The Flavor Perception in Coffee Series, a collaborative effort by the Specialty Coffee Association of America and World Coffee Research, is designed to be a tool for the coffee taster. As a tool, it is meant to be intuitive, enjoyable to use, and a benefit to those who seek to analyze and describe coffees. The WCR Lexicon is the largest collaborative research project on coffee’s flavors and aromas ever done. Created at the Sensory Analysis Center at Kansas State University, the lexicon identifies 110 flavor, aroma, and texture attributes present in coffee, and provides references for measuring their intensity. These new posters expand on the popular Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel by including the WCR Lexicon attributes and their references.

The Flavor Perception in Coffee Series, a collaborative effort by the Specialty Coffee Association of America and World Coffee Research, is designed to be a tool for the coffee taster. As a tool, it is meant to be intuitive, enjoyable to use, and a benefit to those who seek to analyze and describe coffees. The WCR Lexicon is the largest collaborative research project on coffee’s flavors and aromas ever done. Created at the Sensory Analysis Center at Kansas State University, the lexicon identifies 110 flavor, aroma, and texture attributes present in coffee, and provides references for measuring their intensity. These new posters expand on the popular Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel by including the WCR Lexicon attributes and their references.

The Flavor Perception in Coffee Series, a collaborative effort by the Specialty Coffee Association of America and World Coffee Research, is designed to be a tool for the coffee taster. As a tool, it is meant to be intuitive, enjoyable to use, and a benefit to those who seek to analyze and describe coffees. The WCR Lexicon is the largest collaborative research project on coffee’s flavors and aromas ever done. Created at the Sensory Analysis Center at Kansas State University, the lexicon identifies 110 flavor, aroma, and texture attributes present in coffee, and provides references for measuring their intensity. These new posters expand on the popular Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel by including the WCR Lexicon attributes and their references.

Green Arabica Coffee Classification System, also referred to as the Green Defect Poster. Use this as a resource to show your employees or your customers the image samples of the defects that might be present in green coffee and how they affect the grade of coffee.

The aim of this handbook is to provide a practical resource for the specialty coffee community while contributing to the body of scientific evidence on coffee freshness of roasted coffee.

In the first part of this handbook, we explore relevant studies in the field of coffee science and recent research conducted by the Coffee Excellence Center at Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). Their pioneering research sheds further light on identifying physical changes that can be used to quantify freshness. We then move to a complementary set of experimental studies on sensory perception of freshness and subsequent staling in roasted coffee over time. In this illuminating member-driven experiment conducted by the Roasters Guild, we learn about the sensory impacts of packaging and aging coffee.

Originally published in 1995, one of the most iconic resources in the coffee industry, the Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel, has been the industry standard for over two decades. In 2016, this valuable resource was updated in collaboration with World Coffee Research (WCR). The foundation of this work, the World Coffee Research Sensory Lexicon, is the product of dozens of professional sensory panelists, scientists, coffee buyers, and roasting companies collaborating via WCR and SCA. This is the largest and most collaborative piece of research on coffee flavor ever completed, inspiring a new set of vocabulary for industry professionals.