How to understand the correct use of SCAA coffee flavor wheel Flavor Wheel SCAA flavor wheel

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When testing coffee cups, we often hear the food we are familiar with to describe the aroma or taste.

Coffee aromas can be roughly divided into 36 categories, and 36 aromas can be subclassified into four categories, as shown in the table below.

Enzyme action

(Enzymatic) caramelization

(Sugar Browning) dry distillation

(Dry Distillation) defective flavor

(Aromatic Taints)

Potato vanilla Chinese fir soil

Pea cream clove (similar to straw)

Cucumber toast Pepper Coffee Pulp

Red vinegar jam / tea rose caramel coriander seed leather

Coffee, dark chocolate, blackcurrant, Indian rice.

(Basmati)

Cooked beef with almond malt roasted with lemon

Smoking of Peanut Maple syrup after baking apricot

Hazelnut tobacco chemicals after apple baking

Coffee rubber roasted with honey walnut

Coffee flavor wheel original

Based on the joint research results of Specialty Coffee Association of America and World Coffee Research, the coffee flavor wheel is put forward.

This SCAA flavor wheel is a tool designed for coffee cup testers to express the composition and principle of coffee aroma. Here are some tips for using Flavor Wheel and how to use it correctly!

Coffee flavor wheel original

STEP.1 concept

This coffee flavor wheel can be used by both coffee lovers and professional cup testers, with a focus on "tasting coffee carefully". Tasting coffee has different aroma and taste at different stages:

1. The aroma of freshly ground coffee

two。 The aroma of coffee when brewing

3. The flavor of sipping coffee into the mouth

STEP.2 uses flavor wheel from the center.

It is suggested to start from the center and develop from the outside, the most basic taste is concentrated in the central position, extending outward to subdivide a more detailed flavor and taste. For example, when tasting, you can stop at one place and slowly extend to the depth, which will get a more accurate description. For example, when drinking coffee, the flower aroma can be felt in the mouth, which can be extended to the flower flavor area to find out more descriptive directions. The use of coffee flavor blocks is not limited to one, because there may be fruits, flowers and other various flavors, you can repeat the step test many times to confirm that it can fully describe the coffee flavor, and the use of the basic coffee flavor wheel has been mastered.

Adjectives on STEP.3 Flavor Wheel

Flavor wheel chart is a word used according to the World Coffee Research Sensory Lexicon standard. Most flavor wheel users will not be trained to use a set of standard attribute theories for coffee scientific research and training, but vocabulary can still determine the standard attributes on the flavor wheel, and cup testers can seek clear and clear descriptions.

STEP.4 recommends recording the memory aroma and taste you feel.

Can refer to the vocabulary of WCR as a reference explanation basis, according to their own taste of the aroma, taste recorded, according to the chart block, find out the corresponding words, can be quoted as the basis of positioning taste.

The relevance of STEP.5 adjectives

To understand the attributes of the vocabulary, and then go back to the center of the chart, you can use a specific attribute to describe the coffee you have just tasted, and check the surrounding properties. There are spaces between attributes, and there are different spatial distances. If two attribute units are connected, they are related; if there are small spaces, they are not so closely related. The greater the distance between the spacers, the less similar the attribute correlation.

The color marked on the STEP.5 flavor wheel means

People's vision will be affected by the color of the food, and then produce impressions and taste and other official connections. For this reason, visual terms can be used to describe the taste of coffee drunk. For example, coffee may taste "bright". With this awareness, you can see the color on the flavor wheel and try to connect various descriptions and colors to express the attribute. It can help people with uncertain directions to find descriptions, such as when they feel nuts, they can be guided to the brown area according to the flavor wheel. Look for adjectives with similar flavors such as hazelnuts or almonds.

SCAA coffee flavor wheel is only a reference scale, everyone who drinks coffee feels different in taste and aroma, because everyone's experience or cognition may not be the same, and there will be differences in the taste of coffee described. No matter whether it is correct, every opinion has reference value, and you can express your opinions frankly over coffee.