The original brewing control chart is overlaid with acceptability zones describing cup flavors. However, these terminologies (strong, bitter, weak, over, and under-developed) are outdated and their definitions are not standardized in the industry. In this lecture, the newest results from the UC Davis Coffee Center will be presented, which used the WCR Sensory Lexicon in order to elucidate new flavor attributes related to coffees of different strengths and extractions. The experiment evaluated a single origin coffee roasted to three different development times in order to assess the importance of roast on the flavor at different strengths and extractions. The position of the coffees on the brewing control chart was modified by using a programmable batch brewer. A descriptive analysis panel was used to capture the sensory profile of these coffees. The results presented will be used to update the descriptive zones of the new brewing control chart.

In today’s lecture by Dr. Scott Frost, you’ll learn all about how flavor can be modified through the brewing process, and how the control chart can be used to create different flavors for a specific coffee. 

Scott received his Master of Science in Viticulture and Enology and Ph.D. in Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry from the University of California, Davis. His graduate research focused on evaluating the sensory and chemical changes in wine as a result of specific enological practices. At the time of the recording, Scott worked at the UC Davis Coffee Center as a Postdoctoral Scholar. His project applies quantitative sensory methods to capture the sensory profile of brewed coffee.

Special Thanks to Softengine Coffee One, Powered by SAP 

This episode of the Expo 2019 Lectures podcast is supported by Softengine Coffee One, Powered by SAP.  Built upon SAP's business-leading Enterprise Resource Planning solution, Softengine Coffee One is designed specifically to quickly and easily take your small-to-medium coffee company working at any point along the coffee chain to the next level of success. Learn more about Softengine Coffee One at softengine.com, with special pricing available for SCA Members. Softengine: the most intelligent way to grow your business.

Related Links 

• Read a full transcript of this episode on SCA News
• See examples of the Lockhart Brewing Control Chart 
• Listen to other episodes of the SCA Podcast 
• Learn more about the upcoming 2020 Lecture Series at the Specialty Coffee Expo 

Episode Table of Contents

0:00 Introduction
3:20 The methodology and results of Scott Frost’s experiments
36:15 Audience questions
41:15 Outro