Specialty Coffee Association Releases New Coffee Flavor Wheel

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For the first time in 20 years the SCAA has revised the coffee flavor wheel to meet evolving taste pallets and demands. 

It is one of coffee's most iconic tools. The SCAA flavor wheel has been used all over the world by roasters, pickers, tasters and more. And for the first time in 20 years the SCAA has redone the flavor wheel to give the industry a better tool for tasting coffee. 

For those unfamiliar with the coffee flavor wheel, it is a tool used by coffee tasters to help properly identify the nodes and complexities encapsulated in your favorite cup of coffee. It allows the taster the ability to tie the coffee flavors to specific tastes and smells.

The new Flavor Wheel is the product of years of research and is based off of the World Coffee Research's Sensory Lexicon.  Royal Cup was a proud participant of this lexicon and enjoyed working with our industry partners in development. Our Q-Graded, coffee-taster Bruce Bria served with the group at Kansas State to further identify opportunities for growth on the flavor wheel.  We are excited about this groundbreaking new tool that will shift the way our industry thinks about and utilizes coffee flavor.

Our President of Food Service, Ben Pitts, currently serving as the VP of the Board of Directors for the SCAA had this to say about the release:

We are incredibly excited about the release of the new SCAA Flavor Wheel and the benefits it will bring to everyone in coffee. The new Flavor Wheel is built upon the World Coffee Research sensory lexicon, a coffee collaboration of industry leaders. Working together, we are preserving, growing, and celebrating coffee in ways that positively impact everyone from farmers to consumers everywhere. - Ben Pitts                        

For more on the Flavor Wheel's development and creation visit the SCAA's article HERE.

Take a look at the Flavor Wheel below!