreement tory courses as a training tool. At the
amongst the panel. For this approach, foundation level we start in the inner
a flavour wheel can be a useful re- circle and practice detecting fruity,
source. Different flavour wheels have floral, choco­late, nutty, roasted,
been released such as the recent spicy, cereal and green aromas in cof-
SCAA Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel fee samples. Ask a friend to prepare
where each descriptor on the wheel is references for you by assessing one
to be found in the World Coffee category at a time. Make sure you are
Research sensory lexicon. By prepar- able to detect each descriptor in its
ing these references, there can be no pure form. When you feel confident
doubt about what is meant by each that you can use these overall de-
descriptor. scriptors consistently, you are ready
to detect them in coffee.
E
SALT

RATUR

Y
UM

ITT
AM

GR
TEMPE

SW
TH
I

EE O
T O
SM
BIT MO CY
TER EN
TE ING
STR
U

A
S

TH
TA

FEEL

SOUR OVERALL COATING

FLAVOUR
VISCOSITY
BOD
EN Y
GRE WEIG
HT
AR
OMA FUL
FR LNE
AL UI SS
RE TY
CE
CHO

FL
O
Y

D
IC

RA
COL
STE
SP

L
NUTTY
ROA

ATE

Introductory sensory descriptors

SENSORY FOUNDATION 25

The SCAA Coffee Taster's

Flavor Wheel

World Coffee Research

sensory lexicon
26 SENSORY FOUNDATION

3.2 WHY IS SENSORY ANALYSIS IMPORTANT IN THE

COFFEE BUSINESS?

If you are selling, producing or pro- Your sensory skills as a salesperson

moting great tasting coffee or related are also crucial since they are central
products, you will need to conduct to selling specialty coffee as part of
sensory analysis to some extent if the dialogue with your customers.
you are to achieve the best possible Cupping with customers is also a
experience for your customer. There great way to establish a personal
are three main types of evaluations; contact with them. More often than
each with its own purpose and value not, they will want to be convinced
for your business. These are discrim- and feel comfortable that you are
inative tests, descriptive tests and confident and knowledgeable from
consumer tests. a sensory perspective – this is where
your coffee expertise can help to
leverage your sales success.

1) DISCRIMINATIVE TESTS

Discriminative testing is simple, easy to set up, and fast. The purpose of
this test is to assess whether a difference exists between two or more
products. This is a relevant assessment especially as an element of a qual-
ity control protocol. For example, you might want to know if your coffee
brewing technique consistently produces the same great taste every time.
Testing this with a group of people allows you to be confident that the
coffee you are serving to your consumer consistently presents the cup
profile that you intended. If there are inconsistencies in your brewing, the
consumer may notice something different and enquire why it hasn’t met
their expectations.
SENSORY FOUNDATION 27

2) DESCRIPTIVE TEST

Descriptive testing takes on the challenge of describing the differences

between coffees. This type of testing takes longer, but allows you to create
a detailed description of how one coffee differs from another. An example
could be the purchase of new green beans. Once you have roasted the
coffee, you will need to present a description to your customer. Here, it
is important that the description is as truthful and objective as possible,
so that the description and following expectations from customers match
the flavour in the cup. This will also allow you to be more confident in your
sales, as you present your product to potential customers. Your own de-
scription of the coffee might be different from other people, which is why
including more people in the sensory evaluation can be beneficial. A good
approach is to include staff members and a few friends, and see if you
can agree on how you can describe the differences between the coffees. If
the description leads to false expectations you may risk complaints and a
lower appreciation of your product.

3) CONSUMER TEST

It is important to recognise that what you prefer in a cup of coffee might

differ greatly from what your customers prefer. This is a primary reason
why consumer testing is important. For example, if your customers prefer
a darker roast it would be illogical to present them with a light roast, as
the heightened acidity may be too much for their palate. Conducting tests
with your core customer segment allows you to create a precise definition
of the sensory attributes that they will prefer. This can be utilized in the
product development process to tailor the products specifically to your
target customer audience segment. If there is a disconnect between your
product offering and customer preferences, it is unlikely to lead to busi-
ness success.
 4
28 SENSORY FOUNDATION

PREPARE A
CUPPING SESSION
SENSORY FOUNDATION 29

“Coffee cupping is a method used to systematically

evaluate the aroma and taste characteristics of a sample
of coffee beans” (Lingle, 1992).

