The Science of integrating the technical and the practical sides of coffee
By Richard Wolak
After graduating from California Polytechnic University with a degree in food science and chemistry, Joseph Rivera began working with the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI). His role with CQI involved integrating the technical aspects of coffee chemistry with practical coffee science. His work with CQI has allowed him to play a key role in the development of cupping and certification training for the coffee industry. In 1999, he accepted his current position as director of science and technology for the SCAA and has worked on implementing a geographical information system (GIS) map project for all of Latin America. The development of such a system will integrate advances in science and information technology by increasing consumer education and introducing a new trend in specialty coffee marketing.
Through his work at the Specialty Coffee Association of America he developed the Sensory Skills Information and Test, he describes it as 25% of the population are non-tasters, having less than 10 fungiform papillae (tastebuds) per 2 cm of tongue surface area, 50% of the population is classified as medium tasters (15-30 tastebuds per 2 cm) and 25% of the population are super-tasters, with more than 50 tastebuds per 2 cm of tongue surface area, the majority of whom are women. Furthermore, as children, most of us had about 10,000 tastebuds, and as we age, that number decreases to around 2,000. Taste is somewhat genetic; it's hardwired into us by how many taste buds we have. Joseph had been the one to design this test as a way to calibrate people's tasting abilities. He had opted to not use coffee since it is too complex and there are too many variables to isolate. Instead, all of the sample solutions would be water-based, specifically distilled water.
Beginning with the Sensory Skills Test - an exam created to which test whether a "taster" can actually "taste". Using a series of dilute sweet, salt, and sour solutions in varying intensities - students are asked to identify and rank mixtures. The workshop which was developed in 2001, as a "fun" tasting workshop has now become the de facto "litmus" test for SCAA certification programs. According to research, everyone one of us is categorized into one of three taste populations. Those with a heightened sense of taste are called "supertasters", those with a mediocre ability are called "medium-tasters", whereas those with hardly any ability are called "non-tasters". (Perhaps people better served at the sales end of coffee, rather than the quality side).
In his spare time, Joseph created and is the publisher of http://www.coffeechemistry.com/ devoted to the science of coffee.
POSTED: Thursday, May 10, 2007