The Flavor Wheel develops a glossary of coffee terms based on sensory science and has become the standard that most cuppers today use in describing the coffee they buy and/or sell. According to Roast Magazine, ‘The flavor wheel has enjoyed 15 years in existence. It is used by the most seasoned coffee cuppers and newbies to boot, it employs familiar and professional vocabulary that is technical but approachable, and it adorns the walls of coffee professionals around the world. There have been thousands of copies sold since the first printing, and the wheel is available in both English and Spanish. The Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel was created in the late 1990s for the SCAA by Ted Lingle, the former executive director of SCAA and current executive director of the Coffee Quality Institute. There are two coffee tasting wheels on the poster; the left side refers to taints and faults, and the right side contains distinct aroma and flavor tasting attributes found in coffee. Time and again, the flavor wheel has been an invaluable resource for coffee professionals; it’s an easy way to provide terms for flavor, create confidence for the taster and help cuppers jog their memory when a tasting term is quite literally on the tip of the tongue.’

At La Semeuse, we use three different categories of senses to describe our flavors. Nose, Mouth and Memory. We use a gradient scale to indicate the varying degrees in Aroma, Strength, Body, Foam Formation and Degree of Roast. Each of our roasts can be described with terms such as, Aromatic, Sweet, Smooth, Generous, etc. Using this description method helps our clients and would be La Semeuse lovers better interpret what they are experiencing in each cup.