CUPPING PREPARATION
• Weigh out 5.5 grams of coffee beans per 100 ml of water
• Weigh out samples as whole beans
• Grind particle size slightly coarser than typically used for filter coffee
• Place a lid on each cup immediately after grinding
• Grind immediately prior to cupping, no more than 15 minutes before
­infusion with water. If this is not possible, cover the samples and infuse
not more than 30 minutes after grinding
• Prepare at least five cups from each sample to evaluate sample uniformity
(SCAA cupping protocol, 2009)

We recommend you to wait for the

coffee to cool down to below 55°C
before starting the cupping. A coffee
solution above 55°C will give you a
very limited impression of the coffees
and risk of scalding your tongue. If
you decide to cup with a customer
who is interested in buying an expen-
sive specialty coffee, try comparing
with a commodity coffee. Remember
to allow the coffee to cool, as the
customer may not be able to tell any
difference between the two coffees
at high temperatures.
30 SENSORY FOUNDATION

The steps in how to prepare a cup for

cupping is illustrated below:

BREW PARAMETERS

Grind size: Like course sand Recommended cup size:

Dosage: 5.5 grams per 100ml 180 - 250ml
Brew time: 4 minutes

START
CRUST BREW
0 MIN.

Pour ground coffee Pour water and Wait for 4 minutes

into the cup start timing (brewing)

WET COFFEE GROUNDS

4 MIN.

Break the crust Remove foam on Taste the coffee

and stir 3 times surface of brew by taking a small
with a spoon from using two spoons amount only from
top to bottom the surface

55°C
RECOMMENDED
TASTING
TEMPERATURE

Cupping protocol
SENSORY FOUNDATION 31

4.1 HOW TO SET UP A CUPPING TABLE

The most important aspect to re- are that you unconsciously will rate
member when evaluating coffee is to the coffee sample more acidic.
do it ‘blind’. Anything you know about
the coffee and your previous experi- For a blind cupping table set up you
ence will influence your perception will need:
of the sample. Therefore, you should • Five cupping bowls for each
always make sample codes, and also ­sample (to test uniformity)
avoid putting either green or roasted • Cupping spoons
beans on the table, as it will influ- • Glasses for rinsing
ence the judgment of the coffees. For • Tissues
example, if you spot Kenyan coffee • Timer
beans next to a sample, the chances • Sample coding

Cupping table TIP: Hygienic cupping

For a more hygienic cupping session,
it is recommended that you use two
spoons. The first little spoon that you
use is to pour the coffee onto the big-
ger spoon from where you take the
sip. This is to avoid the risk of picking
up a cold.
32 SENSORY FOUNDATION

4.2 CORE SENSORY EQUIPMENT

The table below lists suggestions for temperatures and when the coffees
you to consider as part of your cup- are at the optimum temperature to
ping protocol. All of the equipment start cupping) but consider this as a
is not absolutely necessary (e.g. you guide to inspire you to furnish your
can do without a thermometer but it cupping room with relevant equip-
is helpful to use for checking brewing ment.

Cupping
Roasting Preparation Environment ­Preparation

Sample roaster Well lit Balance (scale)

Handy containers for green Clean, no inter­ Cupping g

­ lasses/
sample size fering aromas cups with lids

Handy containers for roasted Cupping tables Rinsing bowls

samples size (e.g. larger volume
than green samples and avoid Quiet Cupping spoons
cross aroma tainting)
Comfortable Hot water
Sample coding ­temperature ­equipment
(e.g. three digit r­ andom
numbers can be obtained from No distractions Forms and other
www.randomizer.org) (e.g phones in flight paperwork
mode etc.)
Roast colour reading device Thermometer

