FrontStreet Coffee Barista Examination: Understanding FrontStreet Coffee's Random Assessment Tests

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Introduction

Some of you may have noticed that FrontStreet Coffee conducts periodic "spot checks and exams." Why do we hold these exams? Besides testing our familiarity with coffee beans, the more important purpose is to present everyone with a good cup of coffee, allowing you to enjoy the taste and story behind each cup. How are these exams conducted? Of course, it's not as simple as brewing a single-origin coffee. What exactly is the process? Let me first introduce the scoring record sheet we use:

The scoring sheet from the World Brewers Cup Championship (WBrC)

1. Wet Aroma

Essentially, the characteristics of coffee's wet aroma correspond to its production region. However, the intensity of wet aroma is typically related to coffee freshness, measured by the duration between roasting date and usage date, while also being influenced by how well the packaging isolates moisture and oxygen. Wet aroma refers to the fragrance of coffee liquid. Generally, the wet aroma of coffee is far less pronounced olfactorily than dry aroma. When identifying wet aroma, we typically do this while the coffee temperature is still high, utilizing the volatilization of coffee liquid to distinguish the wet aroma.

2. Flavor

Flavor represents the main characteristics of coffee - it's the "middle phase" of sensory experience, including various tastes and aromas, even the fragrances perceived in the nasal cavity and mouthfeel, situated between the first impressions from wet aroma and acidity and the final aftertaste. Flavor integrates all taste bud perceptions and retronasal olfactory impressions of coffee. This scoring item must include the intensity, texture, and complexity of taste and wet aroma, using vigorous slurping to engage all taste buds in this flavor evaluation. If you're truly unsure how to describe it, you can refer to the flavor wheel:

How to identify the flavor of single-origin beans? How to correspond them to aroma bottles?

3. Aftertaste

The definition of aftertaste is the duration that positive flavor characteristics (taste and aroma) remain on the back of the tongue after coffee has been swallowed or spit out. After slurping, various tastes, aromas, or textures that remain in the mouth - good flavors linger longer. For example, sweetness remains clearly in the mouth and even dissipates after spitting out the coffee.

If the aftertaste is short or carries negative characteristics, thereby reducing the experience of that cup of coffee, it will receive a lower score; if this aftertaste enhances the experience of that cup of coffee, it will receive a high score. This item will score highly; conversely, no aftertaste, or very short, will result in a low score.

4. Acidity

When acidity has positive flavor characteristics, it's often described as the "brightness" of coffee. Good acidity won't be vinegary; even when bright and lively, you can detect diverse acids like citrus, berries, or sweet lemon, as well as melon-like sweet acids or the crisp fruit acids of freshly ripened apples. When carrying negative flavors, it's described as "sourness." Bad acids are like unripe fruits or vinegar, while some undesirable acids like overripe or spoiled fruits can detect fermentation acids or rotten fruit.

In the best cases, acidity gives coffee sweetness, lively texture, and fresh fruit flavor characteristics, and is usually immediately felt and measured when drinking coffee. However, overly strong or prominent acidity might feel uncomfortable, and excessive acidity may not be appropriate for presenting the coffee's flavor characteristics.

The final score marked on the horizontal scoring scale must reflect the acidity quality perceived by the judge, based on the flavor characteristics expected from the coffee's production region's terroir or other factors (roast level, brewing purpose, etc.).

During exams, we require linking coffee-related information, including origin details, variety, and processing method, and conveying this in the coffee presentation. Whether acidity intensity is high or low, if the acidity quality is good, it will reflect positively in both the score and overall impression.

5. Body

How to understand body? Viscous espresso can be said to be a manifestation of body. Besides viscous espresso texture having high body, juiciness can sometimes also impart a high body mouthfeel (imagine drinking soup, juice, or good tea). Body isn't some标志性 taste our palate can detect, but rather a feeling, a sense of weight.

The quality of body is based on the mouthfeel of the beverage in the mouth, especially the sensation between the tongue surface and upper palate. Coffee with "heavy" or "light" body might both receive high scores in texture quality because the liquid has good quality tactile sensations in the mouth. However, some coffees with relatively "light" body might also have pleasant sensations in the mouth. Coffee with heavier mouthfeel or lighter body can both achieve relatively high scores in body texture performance, although their intensities are completely different.

6. Balance

Balance refers to whether all coffee evaluation items are harmonious. Balance integrates all elements of the coffee, including flavor, aftertaste, acidity, and body, presenting complementary or contrasting sensations. If coffee lacks certain aromatic or taste qualities, or if some characteristics are too strong, the balance score will be lower. For example, does the acidity still turn sweet even though it's bright? Is the texture viscous but not astringent? Whether the various flavors of coffee are harmonious will determine the score for this item.

7. Overall Impression

The "Overall Impression" score reflects the judge's most comprehensive and complete feeling about the brewed beverage. If a coffee drink performs well on many levels but isn't "quite there," it will still receive a lower score. To get a high score in this item, you must fully present a coffee's unique terroir characteristics in flavor and meet the expectations set by those characteristics. The best example: if a judge has certain preferred characteristics that aren't properly highlighted in individual scoring items, the score for overall impression might be higher to reflect the performance of that characteristic. This item allows judges to evaluate based on personal perception.

