Calibration or Flavors by Alina Vitrenko

Course Concept

Alina Vitrenko explained that in this lecture we will immerse ourselves in the world of spices.
To find descriptors in coffee, it is not enough just to know the theory or be able to calibrate. It is important to understand the products themselves - their origin, molecular composition, and even our own peculiarities of taste perception. This is exactly what we will focus on.

This course is part of a series dedicated to different groups from the "Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel" or a deeper dive into aroma and bouquet topics from the general sensory course.
This time, we will examine the group "Spices" - symbolizing the warm baking spicy season.

We will explore 15 spices - from sweet and baked to more pungent, ethereal, with notes of citrus, wood, earth, or flowers.
Besides calibrating this group, working with spices is an excellent way to train sensitivity because they are extremely diverse.

Before the practice, Alina will explain how we perceive aroma and flavor, where the spicy notes in coffee come from, and how each of us can recognize descriptors in our own way, since perception varies.
Then - lots of tastings, descriptions, calibration, coffee, and aromas.

Learning Plan:

1. Introductory lecture on aroma and flavor

2. Analysis of the main spices found in coffee and how they form

3.Aromatic molecules in spices and their "relatives" in other products

4. Presentation of spices we will memorize

5. Calibration practice - learning to describe and recognize 15 spices of various characters (including some quite unexpected)

6. Finding spices in coffee - practical test task