---
title: ☕️ Coffee flavor
tags: food
description: Coffee flavor
image: https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_banners/3540691454/1535710532/1500x500
---

<h1 style="text-align: center;">☕️ Coffee flavor</h1>

*See [coffee beans open info](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OW0JKLS41LJk-a7CvxT3-ngXSZ3PXzbIr9RCAOjQ0C4/edit#gid=0)*

# Taste vs flavor

#### Taste

- Perception based on the receptors on the tongue and in the mouth and throat

#### Flavor

- Taste and odor
- Odor
- Fragrance: Dry
- Aroma: Steam

# Base coffee flavors

#### Types

- Bitter
- Sour
- Salty
- Sweet

#### The tongue largely interprets taste

- Specific parts of the tongue are more sensitive to certain tastes

#### Resources

- [Tongue map](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongue_map) *on Wikipedia*
- [What to Know About Your Sense of Taste](https://www.healthline.com/health/types-of-taste) *by healthline*

# Flavor wheel

#### Steps

1. Look at the flavor wheel: [Interactive Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel](https://notbadcoffee.com/flavor-wheel-en/) *by notbadcoffee.com*
2. Start at the center with the more broad flavors and work outwards to the more specific flavors choosing and/or adding flavors along the way
a. Repeat the process for as many types of flavors that you discover
b. Better understand the meaning of certain flavors if needed by using the [Sensory Lexicon](https://worldcoffeeresearch.org/resources/sensory-lexicon)

#### Sample flavors

- Fruit
- Measured by sweetness, acidity, sourness, and color
- Red fruit
- High sweetness, low acidity, medium sourness, and dark
- E.g. Strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, cherry, pomegranate, etc.
- Yellow and green fruit
- High sourness, high acidity, low sweetness, and light
- E.g. Lemon, lime, apple, pineapple
- Orange fruit
- High sourness, high sweetness, medium acidity, and dark
- E.g. Orange, peach, papaya
- Other fruit
- Medium sweetness, low acidity, low sourness, and light
- E.g. Coconut
- Sweet
- E.g. Honey, sugar, panela
- Cream
- E.g. Milk, yogurt, coconut, etc.
- Cacao/chocolate
- E.g. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, etc.
- Salt
- Smoke
- E.g. Wood or burnt
- Floral (Herbal)
- E.g. Teas like rooibos, mint, lavender, rose, etc.
- Vanilla
- Nuts
- Hazelnut, walnut, pecan, almond, peanut, etc.
- Fermented
- E.g. Wine and whiskey
- Spice
- E.g. Cinnamon

#### Compounds

- There are >1,000 chemical compounds in coffee
- *See [List of chemical compounds in coffee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_chemical_compounds_in_coffee) by Wikipedia*

#### Resources

- Created by [Specialty Coffee Association (SCA)](https://hackmd.io/@openinfo/coffee/https%3A%2F%2Fhackmd.io%2F%40openinfo%2Fcoffee-orgs#Specialty-Coffee-Association-SCA) of America and [World Coffee Research (WCR)](https://hackmd.io/@openinfo/coffee/https%3A%2F%2Fhackmd.io%2F%40openinfo%2Fcoffee-orgs#World-Coffee-Research-WCR) in 1995
- Based on the [Sensory Lexicon](https://worldcoffeeresearch.org/resources/sensory-lexicon) *by World Coffee Research (WCR)*
- [How to Use the Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel in Eight Steps](https://sca.coffee/sca-news/how-to-use-the-flavor-wheel-in-eight-steps) *by Specialty Coffee Association (SCA)*
- [Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel](https://sca.coffee/research/coffee-tasters-flavor-wheel) *by Specialty Coffee Association (SCA)*

# Roast type

#### About

- The roast type is determined by the temperature and length of roasting
- The beans are the freshest within the first 1-2 weeks after roasting

#### Medium

- Medium roasts are more flavorful than darker roasts

#### Dark

- Dark roasting burns away many of the healthy antioxidants
- Burnt bean flavor could be a sign of carcinogens due to acrylamide
- Acrylamide is created naturally when certain foods reach high temperatures through a chemical reaction

#### Light

- Light vs dark roast caffeine level differences are negligible
- Light roasts have a higher level of a carcinogen (Acrylamide) than dark roasts
- Acrylamide levels are higher early in the heating process and then decline

