Lindsey Bolger | A Sensory Lexicon: The Science of Flavor

The future of the specialty coffee industry depends on being able to breed the next generation of coffees that are both climate tolerant and have all of the beautiful flavors and aromas we know are possible in coffee. In order for coffee breeding programs to succeed, the industry needs a universal vocabulary of flavor that is both rigorous and replicable.

In her 2015 Symposium talk, Lindsey Bolger discusses World Coffee Research's partnership with Kansas State University to develop just such a lexicon. The sensory scientists at KSU—some of the best in the world—have identified 108 unique flavor attributes of coffee, with a manual that describes references for those flavors and their intensity. Researchers and breeders will use the lexicon to understand the genetic underpinnings of those 108 flavors, and to ensure that the next generation of coffee cultivars is both resilient and tastes amazing.