How to Use the SCAA Flavor Wheel? Slurping Techniques for Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha? How to Evaluate Consistency, Cleanliness, and Mouthfeel?

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How to Use the SCAA Flavor Wheel and Cupping Techniques

How to use the SCAA flavor wheel? What are the cupping techniques for Hacienda La Esmeralda's Green Label? How to evaluate consistency, cleanness, and mouthfeel?

Before coffee green beans are shipped worldwide, they first undergo cupping by local coffee farmer associations or processing plants to confirm the beans' aroma and flavor, followed by reclassification. Only after completing cupping are they shipped. True cupping has standardized regulations for both "roasting" and "evaluation methods"; in other words, the core purpose of cupping is to experience the most original flavor of a coffee bean under "identical conditions." The importance of the flavor wheel lies in unifying the language used by different people to describe coffee flavors. This consistency and research results on taste sensations help industry professionals communicate when studying coffee flavors, while also determining how and where to plant coffee beans. Professional coffee organizations like the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) have even more detailed cupping forms. In addition to the items mentioned above, they also evaluate "uniformity," "cleancup," "mouthfeel," "overall," "taint," and "fault." Therefore, using cupping to judge coffee flavor and mouthfeel and determine the quality level of a coffee is an extremely scientific method. Typically, we use a water-to-coffee ratio of 1:18, water temperature of 94°C, and wait 4 minutes after pouring water before breaking the crust to cup the coffee bean's flavor.

This coffee flavor wheel can be used by both general coffee enthusiasts and professional cuppers, with the key point being "careful tasting of coffee." Tasting coffee reveals different aromas and mouthfeels at different stages:

1. The aroma of freshly ground coffee
2. The aroma when coffee is being brewed
3. The flavor when cupping coffee into the mouth

STEP.2 Using the Flavor Wheel from the Center

It's recommended to start from the center and work outward. The most basic tastes are concentrated in the center position, extending outward to more detailed flavors and mouthfeels. When tasting, you can first pause at one position and slowly extend outward to get more precise descriptions. For example, when you perceive floral aromas in your mouth while drinking coffee, you can extend toward the floral flavor section to find more descriptive directions. You're not limited to using just one coffee flavor section, as there may be diverse flavors like fruits and flowers. You can repeat the steps multiple times to confirm you can completely describe the coffee flavor, thus mastering the basic usage method of the coffee flavor wheel.

STEP.3 Descriptive Vocabulary on the Flavor Wheel

The flavor wheel chart uses terminology from the World Coffee Research Sensory Lexicon standard. Most flavor wheel users won't be trained to use this standard set of attribute theories designed for coffee scientific research, but the vocabulary can still identify standard attributes on the flavor wheel, and cuppers can seek clear and precise descriptive terms.

STEP.4 Recommended Recording of Perceived Aromatic Memories and Mouthfeel

You can refer to WCR vocabulary as a reference for explanation, record the aromas and mouthfeels you perceive during tasting, and find corresponding words according to the chart sections to use as basis for positioning the mouthfeel.

STEP.5 Correlation of Descriptive Terms

Understanding the attributes of vocabulary and returning to the center position of the chart, you can use a specific attribute to describe the coffee you just tasted, while also checking surrounding attributes. There are spaces between attributes with different spatial distances. If two attribute units are connected, it indicates these attributes are related; if there are small spaces, it indicates the correlation is not so close. The larger the separation distance, the less similar the attribute correlation.

STEP.5 Meaning of Colors Marked on the Flavor Wheel

People's vision is influenced by food colors, which in turn create sensory connections with impressions and mouthfeels. For this reason, visual terminology can be used to describe the taste of the coffee you drink. For example, coffee might taste "bright," and with this awareness, you can see the colors on the flavor wheel and try to connect various descriptions and colors to express that attribute. This can help people who are uncertain about direction seek descriptive terms. For example, when perceiving nutty flavors, you can follow the flavor wheel's guidance to the brown color section to find similar tastes like hazelnut or almond adjectives.

The SCAA Coffee Flavor Wheel is just a reference scale. The mouthfeel and aroma perceived by each coffee drinker are not entirely the same, because everyone's experience or cognition may not be identical, leading to differences in describing coffee flavors. Regardless of correctness, every opinion has reference value. When drinking coffee, you can frankly express your own opinions.

