How to accurately describe the flavor and taste of coffee

We are born without any knowledge of the world.

I don’t know what kind of food I will like in the future.

What kind of people do you choose as friends?

Who will you spend your life with?

We don't know what the risks are for us.

It is not until we begin to use our natural senses that we begin to understand the world.

We judge what is delicious and what is not delicious based on taste, and we gradually experience the tastes of sour, sweet, bitter and salty.

We use our senses to judge whether a person is someone we like or a piece of clothing we want. Sensory analysis also plays a big role in choosing a partner.

So when we make sensory judgments, how many types are there?

Generally speaking, sensory testing is divided into three different types: affective, discriminant, and descriptive.

Discriminative sensory analysis: As you can imagine, it exists in objective judgment. This method is based on a standard. When the sample meets this standard, it is "passed" or "yes", and when it does not meet this standard, it is "failed" or "no". There are only these two results in this type, and the generation of these two results depends on a standard. People who conduct this test need to be professionally trained and have the sensory ability to identify standards. It is usually used for product control.

For example: In the picture above, the apple is red and the orange is yellow, right?

Descriptive sensory analysis: Descriptive analysis is more complex and requires an accurate description of the characteristics of the sample. Based on the description, there may be multiple results. This type of analysis requires the evaluator to receive professional sensory training and understand industry terminology. After multiple practical exercises, they will be able to analyze and describe the characteristics of the sample. This method is also commonly used in sensory tasting in coffee cupping competitions.

For example: What is the flavor of this coffee? The answer could be: strawberry, blueberry, pineapple, etc.

Emotional sensory analysis: It is based on people's preferences and subjective emotions as the main starting point. Simply put, it is like or dislike. This method does not require any training and there are no standards. Anyone can do it. It is usually used in new product surveys. It is a simple and direct method used by companies to understand customer preferences.

Show the customer two choices. Choose A or B? Do you like A or B?

Let’s take a look at how these sensory test types are used in coffee cupping. Take the common SCAA cupping table as an example. This cupping table includes all three types.

Let’s look at the emotional type first. The only item in the SCAA cupping table that belongs to subjective emotional judgment is the last item, “overall impression”. This overall impression is completely based on the subjective impression of the sample given to the taster through the previous series of performances, “like” or “dislike”.

The discriminant formula in this cupping table includes three items: "consistency", "clean cup" and "sweetness". The cupper must be very clear about the standards of these three items and be able to accurately judge whether it passes or fails. This skill requires professional training and actual practice to accurately control this standard.

"Aroma", "flavor", "aftertaste", "acidity", "body" and "balance" are all descriptive test types. Cup tasters also need to receive professional training and go through multiple cupping practices before they can accurately describe the characteristics of each sample using industry terms and quantify them in scores.

By understanding these three different types of cupping, tasters can evaluate and score each sample more accurately, objectively and impartially, reflecting the value of each sample.