The Coffee Flavor Wheel: How Professionals Describe Coffee Taste

The Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel is a tool for naming the flavours and aromas a taster finds in a cup of coffee. It was first developed in 1995, redesigned in 2016 by the Specialty Coffee Association of America and World Coffee Research, and is now credited to the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) and World Coffee Research (WCR). This article explains where the wheel came from, how it was built, how to use it, the research vocabulary underneath it, and what its licence allows.

The full wheel is printed in an appendix of SCA Standard 103-2024 Coffee Value Assessment: Descriptive Assessment. The SCA has made that standard freely available for industry use.

What the Wheel Is

Two tasters slurping coffee from cupping spoons.

Two tasters slurping coffee from cupping spoons. Photo: DFID – UK Department for International Development / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

The wheel arranges flavour words in tiers. The most general words sit near the centre, and the words become more specific towards the edge. A taster starts at the centre, works outward, and can stop at any tier. The farther out the taster goes, the more specific the description can be. A taster who finds a coffee fruity, for example, can ask whether the fruit is closer to berries, dried fruit or citrus fruit. Under Berry, the wheel lists Blackberry, Raspberry, Blueberry and Strawberry. When two cells on the wheel are joined, the professionals who sorted its words thought of those flavours as closely related. Its colours were chosen to suggest the flavour each word names.

The wheel describes; it does not judge. It lets a taster say that a coffee tastes of molasses, but not whether that is good.

Where the Wheel Came From

The original wheel was developed in 1995 by Ted Lingle for the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA). It served as the coffee industry's standard for more than two decades. In 2016 the SCAA and World Coffee Research released a redesigned wheel. WCR describes it as the first redesign of the wheel in 20 years. Researchers at the University of California, Davis worked out the new wheel's structure. The Specialty Coffee Association was established in 2017, when the SCAA united with the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe. The SCA's pages now credit the wheel to the SCA and WCR, with a copyright date of 2016. The SCA's 2024 descriptive tasting standard names it the SCA/WCR/UC Davis Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel. The version printed in that standard is marked as version 3, copyright 2021.

How the 2016 Wheel Was Built

The 2016 wheel was built from the World Coffee Research Sensory Lexicon, a list of coffee's flavours, aromas and textures described later in this article. For the wheel, the lexicon was reduced to 99 flavour attributes. Astringency and all the texture, mouthfeel and amplitude terms were left out. Seventy-two people then sorted the 99 attributes into groups online, without tasting any coffee. They were 29 trained descriptive panelists at UC Davis and 43 coffee industry experts recruited by the SCAA. The researchers analysed the combined results statistically and divided them into nine main categories. The SCAA and the researchers then interpreted the results to create a second and a third tier under each category. Some changes were decided by experts at the SCAA and WCR, the researchers, and scientists at Kansas State University, to make the wheel a comprehensive tool. The study's authors note that very few flavour wheels in any food or drink industry have been made with a scientific method and a sensory lexicon.

Watch: Explaining the New SCAA Coffee Tasters Flavor Wheel — Torch Coffee

The Nine Categories

The wheel's nine main categories are Floral, Fruity, Sour/Fermented, Green/Vegetative, Roasted, Spices, Nutty/Cocoa, Sweet and Other. Each branches into more specific terms. In the 2016 design study, the Sour/Fermented category includes acetic, citric and malic acid among its terms. The design study sets out the categories and their terms in a table.

How to Use the Wheel

A hand recording scores with a pencil on a printed tasting form with numbered intensity scales, beside two cupping bowls of ground coffee.

A hand recording scores with a pencil on a printed tasting form with numbered intensity scales, beside two cupping bowls of ground coffee. Photo: Nguyen Tong Hai Van / Unsplash, Unsplash License.

The guide "How to Use the Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel in Eight Steps", published in February 2016 and now on the SCA's website, sets out the method. It tells the taster to start at the centre and work outward. It points out that every attribute in the WCR lexicon has a reference, and that many of these references can be bought in supermarkets or online. It describes the lexicon as a tool for sensory panels trained in descriptive analysis that also offers the professional taster a great source of information. The SCA's preparation guidance for its Q Grader course asks candidates to prepare sweet, salty and sour solutions following the "Taste Basics" section of the WCR Lexicon. Professional cupping is covered in Coffee Cupping: The Professional Tasting Method, and cupping at home in Cupping Coffee at Home: Equipment, Method and Building a Palate.

