The Art of Aroma Perception in Coffee

éditions J e a n L e n o i r éditions J e a n L e n o i r
© 1 9 9 7 © 1 9 9 7

S•u•g•a•r B•r•o•w•n•i•n•g
Carmelly Nutty Chocolaty
Caramel Roasted Dark Chocolate
The smell of caramel in coffee Hazelnuts The smell of dark chocolate in coffee
Aroma group Toasty The smell of roasted hazelnuts in coffee Aroma group Toasty

The scent is a powerful flavor Aroma group Toasty (dried fruits) This is one of coffee’s main features. We
enhancer and an important part might even be tempted to say that there
of the aroma of coffee. It is most Whether it be the scent of young is a good deal of chocolate in the smell of
noticeable and very typical in a and tender or of roasted hazelnuts, coffee. They do, indeed, have many things
brew of arabica. this fragrance always brings a in common: they both have beans as fruit;
certain sweetness to coffee’s they grow in the shade in tropical areas; their aromas are coaxed out
Reference Le Nez du Café range of aromas and is a sign of by roasting, and they are both said to be stimulants. This link between
standard #25 light roasting. It is much more prominent in the grounds, than in the coffee and chocolate is twice as striking in the grounds as in the brew.
brew, and is blatantly obvious in the arabicas, and even stronger in the
robustas. Reference Le Nez du Café

Fresh Butter Reference Le Nez du Café

standard #26
The smell of fresh butter in coffee standard #29
Aroma group Buttery

 his note, like that of melted butter, is

T Roasted Vanilla
a watertight guarantee of quality that
is common to all the great arabicas. It
Almonds The smell of vanilla in coffee
Aroma group Balsamic, sweet
brings voluptuousness and mildness, The smell of roasted almonds in coffee
and considerably enhances the range Aroma group Toasty (dried fruits)
of aromas in certain coffee. It is twice  basic, permanent feature essential to the
A
as noticeable in the brew, than in the balance of the coffee’s aroma. It fixes and
grounds, twice as important in the  his is one of the most attractive scents
T strengthens the other aromatic compounds,
arabicas, than in the robustas. around and it combines amazingly well bringing body, especially in the arabicas.
with the aroma of chocolate.
Reference Le Nez du Café
Reference Le Nez du Café

standard #18 Reference Le Nez du Café standard #10

standard #27

Roasted
To a s t
Peanuts Walnuts The smell of toast in coffee
The smell of roasted peanuts in coffee The smell of walnuts in coffee Aroma group Toasty
Aroma group Toasty Aroma group Toasty (dried fruits)
This is one of the toasty nuances that
When it is not too strong, it is a sign This scent is much more coffee roasters prize most and is a sign
of elegance and is sometimes called noticeable in the brew, than in of skillful roasting. If the coffee were to be
the Greek taste. Certain types of the grounds and more so in the roasted a second longer, this rich, refined
coffee have a natural tendency to arabicas, than in the robustas. scent would be lost, giving way to more
give off this scent and the Greeks It even dominates in a brew assertive, or even aggressive notes. These
often add raw peanuts to green of certain origins. It is detected mainly on the palate and persists even aromas of toasted bread blend beautifully
coffee beans to enhance it. when the other compounds have vanished. with those of butter in many coffees grown at high elevations.

Reference Le Nez du Café Reference Le Nez du Café Reference Le Nez du Café

standard #28 standard #30 standard #22

Sugar browning – aromatic compounds that are the result of the sugar browning (carmelization) reactions occurring during the roasting process.
Distributed by: Specialty Coffee Association of America • 330 Golden Shore, Suite 50 • Long Beach, California 90802 • Tel: 562.624.4100 Fax: 562.624.4101 • scaa.org
*Aroma research underwritten by the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia.