TBC Preparation Tip #1.1: Understanding Sensory Scores

Whether you sign up or not

First of all, you must understand

TBC and WBC are both a game.

Of course, as long as it's a game, there will be rules.

Understanding the rules is something that a player and everyone on the team should try to do.

Knowing the rules of the game can make more effective use of resources.

This is especially important for players who are not full-time preparation for the competition.

The TBC score table is basically the translated version of the WBC score table.

If you have basic English skills, it is recommended to read the WBC version of the score table.

There are three kinds of scoring tables.

Respectively for sensory review, technical review and presiding judge.

There will be a lot of scoring items.

And there will be a brief introduction to the rules of that year on the website of the Taiwan Coffee Association.

There is a brief introduction to the regulations.

But

Here comes the point.

Whether it's a rule or a score sheet.

All you can see is what the judges need to judge.

There is no detailed description of the scoring benchmark.

And this will also be the main source of the score gap between the contestants.

The following is a rough description of what I have learned during the preparation for the competition.

PS. If there is anything to help correct or supplement during the period, it will be marked with different colors.

Sensory score scale

Part I-score of espresso

Color:

Hazelnut, dark brown and ochre are all possible colors in normal espresso. If not specified, the more dark brown and ochre, the higher the score.

PS. (s: not necessarily dark brown or ochre red, the higher the score, if the espresso surface has seen the color of the extract, points may also be deducted)

Consistency and persistence:

The judges will tilt the cup to see if you can see the coffee at a glance, and use a spoon to check the thickness and resilience of crema. Of course, the thicker, smoother and more mobile it is, the higher the score.

Taste balance performance:

Most people here have misunderstandings, including that before the competition, I always thought that coffee is as sweet as possible, it is best to bring some sour, and then there is no bitterness, but in fact, it is stipulated that there must be a balance between sweet and sour, any one of which is too prominent may lead to a decrease in scores, while the special aroma and taste are not unimportant in the scoring items. Instead, the rules regard ups and downs as the basic requirements, and the special taste is the element that gives the contestants a chance to get a higher score after the contestants' coffee meets the basic requirements.

PS: (s: attention must be paid not only to the balance between sweet and sour, but also to the balance of the front, middle and tail segments after drinking.)

Tactile performance:

If the taste is thick, smooth and round, the score will be high. Generally speaking, the mistake we often make is to show the aroma and sweet and sour feeling, and to make the taste more watery and thinner. In addition, astringency is also a common lack of points.

PS: (s: astringency is similar to acidity, there is a difference between good and bad, so we must pay attention to whether astringency is uncomfortable dryness or good astringency (very similar to some people say it is astringent white wine).

Part II-cappuccino

Appearance:

Before I met a few friends with competition experience or judging experience, I also focused on drawing flower patterns, whether there are many leaves, tulips can push several layers, can pull complex patterns … Etc, but there are several basic elements in the appearance in the competition (the same as the pull flower competition), whether there is a coffee circle, the degree of contrast, and whether the pattern is centered, so a simple love pattern without leaves, as long as it maintains the uniformity and integrity of the outer coffee circle, the edges are not burned off, and the pattern is set in the middle and symmetrical, then the score will be higher than the fern pattern with white coffee circles, blurred leaves and crooked leaves. In addition, whether the milk is meticulous and smooth will also affect the appearance score.

Milk foam consistency and persistence:

Sensory judges use spoons to poke milk bubbles for this purpose. Apart from looking at the thickness, they will also look at the fluidity of milk bubbles and see if there are coarse bubbles when plucked away, because the coarse bubbles seen from the surface are sometimes caused by crema. The ideal state is, of course, like a milkshake, smooth, meticulous and good fluidity. You can take a look at the WBC film, and for the first time, you will want to say that there must be no milk bubbles, very watery. In fact, it is because the integration is very good that it creates that illusion.

Taste:

There are several key points, the first is not to be too cold or too hot, the contestants can have their own ideas, but if it is cold (ex: 50 degrees) or too hot (ex: 60 degrees), then it is best to explain; the second is that the smell of coffee can never be suppressed by milk, and of course it can not be without milk sweetness and consistency, and then the main features of the concentrate will be even better if you can drink it.

The third part-Creative Coffee (I'm sorry I can't compete with this XD, so maybe not)

Detailed introduction and preparation:

Of course, it is about the introduction of the materials, why they are prepared, what the effect of the materials will be, the relationship with the coffee, how to make it, the more organized and detailed the introduction, the higher the score.

Appearance and combination functions:

Cups, plates and decorations all have their functions. Placing a bunch of unrelated things will not have a bonus effect. Instead, we must pay attention to whether the size of the cup is appropriate, and whether the shape and aroma and taste of drinking have a multiplicative effect.

Creativity, and the comprehensive effect of coffee:

Needless to say, this is more subjective, the comprehensive effect part, please note that the score item is the comprehensive effect of "and coffee", whether the effect caused by the ingredients is related to the elements of coffee, the more it can have an effect on coffee, the higher the score is likely to be.

Taste:

I heard before that creativity is the item with the biggest gap in scores, and this competition borrowed the score tables of many contestants, and it is true, because there is no clear standard for creative coffee, but it still seems that we can sort out a general direction. that is to be able to drink coffee flavor, and the characteristics of coffee itself still appear in creative coffee, you may have to ask yourself when you think about it. If this idea secretly replaces the coffee beans, will it still have the same effect? if the answer is yes, you may have to take the risk of not being favored by the judges.

PS: (s: to put it simply, the creative part of espresso should be the spindle, so the best way is to know what flavor characteristics your recipe has, and then consider which ingredients can be matched with these features.)

Part IV-contestant Evaluation

The professional level of the overall performance:

This score is very interesting. You can ask a question first. Does speaking professionally represent professionalism? A sales is full of hype, but does not show his function when using the product, which is not very good. If you want to be professional, you have to be like the sales of Channel 4.) I will show it to you immediately, so if the taste score is not high, the professional level will never be high, and the only way to get a high score is to cook well and speak well.

Ability to pay attention to detail / complete equipment:

During my practice, many people told me that to think of themselves as high-end restaurant waiters, hydration is the most basic thing to do, guests (judges) may try their best to meet their needs, and it is best to take good care of them.

Part V-overall impression

Overall performance:

In fact, it is still difficult for me to distinguish this item from the professional level of the fourth part, but basically I will find that the scores of the last few items are similar, and they will be very close to the average scores of each taste item.