The Sensory Lexicon Underneath

The World Coffee Research Sensory Lexicon was developed by the laboratory of Edgar Chambers IV at the Sensory Analysis Center at Kansas State University and validated by the laboratory of Rhonda Miller at Texas A&M University. It identifies 110 flavour, aroma and texture attributes found in coffee and provides references for measuring their intensity. The sources differ slightly on the samples used to build it. WCR's lexicon document says the panelists evaluated 105 coffee samples from 13 countries. The published research paper on the lexicon says more than 100 samples from 14 countries. Its authors call it a "living" lexicon, because new terms should be added as needed for attributes it does not yet include. The lexicon is purely descriptive: it has no categories for good and bad attributes and does not allow coffee quality to be ranked. Most of its references carry an intensity score on a 15-point scale. A taster can therefore say not only that a coffee has blueberry, but that it has blueberry at an intensity of 4. WCR states that when trained sensory professionals use the lexicon properly, two people evaluating the same coffee will reach the same intensity score for each attribute, wherever they are. A typical panel has 5 to 7 tasters, who train for six to nine months before they begin evaluating samples. The second edition, Lexicon 2.0, was published in October 2017 and added new, globally available references for 24 of the attributes. WCR states that the lexicon is not a replacement for cupping or other sensory tools. WCR also states that the lexicon's purpose is to advance the understanding of coffee quality and how it is created, so that quality can continue to increase. The lexicon is free for anyone to download and print for personal use.

The Wheel at the Cupping Table

Two hands with two spoons breaking the crust of wet grounds in one cupping bowl, with further bowls on a steel table.

Two hands with two spoons breaking the crust of wet grounds in one cupping bowl, with further bowls on a steel table. Photo: René Porter / Unsplash, Unsplash License.

In November 2024 the SCA adopted three Coffee Value Assessment standards, which supersede the 2004 Cupping Protocol and Form. The SCA states that the new standards are freely available for industry use. One of them, SCA Standard 103-2024 for descriptive assessment, uses the Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel and prints it in an appendix. Under that standard, each word in the wheel's inner or middle circle also stands for a flavour category that takes in the words outside it. "Citrus fruit", for example, can be used on its own or can cover lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit. The standard states that intensity does not imply quality or desirability. The earlier SCAA cupping protocol, first published in 2004, asked cuppers to score the quality of a coffee's acidity against the flavour profile expected from its origin or from other factors such as degree of roast and intended use.

Acidity and Mouthfeel

Mouthfeel terms were left out of the wheel, but the SCA's descriptive standard defines both acidity and mouthfeel. It defines acidity as the perception of sour taste provoked by the brew, which may vary in intensity and character. It defines mouthfeel as the tactile perception of the brew in the mouth, not counting temperature. Mouthfeel includes the brew's thickness, its texture and other tactile properties such as astringency, the mouth-drying sensation. The standard lists "smooth" as a mouthfeel descriptor, with velvety, silky and syrupy given alongside it.

What the Licence Allows

The SCA states that the wheel is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). The licence has three conditions. Attribution: users must give appropriate credit, link to the licence and indicate if changes were made. NonCommercial: the licence defines non-commercial use as use not primarily intended for or directed towards commercial advantage or monetary compensation. Creative Commons says that whether a use is commercial depends on the specifics of the situation and the intentions of the user, and that it cannot advise anyone on what is and is not commercial use. NoDerivatives: anyone who remixes, transforms or builds on the material may not distribute the modified material. The SCA's usage guidelines make one exception to the non-commercial term: the wheel may be used within a book, with attribution, as long as the book is not primarily about the wheel. The guidelines also state that unauthorised translations of the poster may not be distributed. Anyone planning to reproduce the wheel should read the licence itself and check their own use against it.

The SCA sells the wheel as a digital file in several languages and as a large-format file for printing. A portion of every poster and digital file sold supports World Coffee Research. The SCA's terms say the standard digital file may not be printed larger than the size supplied and is intended for personal digital use or reprinting at that size. The large-format file is limited to no more than five decals or large posters on the interior walls of the buyer's business, printed exactly as supplied. The full wheel is also printed in SCA Standard 103-2024, one of the standards the SCA has made freely available for industry use.

Key Facts

The original wheel was developed in 1995 by Ted Lingle for the SCAA.
The SCAA and World Coffee Research released a redesigned wheel in 2016, with its structure worked out at UC Davis.
The SCA, formed in 2017, now credits the wheel to the SCA and WCR.
The redesign rests on the WCR Sensory Lexicon: 110 attributes, developed at Kansas State University and validated at Texas A&M University.
Seventy-two people sorted 99 flavour attributes, and the results were analysed into the wheel's nine main categories.
The wheel and the lexicon describe flavour; they do not judge quality.
SCA Standard 103-2024 uses the wheel for descriptive assessment.
The SCA's Coffee Value Assessment standards, adopted in November 2024, supersede the 2004 Cupping Protocol and Form.
Licence: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, with an SCA exception for use within a book that is not primarily about the wheel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the wheel tell me whether a coffee is good? No. It is a descriptive tool, and the SCA's descriptive standard states that intensity does not imply quality or desirability.

