Have you ever heard of the term fruity flavor note? How about a flavor wheel? In the world of the coffee industry, flavor wheels are nothing new. This graphic, visualized as a wheel shape, is often found in several coffee shows that contain information related to the various flavor notes on the coffee. Coffee.

Flavor wheel is one of the products produced by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) in collaboration with the global coffee industry research and development organization, World Coffee Research. This graphic has the main purpose of helping cuppers or anyone who wants to know the various flavor notes in coffee.

Reading the flavor wheel can be done by starting from the center of the flavor wheel circle. There are several flavor notes listed in this section such as fruity, floral, sweet, nutty, spices, roasted, green, sour, and several other flavor notes marked with the label others.

In this article, we will get to know one example of a fruity flavor note in the flavor wheel. What kind of flavor is it?

Fruity in the flavor wheel

If when you drink your coffee you experience a fruity taste sensation such as apple, strawberry, or pineapple, chances are that your coffee has fruity flavor note. Fruity Flavor in the flavor wheel is closely related to the taste and aroma of fruits.

The coffee tasters flavor wheel is a product of a collaboration between the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA-now just SCA) and the world coffee research organization, World Coffee Research, created to help cuppers and anyone who wants to taste test coffee.

To be able to get the best sensation in coffee with this flavor note, the coffee must be fresh or aged 2 – 3 weeks after roasting. This is when the coffee’s flavor notes are at their peak to be enjoyed.

The appearance of the fruity flavor note itself can be influenced by various factors. Examples of these factors are climate, soil conditions, and the position of the land where coffee is grown.

Read also: Aroma and Flavor Delight in a Cup of Coffee

Other factors that can affect the fruity flavor notes in coffee are the coffee processing and roasting level.

Generally, naturally processed or dry process coffee will have a distinctive fruity flavor. Coffee also needs to be roasted at a light or medium level to bring out strong fruity flavor notes. When coffee is roasted too dark, often the fruity flavor notes will be lost due to the heat of roasting.

When testing the coffee’s flavor notes, the sweetness, acidity, and aroma aspects of the coffee will also give a strong impression of certain fruits. The sour taste of coffee, for example, will remind you of the sour taste of certain fruits such as lemons, limes, tangerines, grapes, apples, strawberries, or blueberries. The combination of sourness, sweetness, and also the aroma of flowers or fruits in coffee is what makes coffee with afruity flavornote very interesting to try by coffee lovers.

There is one coffee with afruity flavornote from Indonesia, which has a citrus flavor, Kopi Bali. Why is Balinese coffee different from other coffee? Besides its beaches, culture, and natural beauty, Bali is also famous for its coffee. Bali’s coffee also has significant differences compared to coffee produced in other parts of Indonesia.

The unique history of Bali Coffee

Coffee cultivation in Bali is slightly different from other coffee cultivation in Java and Sumatra, which was pioneered by the Dutch colonial government. In Bali, coffee was originally planted by traders from Lombok in the early 20th century. At that time, the coffee brought by Lombok traders was Robusta coffee.

Balinese coffee is processed in a traditional way and through a wet process. Namely, the coffee fruit is removed before the seeds have dried completely. This is what distinguishes Balinese coffee from other coffees in Indonesia that are processed with a dry process. The whole coffee fruit is dried first. The wet process makes Balinese coffee lighter in color.

Most of the coffee in Bali is grown in Kintamani. This is because the soil is fertile and has an ideal climate for coffee growth.

Balinese coffee is usually also grown alongside other crops, such as vegetables or citrus fruits, and uses an intercropping system. Coffee in Bali is also grown by rice farmers who uphold the principles of Tri Hita Karana. Tri Hita Karana is a philosophy centered on maintaining peace and tranquility between man and God, man and man, and man and his environment.

Balinese coffee is processed in a traditional way and through a wet process. Namely, the coffee fruit is removed before the seeds have dried completely. This is what distinguishes Balinese coffee from other coffees in Indonesia that are processed with a dry process. The whole coffee fruit is dried first. The wet process makes Balinese coffee lighter in color.

In terms of flavor, Balinese coffee contains faint fruity flavors thanks to the intercropping system with other crops, such as oranges. In addition, Balinese coffee is milder and less heavy, and not too astringent or bitter.

Read also: Coffee Cup Material Changes the Flavor of Your Coffee, Really?

4 flavor derivatives of coffee fruity flavor notes

In the flavor wheel description, fruity also has four advanced taste notes that show each of the most prominent characteristics of the fruity flavor note. This sub-category includes berries, dried fruit, citrus fruit and other fruit.

Berry

In the first sub-category, berry, the most prominent sensations are sweet, sour, floral, and the aroma of several types of berries such as blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, or strawberry. This sub-category of fruity flavor notes is often found in African regions, especially Kenya and Ethiophia.

Dried fruit

For the second sub-category, dried fruit, the main impression given from coffee is that of a sweet flavor such as dried plums or raisins. Similar to berries, dried fruit is also often found in African regions such as Kenya, Ethiophia, and also the Republic of Congo.

Other fruit

The Flavor wheel also notes other fruit as one of the flavor characteristics that often appear in coffee with afruity flavor note. In this sub-category, the sensations that arise in coffee can be sweet, sour, floral, and fruity aromas such as apple, grape, peach, pear, cherry, pomegranate, pineapple, and coconut.

Coffee with this flavor note can be found in some coffee production regions, especially Central America or Africa. This is because in both areas the climatic conditions and soil where coffee is grown are very supportive for the formation of fruity flavor notes in coffee.

Citrus fruit

In the last sub-category, citrus fruit, coffee was also noted to have some specific flavor note characteristics such as sourness, sweetness, floral, and aromas of citrus fruits such as lemons, limes, limes, or sweet oranges.

Similar to the previous three sub-categories, coffee that has a citrus fruit flavor note is often found in African countries, especially Ethiophia.

Regions in Ethiopia such as Yirgacheffe and Guji, for example, are very famous for their orange and lime flavors in coffee. This is further supported by the soil conditions and natural processing of coffee in Ethiopia.

Read also: Types of Flavor Defects in Coffee Cupping Assessment

Avoid artificial fruity flavor notes

When we talk about the fruity flavor note on the flavor wheel, the fruity here is the flavor note of coffee that is processed naturally and there is no addition of flavor compounds . However, there have been cases where this fruity flavor was made unnaturally.

When coffee prices soared in the 1960s, some farmers chose to spray low-grade beans with fruit oil (vegetable oil extracted from fruit seeds).

The use of fruit oil actually aims to cover up the unpleasant taste sensation that may appear in coffee. However, keep in mind that the fruity flavor notes in coffee beans that have been sprayed with fruit oil will be different from the fruity flavor notes that appear in coffee when processed naturally.

Well, now that you know about fruity flavors in coffee, from now on try to pay attention to the coffee you sip. Who knows, you might discover the uniqueness behind the bitter taste of coffee.

If you are a coffee producer from various regions, do not hesitate to open a shop on the KopiKita platform, so that coffee lovers from all over Indonesia can taste your coffee production. Apply for a business on the KopiKita platformnow by filling out the the following form .


Are you a coffee lover? It’s time to visit the KopiKita platform to find coffee from various regions in Indonesia at the best price.k.