Freshly roasted coffee beans are not immediately cupped but are left to mature for a period, allowing the coffee beans time to awaken and develop more complete flavors. Typically, the standard cupping time for cupping competitions is between 8 to 24 hours after the coffee beans are roasted, and each bean will have three or more cuppings, allowing competition judges to evaluate the consistency of coffee flavors.

Purpose of Cupping:

1. To identify coffee quality through scientific methods.
2. For beans from the same origin with different roasting methods, determine which roasting method and level is best.
3. For beans from different origins with the same roasting method and level, determine which origin is the best.

What is Needed for Cupping?

1. 4-5 types of green beans and roasted beans
2. Grinder
3. Plates
4. Glasses
5. Spoons
6. Empty bowls
7. Scale
8. Electric kettle
9. Water
10. Cupping forms

Coffee Cupping Brewing Standards:

Dry clean the grinder before grinding. Water quality TDS specification: 125-175ppm (Total Dissolved Solids). Water to coffee ratio: 1:19 - 1:20 (W/W)

Cupping Techniques:

• Smell dry fragrance (within 10 min after grinding)
• Pour hot water (93°C, within 10 min after grinding)
• Smell wet aroma (within 15 min after grinding)
• Crust breaking technique (surface disturbance)
• Slurping (high, medium, low temperatures)
• Small sip 5-10 cc
• Residence time 5-10 seconds
• Interval time 15-10 seconds

Cupping Steps:

1. First place plates containing 4 types of green beans and roasted beans on the table, selecting 4 types each of green and roasted beans. Each plate of green beans and roasted beans is accompanied by a glass, spoon, and empty bowl.
2. Pick up the plates containing green beans and roasted beans respectively, smell the flavors, judge the characteristics, confirm whether the green beans are moldy and the aroma of the roasted beans, and record the flavor of each bean in the cupping form.
3. After grinding different types of coffee beans, place 8-10 grams of coffee powder in each glass, then pour 120-150 ml of hot water around 92°C into each cup. Wait a moment for the coffee powder to settle and observe its solubility.
4. Gently stir the thick coffee surface with a spoon, bring your nose close to smell the aroma, and then record the flavor in the cupping form.
5. Use a spoon to scoop off the coffee grounds floating on the surface, then take a spoonful of coffee and put it in your mouth. Here, special attention should be paid to making a "slurping" sound when drawing the coffee into your mouth, but absolutely do not swallow it. Use your tongue to push the coffee liquid to your front teeth to judge its taste. Let the coffee liquid circulate in your mouth and chew its flavor; finally, spit the coffee liquid from your mouth into the empty bowl beside you.
6. Record the performance and flavor of the coffee beans at each stage in the cupping form to complete the cupping.

Main Content Reflected in Cupping Forms and Coffee Flavor and Mouthfeel

1. Fragrance: The aroma of coffee beans.
2. Aroma: The smell of coffee after brewing.
3. Body: The texture of coffee liquid in the mouth.
4. Flavor: The taste when coffee enters the mouth.
5. Acidity: Whether the coffee's acidity is bright, lively, sharp, or dull.
6. Sweetness: The intensity of sweetness left when the coffee liquid circulates in the mouth.
7. Aftertaste: The flavor and aroma remaining after tasting the coffee liquid in the mouth and spitting it out.

Using SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) standards for cupping, even indoor temperature and humidity must be carefully controlled. In terms of scores, 95 to 100 points is Outstanding, 85 to 89.99 is Excellent, 80 to 84.99 is Very Good, and generally speaking, anything over 80 points is specialty coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee Cupping [Hacienda La Esmeralda Green Label] Results:

The acidity upon entry is delicate and gentle. Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda [Green Label Geisha] has rich flavor layers. The moment it enters the mouth, floral and fruit aromas explode! With temperature-changing flavors, from jasmine and citrus to berries, honeysuckle, then transforming into fruit candy and oolong tea aroma, finally leaving a cantaloupe aftertaste.

Peach sweetness, along with honey aroma, is refreshing and comfortable, bright yet balanced, with extremely strong aromatic layers. The fruit sweetness and aftertaste are intense, and upon entry, it carries strawberry fruit aroma and strong yet gentle citrus-lemon acidity. Drinking it simply doesn't feel like the coffee impression you had in mind.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473