As the coffee cools, judges will score each item at three different temperatures:

(1) "Hot" is defined as approximately 70°C

(2) "Warm" is defined as approximately 40°C

(3) "Cold" is defined as between 25°C and 30°C

Record the beverage's score on the scoring scale, mark a line on the intensity scale and circle it to indicate the quality level. If the measured level changes (if certain characteristics enhance or diminish in quality as it cools), draw another line on the intensity scale to indicate the new level, and draw an arrow to mark the direction in which the score was finally modified.

When the beverage temperature reaches 25°C, scoring stops. After comprehensively considering all sensory characteristics, the judge determines the overall impression score based on this.

Judges must clearly mark the "Hot," "Warm," and "Cold" stage scores on the horizontal scoring scale of the score sheet, using the letters H, W, C respectively, or by circling and using arrows to indicate how quality changes over time.

Judges will record detailed sensory evaluation experiences in the notes section of the score sheet as scoring reference and to help competitors understand the evaluation situation. Judges must limit their content to describing feelings about the coffee beverage from a sensory evaluation or customer perspective, avoiding criticism of brewing techniques. (For example, describing flavors as "sharp acidity" or "burlap bag taste" is acceptable. "Brewing time too long" or "under-extracted" are not appropriate comments.)

Scoring Scale

Limited to the following ranges:

Judges must score using this scale: Good, Very Good, Excellent, and Outstanding. Judges cannot give scores below 6.00. Below "Good" is counted as 6.00 points.

Each scoring item uses a horizontal scoring scale (left to right) to measure the relative quality perceived for that item, with the assessment of the beverage's quality based on the judge's experiential understanding of quality.

Some items also have vertical scoring scales. Vertical scoring scales (top to bottom) are used to mark the intensity of sensory parts as a record and reference, and are not included in the score.

After evaluation is complete, the scores will be recorded in the "Total" column of each table. The scorekeeper will calculate the accumulated total score for each item.

Having said so much, what's the actual exam process? And how do you introduce this coffee bean? Let's take 【Elida Natural Typica】 as an example and create a presentation script:

Today I'm brewing an amazing coffee bean 【Elida Natural Typica】. As the name suggests, it comes from Elida Estate, located in the Boquete region of Panama. Boquete is a town in Chiriqui Province, situated near the border between Panama and Costa Rica, close to the famous Baru Volcano. The east-to-west environment allows cold air currents flowing through the central mountains to converge above 1670 to 1850 meters, creating multiple microclimates in the Boquete region. This makes the temperature and rainfall very suitable for plant growth, so coffee trees planted here grow in excellent condition.

Only 30 hectares of the estate are used for growing coffee trees, with the rest remaining as primary forest. In such a high-altitude environment, low temperatures cause a delay in coffee cherry maturation - about a full month later than normal maturity periods. The fertile volcanic soil provides ample nutrients for the coffee, and combined with the excellent microclimate brought by Baru Volcano, allows Elida Estate to consistently achieve excellent results in cupping competitions.

Elida Estate mainly grows three varieties: Catuai, Typica, and Geisha. The estate's processing plant is located halfway up the mountainside, so coffee can be transported to the factory for processing immediately after picking to ensure the quality of coffee cherries isn't affected. The estate is now inherited by descendants of the Lamastus family. This particular bean variety is Typica, one of the oldest Arabica coffee species discovered today. Arabica originated from Ethiopia, and this species still grows naturally in the local primary rainforest highlands today.

The Typica variety has elongated beans, tall plants, oval-shaped cherries, and slightly inclined branches. Typica has four slender branches that spread out at a 50-70 degree angle. Coffee yield per tree is very low, but cupping scores are very high.

Estate owner Mr. Wilford has put considerable effort into harvesting and processing. To achieve the highest standards, only hand-picking of the most ripe coffee cherries is allowed. High fruit maturity means higher sugar content in the mucilage, which is the foundation for producing quality flavors. Using refined natural processing, placed on raised beds with shade nets, and turned irregularly. After drying, it undergoes "purification" - more rigorous than industry standards, requiring over 5 months of low-temperature resting to remove greenness, allowing the coffee flavors to develop more balanced and fully.

This bean is medium-light roast to preserve its caramel and light floral notes. Today I'm using 90°C water, BG 5R (American sieve passes 60%), with a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, using V60 three-stage brewing. I chose the V60 dripper because it can extract layered flavors in a short time. First, bloom with 25g water for 30 seconds. First pour to 120g, using a small water flow from inside to outside in slow circles, slightly faster on the outer circles. When the liquid level drops by 1/3-1/2, start the second pour to 225g, increasing water flow and circle speed slightly. Stop extraction at 2:05 seconds.

This cup of 【Elida Natural】 has jasmine flowers and orange acidity in the front, cantaloupe, cane sugar, and jackfruit sweetness in the middle, and grapefruit and green tea notes in the finish. Overall cleanliness is high, with smooth entry. I hope you'll enjoy it!

This is our daily exam process - from a coffee bean's growing information to cupping, brewing, and tasting. We baristas work with dedication, striving to present better flavors to everyone~

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473