Grinder Timer

Roast log Pencils and

­clipboards
 SENSORY FOUNDATION 33

4.3 SCA CUPPING FORM AND PROTOCOL

Many different coffee cupping assess- any of the five coffee samples are
ment forms already exist and a lot not uniform, clean and/or sweet. If
of companies have developed their a coffee is marked as not uniform,
own system to evaluate the flavour clean or sweet, two points per cup
and quality of their coffees. The most are subtracted.
well-known cupping form in the
coffee industry is the SCA cupping HOW TO DEAL WITH DEFECTS
protocol which is used to evaluate If a defect is identified in a cup,
quality. It is also used for Q-grading start by judging whether it is a small
with the purpose of giving feedback defect (e.g. a taint) or a more severe
to the producer, and determining defect (e.g. a fault). Thereafter, you
price. can multiply the number of defected
cups with either a score of two if a
When using the SCA cupping pro- taint is identified, or four points if it
tocol, the quality of fragrance and is a fault. You can then subtract from
aroma, flavour, aftertaste, acidity, the total score, which gives the final
body and balance are rated on a score of the coffee. Usually, a taint is
10-point scale and then aggregat- described when you can still taste the
ed into a total score. Additionally, coffee, whereas a fault is when you
cuppers are required to mark if can only taste the defect.

Specialty Coffee Association of America Coffee Cupping Form Classification:

6.00 - Good 7.00 - Very Good 8.00 - Excellent 9.00 - Outstanding
Name: 6.25 7.25 8.25 9.25
6.50 7.50 8.50 9.50
Date: Table: Session: 6.75 7.75 8.75 9.75

Sample # Roast Total: Total: Total: Total: Total: Total: Score: Total
Fragrance/Aroma Flavor Acidity Body Uniformity Clean Cup Overall Score
Level

6 7 8 9 10 6 7 8 9 10 6 7 8 9 10 6 7 8 9 10 6 7 8 9 10
Dry Quality: Crust Score: Intensity Level Total: Score: Defects (subtract)
Aftertaste High High Balance Sweetness
Taint=2 # of cups Intensity

6 7 8 9 10 Low Low 6 7 8 9 10 Fault=4 X =

Notes: Final Score

Sample # Roast Score: Score: Score: Score: Score: Score: Score: Total
Level Fragrance/Aroma Flavor Acidity Body Uniformity Clean Cup Overall Score

6 7 8 9 10
of
Sample
6 7 8 9 10 6 7 8 9 10 6 7 8 9 10 6 7 8 9 10

The horizontal quality

6 7 8 9 10
Dry Score:
Qualities: Break Intensity Level Score: Score: Defects (subtract)
Aftertaste High Heavy Balance Sweetness
Taint=2 # cups Intensity

scales used is follow- 6 7 8 9 10 Low Thin 6 7 8 9 10 Fault=4 X =

ing this point system:

Notes: GOOD VERY GOOD EXCELLENT OUTSTANDING Final Score

Sample # Roast Score: Score: Score: Score: Score: Score: Score: Total
Level Fragrance/Aroma Flavor Acidity Body Uniformity Clean Cup Overall Score
of
Sample
6 7 8 9 10 6 7 8 9 10 6 7 8 9 10 6 7 8 9 10 6 7 8 9 10
Dry Qualities: Break Score: Intensity Level Score: Score: Defects (subtract)
Aftertaste High Heavy Balance Sweetness
Taint=2 # cups Intensity
Fault=4 X =
34 SENSORY FOUNDATION

Each quality rating is then summa- the final score classifies the coffee
rised in the total score. If any of sample by using the following quality
the cups contains defects these are classification system:
subtracted from the total score and

Final score: Quality classification

90-100 Outstanding

85-89.99 Excellent Specialty coffee

80-84.99 Very good

< 80 Below specialty quality Not specialty

(SCAA Cupping Protocol, 2015)

TIPS IF YOU ARE SCORING FOR THE FIRST TIME:

• If you give all attributes a score of 7 + 30 points

(e.g. all cups are uniform, clean and sweet) the coffee score will score
79 points in total, which is just below a specialty grade of 80 points or
more.
• If you give all attributes a score of 8 + 30 points
(e.g. all cups are uniform, clean and sweet) the coffee will score
86 points in total, which is considered specialty.
• If you give all attributes a score of 9 + 30 points
(e.g. all cups are uniform, clean and sweet) the coffee will score
93 points in total, which is considered a very high-quality specialty
coffee.