#### Resources

- [Light Roast vs. Dark Roast Coffee: Nutrition and Caffeine](https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/light-vs-dark-roast-coffee#caffeine-contents) *by healthline*
- [Acrylamide in Coffee: Should You be Concerned?](https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/acrylamide-in-coffee) *by healthline*
- [Is the Acrylamide in Coffee Actually Bad for You?](https://www.livestrong.com/article/13770306-acrylamide-in-coffee/) *by Livestrong*
- [Acrylamide](https://www.fda.gov/food/process-contaminants-food/acrylamide) *by FDA*
- [Burnt Food and Carcinogens: What You Need to Know](https://blog.dana-farber.org/insight/2019/09/does-burnt-food-cause-cancer/) *by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute*

# Fermentation

#### About

- Fungus, bacteria, and yeast feed off of the coffee bean pulp and natural sugars
- The byproducts are alcohols, acids, and esters

#### Flavors

- Creaminess
- Sweetness, e.g. honey: Fermented with pulp
- Cacao/chocolate: Fermented a longer time

# Natural vs synthetic flavor

#### Synthetic chemicals are used in some flavored beans

- Basic aromatics like chocolatey, nutty, spices, juniper fruit, stone fruit, or floral finish are brought out naturally with no chemicals.
- Other flavors like pumpkin spice, vanilla, etc. are likely chemical based.

#### To research

- What sort of chemicals are used and are there potential negative health impacts?
- Do most single-origin beans have their natural flavors without the synthetic chemical process?
- *See [How are Coffee Beans Flavored](https://coffeeinformer.com/flavored-coffee-beans/) by Coffee Informer*

#### Hand vs machine separated beans

- Beans that are hand separated have a stronger natural flavor
- Hand separated beans retain more of the natural fruit flavor vs machine separated beans

# Coffee species

#### About

- The quality and flavor of coffee beans are determined by the species of coffee tree
- Coffee trees are both naturally and genetically modified
- The speed of the coffee growth impacts flavor
- The longer the growth time the better the flavor
- Can be ≥ 1 year to grow high quality coffee
- Surrounding plants may or may not impact the coffee beans flavor
- This is a theory that there are multiple opinions on
- Tea can be made from the coffee bean extract that results from the peeling process

#### Resources

- [Tropicália cupping class > Arbol de variedades (Variety tree)](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0497/5398/1083/files/QR_catacion_info_copia_INGRLES.pdf?v=1688646139)
- Purple: Darker, e.g. Cacao
- Red: Floral (Herbal)
- Larger circles: Represent main species "the mother tree"
- [World Coffee Research (WCR) variety tree](https://hackmd.io/@openinfo/coffee/https%3A%2F%2Fhackmd.io%2F%40openinfo%2Fcoffee-orgs#World-Coffee-Research-WCR): [varieties.worldcoffeeresearch.org](https://varieties.worldcoffeeresearch.org)

#### Rare

- Eugenioides
- Unique flavors, e.g. High sweetness
- Low caffeine content
- *See [Coffee Plants of the World](https://sca.coffee/research/coffee-plants-of-the-world) by [Specialty Coffee Association (SCA)](https://hackmd.io/@openinfo/coffee/https%3A%2F%2Fhackmd.io%2F%40openinfo%2Fcoffee-orgs#Specialty-Coffee-Association-SCA)*

# Cupping

#### About

- The process of discovering coffee bean flavors through fragrances, aromas, and tastes
- [Tropicália cupping class](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0497/5398/1083/files/QR_catacion_info_copia_INGRLES.pdf?v=1688646139)
- *See [coffee beans open info](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OW0JKLS41LJk-a7CvxT3-ngXSZ3PXzbIr9RCAOjQ0C4/edit#gid=0) for types of roasts and class info*

#### Steps

1. Smell the dry roasted coffee grounds and make note of the fragrances
2. Pour [hot water](https://hackmd.io/@openinfo/coffee/https%3A%2F%2Fhackmd.io%2F%40openinfo%2Fcoffee-brewing#Hot) onto the grounds in a container to brew the coffee
a. Do not use a coffee filter
b. Smell the vapor and make note of the aromas
3. Taste and make note of the flavors
a. Use a large spoon to slurp the brewed coffee from the top of the cup
b. Taste the flavor when it is hot, warm, and cool