Tasting Notes: The Nose Knows!

Thus far in our seed to cup series we've touched briefly on roasting processes and typical taste profiles at the incremental roasting levels. In this article, we dive a little deeper into translating common words used to describe two of the four major cupping sensations.  These are centered around the sense of smell with fragrance and aroma.

Prior to the roasting process, “raw” green coffee beans contain molecules created on the coffee shrub during the fruit ripening cycle and de-pulping processes.  In their raw form, coffee beans are chemically stable and are able to be stored for 18 - 24 months.  During the roasting process, as heat is applied, molecules become fragile and through various chemical reactions will create smaller compound forms that contribute to the fragrances and aromas from the breakdown and re-combinations of amino acids, sugars and protein.  Coffee releases compounds through gases and volatiles for a few weeks post-roasting, including 2-furfurylhiol, the chemical that gives coffee that “coffee” smell.

Using correct words to describe the smell and taste of coffee is imperative to roasters.  Cupping, a methodic sampling of coffee farm lots utilized by professional tasters, occurs at multiple points in the coffee supply chain as it is a key tool in ensuring order fulfillment and shipping integrity.  Like wine, tea and bourbon, cupping coffee has language that translates these elusive sensations into a common language that describes them.

Four major taste sensations occur in different areas, starting with the nose.  Fragrance, or boutique, is the smell of dry coffee, especially strong immediately after grinding.  During the cupping process, dry grounds are placed in a cupping vessel and brought to the nose while tapped on the side to agitate them, exposing them to air.  Fragrance is also what you smell when picking up a valved bag of coffee while pushing out the carbon dioxide gases that are released in the few weeks after roasting. Taste is significantly affected by the sense of smell, making fragrance and aroma key factors in the coffee tasting experience.

After evaluating fragrances, just boiled water is added to grinds, and allowed to sit for 4 minutes.  A layer of wet grinds formed at the top of the surface is carefully pushed aside, breaking the “crust”, which briefly releases the aroma

Water soluble molecules rise into the air, via volatile vapors and gases that often intensifies fragrances but may open different aspects in the nose such as chocolate notes not detected in dry grounds

Aroma capture happens twice during a cupping, first through the nasal passages through the nostrils and then again post swallowing, up into the back of the nasal passages through the back of the mouth. 

In addition to enzymatic fragrances such as fruity, nutty, floral, herbal, dry distillation notes can bring out musty, cardboard, tobacco and spicy.  All of these are detected in the nose. Other descriptions may include the intensity of the sensation, including “fleeting” or “high” for fragrances that are subtle and faint.  

Aromas and fragrances are mostly influenced through the coffee shrub’s growing conditions and although coffee tastes have  been studied extensively, new information about soil conditions, including biome, mineral content and microclimate influence continues to be studied with complex and surprising results, including findings where certain mineral compounds increase favorable aromas in one region and decreased them in another, reminding us that the quest for the perfect cup of coffee continues to evolve in curious and surprising ways.

Newly combined growing conditions create a future leading to a multitude of delightful cups, keeping our morning daily routines interesting.  Mindfully connecting smelling sensations will train your nose and make each coffee cup even that much more enjoyable. By intentionally smelling your foods, freshly ground and brewed coffee you will start to recognize senses with a heightened appreciation for aromatic nuances within coffee.

In our next article, we further our tasting discussions and sip our way through the sensation of flavor.