Please note: Specialty starts at 7 points that is defined as ‘very good’.

Therefore, you may need to adjust your idea of ‘good’ if you are used to
high-end specialty coffees.
SENSORY FOUNDATION 35

CUPPING IN THREE ROUNDS

In total, you should allow for 45 minutes to evaluate your coffee samples on
the cupping table and score in three consecutive rounds:

First round: Evaluate and score aroma, flavour, aftertaste at 70 °C

(e.g. between 8-10 minutes)
Second round: Evaluate and score acidity, body, balance at 60 °C
(e.g. between 10-12 minutes)
Third round: Evaluate and score uniformity, clean cup, sweetness at 40 °C
(e.g. between 18-20 minutes)

To avoid palate fatigue, be careful not to ‘overcup’. Take only one sip from each
cup per round and change direction for each evaluation (e.g. from cup one to
five and then back from cup five to one). Try to stay focused and concentrate
with no distractions!

BREWING TIPS:

• Calculate how many grams of coffee you need for your cups
(5.5 g per 100 ml)
• Weight out the coffee as whole beans
• Grind slightly courser than typically used for filter coffee
• Heat your water to an optimum brew temperature of 92-95°C
• Always pour each cup in an ‘M’ shape
• Be very careful to add the same quantity of water in every cup
• Be sure that you have enough water for five cups in the kettle
• All brewers should agree to break in the same way, usually three times.

How to set up the five cups 2 4

of each sample:

1 3 5
36 SENSORY FOUNDATION

What’s next?
If you are interested in obtaining to help you get the most from your
an SCA certificate, you can sign up investment.
for a SCA Sensory Skills Foundation
course. This will give you an opportu- The next Sensory Intermediate level
nity to try most of the experiments will look more into sensory meth-
explained in this book, and also taste odologies, especially discriminative
a lot of coffees. We recommend you tests as triangle and duo-trio tests,
to practice the detection of the basic and in general different sensory
tastes and aroma categories before methods useful in a daily business.
attending a course. The next steps in At this level you should be able to
the SCA certification system are the distinguish different concentrations
Sensory Intermediate and Sensory of the basic tastes and also achieve
Professional levels. A CoffeeMind cur- more precise aroma detection.
riculum will accompany each course
SENSORY FOUNDATION 37
38 SENSORY FOUNDATION

References
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Viscosity: Concept and measurement. Umami: A Basic Taste: Physiology,
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press eBook. Marcel Dekker, New York.

Carvalho, F. R., Van Ee, R., Rychtariko- Laing, D. G., 198. Natural sniffing
va, M., Touhafi, A., Steenhaut, K., gives optimum odor perception for
Persoone, D. & Spence, C., 2015. humans. Perception, 12:99.
Using sound-taste correspondences
to enhance the subjective value of Lawless, H.T. & Heymann, H., 2010.
tasting experiences, Oregon Research Sensory evaluation of food: principles
Institute, Frontiers in Psychology, and practices. Springer.
6:1309.
Lingle, T., 1992. A Coffee Cuppers
Chaudhari, N. & Roper, S. D , 2010. Handbook – a Systematic Guide to the
The cell biology of taste. The Journal Sensory Evaluation of Coffee’s Flavor.
of cell Biology, 190: 285–296. Specialty Coffee Association of
America (SCAA).
DeMaria, S. & Ngai, J., 2010. The cell
biology of smell. The Journal of cell Mattes, R.D. (2009). Is there a fatty
Biology, 190: 443–452. acid taste? The Annual Review of
Nutrition, 29: 305–327.
ISO 3972. International Organization
For Standardization. 2011. Sensory Meilgaard C. M., Civille, G. V. & Caar,
Analysis – Methodology – Method of B.T., 2007. Sensory Evaluation Tech-
investigating sensitivity of taste. niques. Fourth edition, CRC
ISO, Geneva, Switzerland. Press, Taylor and Francis Group.