Where do I start? At the centre of the wheel, working outward and stopping at any tier.

Is the Sensory Lexicon free? Yes, for personal use. World Coffee Research makes it free for anyone to download and print for personal use.

Can I put the SCA flavour wheel on my website? It is licensed CC BY-NC-ND 4.0: credit is required, commercial use is not allowed, and modified versions may not be shared. Whether a particular use is commercial depends on its circumstances, and Creative Commons does not advise on individual cases, so check the licence against your own use.

Does Puerto Rican coffee have a typical flavour profile? No published sensory study describing Puerto Rican coffee as a whole was located for this article. A description of a coffee is most useful when it names the lot, the taster and the method used.

What replaced the SCA's old cupping form? The Coffee Value Assessment standards, adopted by the SCA in November 2024, supersede the 2004 Cupping Protocol and Form.

Sources

Spencer, M., Sage, E., Velez, M. and Guinard, J.-X. (2016). Using Single Free Sorting and Multivariate Exploratory Methods to Design a New Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel. Journal of Food Science 81(12): S2997–S3005. The 1995 wheel and Ted Lingle; the 99 flavour attributes; the 72 participants; the nine categories, the tiers and the expert decisions; the Berry and Sour/Fermented terms.
Chambers IV, E., Sanchez, K., Phan, U. T. X., Miller, R., Civille, G. V. and Di Donfrancesco, B. (2016). Development of a "living" lexicon for descriptive sensory analysis of brewed coffee. Journal of Sensory Studies 31(6): 465–480. The samples from 14 countries and the "living" lexicon, from the abstract.
World Coffee Research (2017). Sensory Lexicon, Unabridged Definition and References, Version 2.0. Its developers and validation; the 105 samples from 13 countries; the 110 attributes; its descriptive purpose; the intensity scores; trained panels; the 24 new references; that it does not replace cupping.
World Coffee Research. Sensory Lexicon. The free personal-use download; Lexicon 2.0 of October 2017; the first redesign of the wheel in 20 years; the lexicon's purpose.
Specialty Coffee Association (5 February 2016). How to Use the Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel in Eight Steps. The SCAA and WCR collaboration; starting at the centre and stopping at any tier; the fruit question; molasses; joined cells; colours; references; the lexicon as a tool for trained panels.
Specialty Coffee Association, SCA Store: The Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel - English, Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel - Large Format Digital Download (EPS) and Flavor Wheel. The 1995 and 2016 history; the licence; the file terms; the large-format terms; the languages; the share supporting World Coffee Research.
Specialty Coffee Association, "The Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel" (research page with usage guidelines), archived copy, 29 May 2026. The book exception and the rule on translations.
Specialty Coffee Association. About the SCA. The SCA's establishment in 2017.
Specialty Coffee Association (2024). SCA Standard 103-2024 Coffee Value Assessment: Descriptive Assessment. The wheel's name in the standard; flavour categories; the citrus fruit example; intensity and quality; the definitions of acidity and mouthfeel; the wheel in its appendix, version 3.
Specialty Coffee Association (4 November 2024). The SCA Officially Adopts CVA Descriptive and Affective Assessments as New Cupping Standards. The standards superseding the 2004 Cupping Protocol and Form; their free availability.
Specialty Coffee Association of America, "Protocols: Cupping Specialty Coffee" (revision of 16 December 2015), archived copy, 25 November 2020. Acidity scored against the flavour profile expected from origin.
SCA Education. How to Prepare for the Q Grader Course. The "Taste Basics" solutions.
Creative Commons: Deed - Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International, Legal Code - Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International and Frequently Asked Questions. The licence conditions and how Creative Commons treats commercial use.
Torch Coffee, "Explaining the New SCAA Coffee Tasters Flavor Wheel" (YouTube, 16 September 2016), embedded above.

Claims this encyclopedia could not source

A typical flavour profile for Puerto Rican coffee. No published sensory study describing Puerto Rican coffee as a whole was located.
That nutty and cocoa flavours are characteristic of Latin American coffees generally. No published sensory study supporting it was located.
That the wheel itself is part of Q Grader training. The SCA's course preparation guidance refers candidates to the WCR Lexicon; no statement about the wheel was located.
Tartaric and phosphoric acidity as coffee descriptors. Neither term appears in the WCR Lexicon or on the wheel, and no published source for them was located for this article.

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