A GLOSSARY TO DESCRIBE THE AROMAS AND FLAVOURS OF COFFEE
We ali tend to describe thè aromas and flavours of coffee with our own personal terminology. This often reflects our subjective sensations only and makes it difficult, if not impossible, for others to perceive thè sanie sensation or to evaluate its true value.
This is thè reason why it is so important to learn a correct terminology to describe thè smeli and taste sensations in coffee tasting.
A standard terminology which is widely used by professional tasters was cata-logued by thè ICO in its Sensory Evaluation of Coffee as well as by a number of important companies working in thè sector, which are referred to in thè bibliography.
Since thè list of defmitions is extremely long and may show many overlapping cach othcr, hcrc follows a summary of them, to report only thè most important ones and thosc which are most frequently used in my opinion.
PLEASE NOTE; Considerine that commerciai negotiations, particularly those with foreign parties, are mainly conducted in English, thè defmitions only appear in this language.
A classification of terms
Olfactory Terminology
A) Variety
1. Fragrance
a) sweetly fiora
b) sweetly spicy
2. Aroma
a) fruity
b) herby
3. Olfactory
a) caramelly
b) nutty
e) malty
4. Aftertaste
a) carbony
b) chocolaty
e) spicy
d) turpeny
B) Intensity
1. neh
2. fiali
3. rounded
4. fìat
Taste Terminology
Basic tastes
1. sweet
2. salty
3. sour
4. bitter
Terminology of thè after-taste
Qualitative evaluation of thè structure of thè body
1. Oiliness
a) buttery
b) creamy
e) smooth
d) watery
2. Viscosity
a) heavy
b) thick
e) light
d) thin
3. Strength
a) stout
b) strong
e) regular
d) weak
Terminology to describe defective tastes
A) Associated with thè harvesting and drying stages of coffee production
1. earthy
2. fermented
3. hidy
4. musty
5. rioy
6. rubbery
B) Associated with thè phases of Storage and ageing
1. grassy
2. new crop
3. past crop
4. aged
5. strawy
6. woody
C) Associated with thè roasting/caramellisation phase
1. green
2. baked
3. tipped
4. scorched
D) Associated with thè period after thè roasting/ageing phase
1. fiat
2. vapid
3. insipid
4. stale
5. rancid
E) Associated with thè phase after infusion
1. acerbic
2. tarry
3. brackish