How the flavour wheel for coffee works

The flavour wheel: advanced sensory analysis in the coffee world

How can scientific tools and technologies help to better understand and characterise the sensory qualities of coffee? The aroma wheel, developed by experts and used by sensory analysts, scientists and roasters, offers an intuitive and standardised method for evaluating and describing the complex aromas of coffee.

Over the decades, the sensory analysis of coffee has developed into a highly developed discipline in which the flavour wheel plays a central role. This standardised system, which was originally introduced in the food industry in the 1970s, helps professionals and coffee lovers alike to precisely describe the diverse aromas of coffee.

In recent years, the flavour wheel has undergone a significant update through the collaboration of leading organisations such as the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) and World Coffee Research (WCR). These updates reflect the current state of research and provide a comprehensive, scientifically sound basis for the sensory evaluation of coffee. Find out how to use the Aroma Wheel effectively and master the language of coffee flavours.

Flavour wheel - an intuitive instrument

Aroma wheels are a standardised system for the sensory description of coffee. They have been used in the food industry for various products since the 1970s. They provide a simple way of finding the right terms to describe coffee, wine or chocolate.

Flavour wheels are available in different versions. Some are limited to the main flavours and the most important aromas. Others are very detailed and distinguish more than a hundred attributes. None are complete or absolute. What they all have in common is the structure: the inner circle describes the basic categories and the outer circles differentiate further and further.

Aroma wheel 2.0 - reinventing the wheel

The flavour wheel of the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) has been updated for the first time in its 21-year history. The basis for this was the "World Coffee Research Sensory Lexicon", a product of numerous sensory experts, scientists, coffee traders and roasters. With its lexicon, the World Coffee Research (WCR) organisation has completed the most comprehensive coffee sensory research project to date. The result is a new set of attributes that form the basis for a common language for evaluating and assessing coffee.

The WCR used scientific approaches to create a tool that is descriptive, measurable and replicable. In light of this new research, the SCAA saw an opportunity to revise its flavour wheel. The strength of WCR research and the importance of the idea of a common language in coffee research were convincing. A flavour wheel compatible with the lexicon was needed.

Flavouring - how to get the hang of it

With their intuitive design, the flavour wheels are fun and easy to use. The following points will help you get the hang of using the flavour wheel correctly and effectively in no time at all.

Point 1: Coffee tasting

The flavour wheel can be used for a casual coffee tasting among friends as well as for professional cuppings. The key to success in all cases is attentiveness. Prepare the coffee carefully. Observe the coffee at various stages: the aroma after grinding, the flavours as soon as the coffee comes into contact with the water and the taste that fills the palate. The aroma wheel contains attributes for the entire continuum between the main flavours (perceived by the tongue) to the pure aromas (perceived by the nose). Most impressions are a mixture of sensory perceptions: The acidity and unique flavour of lemons, for example. Observe the coffee and its flavours carefully.

Point 2: Start in the centre

The design of the aroma wheel invites the user to start in the centre and work outwards. The basic descriptions are located near the centre and become more specific as the radius increases. For example, "fruitiness" is identified when tasting Ethiopian coffee. If you look at the attribute "fruity" in the flavour wheel, you are confronted with the decision: Does the fruitiness remind you of berries, dried fruit, citrus fruit or something else? If the user chooses "citrus fruit", the attribute can be narrowed down further: is it "grapefruit", "orange", "lemon" or "lime"? Once the outermost, finest attribute has been determined, the game starts all over again. Another flavour is picked out and identified as far as possible. The user can stop the game at any time and be satisfied with the level of description reached. The flavour wheel therefore works equally well at a simple level as it does for detailed descriptions by experts.

Point 3: Read the lexicon

For all those who want to get to the bottom of the attributes in the flavour wheel, we recommend reading the "World Coffee Research Sensory Lexicon". The lexicon is a good source of information for professional coffee tasters and the curious.

Point 4: Back to the centre

With the knowledge from the lexicon in mind, you can make use of another aspect of the flavour wheel. As with any flavour, the analysis starts in the centre and ends with the specific attribute on the outside of the flavour wheel. Not all attributes are arranged at the same distance from each other. If two attributes are connected, they are considered related. If there is a distance between the attributes, they are less closely related. The further the distance towards the centre, the less related the attributes are to each other.

Point 5: Pay attention to the colours

The sense of sight is closely linked to the other senses. The appearance of food reveals a lot about its flavour. This is why visual terms are often used in the vocabulary to describe coffee. It can taste "light", "red" or "green". With this in mind, the colours for the attributes in the flavour wheel were chosen appropriately. If it is difficult to find the right descriptor on the wheel at first, the colour may help. If the aroma of "red fruit" of any kind comes to mind, the user can search for the red-coloured attributes on the aroma wheel.