What happened to balance in coffee with Peter Giuliano

On the surface, this is a niche topic about a single attribute in the sensory evaluation of coffee. In fact the removal of balance from sensory scoresheets underpins much of the updated conception of how coffee professionals can subjectively and objectively evaluate the sensory experience of coffee. If you're a cupper who is alarmed at the assertion that scoring coffee 80+ to make it specialty is subjective, rethinking balance could open a door to a new understanding. If you're a cupper who is upset that there is no longer an objective overall score for coffee, Peter argues that the subjective experience is a higher order experience, hard to quantify, but is still critical for the sensory evaluation of coffee. This conversation between Andrew Tolley and Peter Giuliano traces “balance” from its origins as a wine term, which Ted Lingle imported into coffee cupping in the 1980s as part of the \*Coffee Cuppers Handbook\*. We discuss its quiet removal from the Coffee Value Assessment (CVA) system as a result of feedback from a survey of 1,600 cuppers through to its current, softer echo in World Coffee Championship “taste experience” scoring. This podcast episode of the Coffee Knowledge Hub Podcast covers: \-history of balance as an attribute in coffee \- with new and diverse tasting experiences — from traditional specialty coffees to trendy, innovative styles — how we can build standards for different environments \- how we can bring different modalities into the tasting experience to better capture the overall perception of a coffee \- how we can communicate with customers and serve balanced, consistent coffees for different audiences Peter and Andrew close the episode by diving deeper into practical tips for cafes to deliver a balanced, consistent espresso to their customers. So definitely stick around until the end. And if you have read this far and just want to know what balance is: It was defined as the interaction of flavour, aftertaste, acidity, and mouthfeel. Where a higher scoring coffee had all the positive impressions that the cupper expected and none of these dominated or detracted from another in a negative way. The cupper would score it 6-10 based on their impression. Find the link to the podcast episode in our bio or listen to it on your favorite podcast platform. If you like the Coffee Knowledge Hub Podcast, please make sure to subscribe, comment, follow or leave a review. LINK