Jönsson, F. U. and Olsson, M. J., 2003. Mozell, M. M., Smith P. E., Sullivan,
Olfactory Metacognition. Chemical R. L. & Swender, P., 1969. Nasal
Senses, 28: 651-658. Chemo-reception in Flavor Identifica-
tion. Archives of Otolaryngology, 90:
367-373.
SENSORY FOUNDATION 39

Nagodawithana, T. W. 1995.
Savory Flavors. Esteekay. Associates,
Milwaukee, WI.

Piqueras-Fiszman, B. & Spence, C.,

2014. The Multisensory perception of
flavour, in The Perfect Meal: The
Multisensory Science of Food and
Dining. Wiley Backwell.

Specialty Coffee Association of

America (SCAA), 2015. SCAA Protocols /
Cupping Specialty Coffee.

Spence, C. & Piqueras-Fiszman, B.,

2016. Oral-Somatosensory Contribu-
tions to Flavor Perception and the
Appreciation of Food and Drink, in
Multisensory Flavour perception,
from Fundamental Neuroscience
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Technology and Nutrition: 298.

Stone, H. and Sidel, J. L. 2004. Sensory

Evaluation Practices. Third Edition.
Elsevier Academic, San Diego, CA.

Wansink, B., 2010. Mindless Eating

– Why We Eat More Than We Think.
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Zampini, M. & Spence, C., 2010.

Assessing the Role of Sound in the
Perception of Food and Drink.
­Chemosensory Perception, 3:57-67.
40 SENSORY FOUNDATION
SENSORY FOUNDATION 41
42 SENSORY FOUNDATION

About
CoffeeMind

CoffeeMind is a Copenhagen-based
Coffee Academy established by
Morten Münchow. The Academy
provides leading educational coffee
courses, as well as invaluable re-
search and consultancy services
within the various areas of the
speciality coffee industry for indivi­
dual customers and companies. As
a scholar in Biology covering ten Ida Steen is passionate about s­ ensory
years of intense practical and scien- science and has been the sensory
tific experience, Morten Münchow scientist of CoffeeMind since 2014.
has gained a deep insight into the She is currently researching an
various aspects of the speciality ­industrial PhD project with the aim of
coffee industry worldwide to deliver investigating how to improve sensory
inspirational and effective coffee performance using specific learning
courses with a high level of expertise. strategies. Ida is an Authorised SCA
Trainer (AST) in Sensory Skills and is
also involved in the SCA Sensory Skills
group. As CoffeeMind’s sen­­sory scien-
tist, Ida conducts research for indus-
trial partners, trains CoffeeMind’s
sensory panel while teaching SCA
courses. She consults roaster start-
ups and supervises students who car-
ry out research on different aspects of
coffee quality at The D ­ epartment of
Food Science in Copenhagen, Den-
mark.
SENSORY FOUNDATION 43

Ida Steen
SENSORY FOUNDATION
3. edition, 2018

© CoffeeMind Press

Copy editor: Antony Watson,

Adventures in Arabica
Graphic design: Mark Gry Christiansen
Press: LaserTryk.dk
ISBN: 978-87-93507-04-3

CoffeeMind Press
Hansstedvej 35
DK-2500 Valby
Denmark
[email protected]

All rights reserved. No part of this book

may be reproduced in any form with-
out written permission of the copyright
holders. Exceptions are smaller extracts
for reviews.
44 SENSORY FOUNDATION

ROASTED
NUTTY
SWEET
INTENSITY
BITTER
COMPLEXITY
FRUIT
ACIDIC
BODY
CHOCOLATE

ISBN: 978-87-93507-04-3 COFFEE-MIND.COM