The QARR Coffee - Coffee Learning Tools

To be able to differentiate between great coffee and lower grade coffee, 2 conditions must be fulfilled. First is
exposure. Humans have an exceptional olfactory system that allow us to detect odour difference easily, but fall short of
identifying them. Next comes practice makes perfect, to identify the odour. And the prerequisite is to have a set of
standards or vocabulary for us to relate and communicate the odour.

While aroma gives the love-at-first-sight feeling, it is the taste or flavor that leaves a lasting impression. There is always
the mis-perception that coffee taste bitter, and sugar and milk/creamer blend well to give the sweet and silky smooth
sensation. On the contrary, coffee contains more than 800 volatile compounds that form its flavor. And the content of
which vary depending on the roast degree of the coffee beans, as well as the final delivery or serving to the cup.

In order to recognize and be able to communicate the aroma and flavor of coffee in the coffee industry, a set of tools
and standards/procedures are developed and defined. The list below, by no means, is complete. Nevertheless, it forms
the foundation for aspiring or seasoned coffee professionals and even aficionados or connoisseurs to pick up the basic
skills in coffee tasting or cupping.

Note that The QARR Coffee or The QARR Shop do not sell any of the learning tools mentioned here. If you are
interested in getting any of them, you can visit the SCAA website

Item

Remarks

Le Nez du Cafe Standard Set

LENEZ (The Nose of Coffee) is a set of 36 aromas that comprise the essences of
coffee. This training product was created by Jean Lenoir, David Guermonprez,
and Eric Verdier to provide a 'scent alphabet' that will help you learn to identify
the most typical aromas in the world's finest coffees. Comes together with a
manual with explanation of the 36 common aromas including examples of bean
origins that bear these individual flavor.

Theoretically there is no upper limit to the number of possible detected smells. It
is true, however, that humans are very good at detecting odours, but lack the
ability to identify them. When we smell an odour out of its normal context, it is
very common to experience the 'tip of the nose' phenomenon: we are familiar
with it, but just cannot remember its name. That is, it is easier to recognize the
scent of coffee in a coffee shop than in a theatre, because the context helps to
narrow down the list of potential odours. So, with this beginner's tool, it helps to
expand our knowledge and vocabulary of the coffee aroma, instead of the few
commonly used terms such as acidity, body, aroma, etc.

Soon you will realize that something is amiss in the coffee available to us in this
region, and this is partly because dark roast forms the dominant taste preference in
Asia, except Japan. Darker roast tends to mute the distinctive characteristics of
the origin coffee.

Available at SCAA

SCAA/Agtron Roast Color Classification System

To assist roasters (both commercial and home roasters) in ensuring consistent roast
and to define industry roast degree standards, Carl Staub has developed this color
classification kit that contains 8 color disks ranging from Very Light (tile #95) to
Very Dark (tile #25) roasts. Included in the kit are 2 petri dishes for sample
preparation, 2 black background sheets and a manual.

To use, simply grind the roasted coffee beans to espresso size, fill them into a
petri dish and start to compare against the disks to identify the closest match.

Available at SCAA

No picture available.

SCAA/Flavor Dynamics Taste Training Kit

A beginner's to advanced level book solely dedicated to home coffee roasting.
Whether you are already roasting coffee at home or contemplating of picking up
this hobby, this book is highly recommended. Comprehensive and thorough
coverage of the topic, it is informative and also served as a roasting guidebook for
home roasters.

Available at SCAA.

THE COFFEE CUPPER'S HANDBOOK by Ted Lingle

This is the official handbook in cupping coffee by coffee professionals.
Developed by Ted Lingle from SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America), it
is the most methodical and complete manual specifically for cupping. No fancy
graphics or beautiful pictures except for the Coffee Cupper's Flavor Wheel, it is a
must-have if you want to know how coffee flavor terminologies are being assigned
to a particular specialty coffee.

In addition, this book also covers the terms and procedures for the Le Nez du Cafe
and SCAA/Flavor Dynamics Taste Training Kits.

Available at SCAA

TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) Meter

The total dissolved solids meter measures the amount of dissolved minerals in the
water used in making coffee. The value should ranged between 100 to 200ppm
(parts per million). And the brewed coffee contains 1% coffee and 99% water, ie.
a concentration of 10,000 parts of coffee flavoring material for each 1 million
parts of water.

pH Meter

This measures the acidity of the brewed coffee. Typically, coffee acidity ranges
between 4.8 to 5.8, with 4.8 being very acidic. Espresso roast tends to have a pH
in the range of 5.2 to 5.6 (most common).

Note that, however, the pH reading does not necessary indicates the acidity level
of the coffee. That is, a brewed coffee may not taste as acidic as it's pH value
indicates. And different brewing method may yield different values as well.