Flavor Wheel and the Sensory Lexicon

Jun 26

Here at CoLabOps we teach Barista, we teach Roasting, we teach Brewing, but the one thing that we teach that runs through all of these is: We Teach Sensory!

Sensory is the common thread with all the coffee skills that we teach because if we haven’t honed our palate, if we don’t know how to taste critically, honestly, and in an organized manner then it’s almost impossible to find the flavors and executions we are looking for in our coffees.

Fortunately for us, many intelligent & organized people have done a lot of work ahead of us to make our lives easier. One of the most powerful tools these palate pioneers have bequeathed is the SCA Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel.

*The Specialty Coffee Association’s Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel.*

Initially launched in 1995 and evolved to its current state in 2016, the Flavor Wheel is your one-stop shop for commonly agreed upon attributes that can be found in specialty coffee, observed in the U.S.

Besides being a go-to guide for what you are likely to find when you are sipping and slurping, the Flavor Wheel is also categorized in a way that novice tasters can use to explore from broad flavors in the middle to gradually more specific as you work your way out. Does the coffee taste fruity? What kind of fruit? A Berry? What kind of berry? Blueberry! The same can be done with any of nine broad categories working your way to more and more specific flavors as you develop your sensory skills.

From the WCR Sensory Lexicon - The Blueberry reference is the slightly dark, fruity, sweet, slightly sour, musty, dusty, floral aromatic associated with blueberry. These definitions are one of the great advantages of using this tool. *Check out this Instagram page for a nice reference.*

But how do we define these flavors?

The World Coffee Research organization had the same question and worked with The Sensory Analysis Center at Kansas State University and thus was born the Sensory Lexicon. The Lexicon is a comprehensive list of 110 flavors, textures, and aromas present in coffee with specific and easily obtainable references (in the US, anyway).

The flavor wheel as a tool, however efficient and organized it is, can be daunting, and this is why we love to take the time to acquire as many of these references as possible and create a tasting experience along with a cross section of coffees with similar attributes.

Our Exploring the flavor class will offer a chance to do just that, in a laid back and conversational environment with our skilled. team as well as a group of peers looking to dive into the world of sensory without needing to be a sommelier.