ISO 18794:2018

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 18794
First edition
2018-01
Coffee — Sensory analysis —
Vocabulary
Café — Analyse sensorielle — Vocabulaire
Reference number
ISO 18794:2018(E)
©
ISO 2018

---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
ISO 18794:2018(E)

COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
© ISO 2018
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting
on the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address
below or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland
Tel. +41 22 749 01 11
Fax +41 22 749 09 47
copyright@iso.org
www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 2018 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 2 ----------------------
ISO 18794:2018(E)

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
3.1 Basic terms of sensory analysis . 1
3.2 Generic terms in the sensory assessment of coffee . 4
3.3 Terminology relating to coffee-specific odours and tastes . 5
3.4 Terms commonly used in sensory assessment of coffee by practitioners .10
Bibliography .12
© ISO 2018 – All rights reserved iii

---------------------- Page: 3 ----------------------
ISO 18794:2018(E)

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the
World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see the following
URL: www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 34, Food products, Subcommittee
SC 15, Coffee.
iv © ISO 2018 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 4 ----------------------
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 18794:2018(E)
Coffee — Sensory analysis — Vocabulary
1 Scope
This document defines terms relating to coffee sensory analysis.
This document covers definitions applicable to green, roasted and ground coffee, coffee extracts and
soluble coffee.
The terms are given under the following headings:
a) basic terms of sensory analysis;
b) generic terms in the sensory assessment of coffee;
c) terminology relating to coffee-specific odours and tastes;
d) terms commonly used in sensory assessment of coffee by practitioners.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp
NOTE 1 For additional information on sensory analysis, see ISO 5492:2008.
NOTE 2 For additional terms and definitions on sensory analysis of coffee, see Reference [4].
3.1 Basic terms of sensory analysis
3.1.1
acidity, noun
acid taste, noun
basic taste (3.1.4) produced by dilute aqueous solutions of most acid substances (e.g. citric acid and
tartaric acid)
[SOURCE: ISO 5492:2008, 3.3]
3.1.2
aroma, noun
odour (3.1.9) with a pleasant or unpleasant connotation
Note 1 to entry: The terms “aroma” in English and “arôme” in French are not exactly equivalent.
[SOURCE: ISO 5492:2008, 3.24]
© ISO 2018 – All rights reserved 1

---------------------- Page: 5 ----------------------
ISO 18794:2018(E)

3.1.3
aroma, noun
sensory attribute perceptible by the olfactory organ via the back of the nose when tasting
Note 1 to entry: The terms “aroma” in English and “arôme” in French are not exactly equivalent.
[SOURCE: ISO 5492:2008, 3.25]
3.1.4
basic taste, noun
distinctive taste (3.1.12), any one of: acid/sour (3.3.31), bitter, salty, sweet, umami
Note 1 to entry: These tastes are affected by the botanical species of coffee, the degree of roasting and other
brewing/extraction procedures.
[SOURCE: ISO 5492:2008, 3.2, modified — The definition has been reworded and the note has been
replaced.]
3.1.5
bitterness, noun
bitter taste, noun
basic taste (3.1.4) produced by dilute aqueous solutions of various substances such as quinine, or
caffeine
[SOURCE: ISO 5492:2008, 3.5]
3.1.6
flavour, noun
complex combination of the olfactory, gustatory and trigeminal sensations (3.1.15) perceived during
tasting
Note 1 to entry: Flavour may be influenced by tactile, thermal, painful and/or kinaesthesic effects.
[SOURCE: ISO 5492:2008, 3.20]
3.1.7
mouthfeel, noun
mixed experience derived from sensations in the mouth that relate to physical or chemical properties
of a stimulus
Note 1 to entry: Assessors differentiate the physical sensations (e.g. density, viscosity, particulate) as texture
(3.1.13) properties and the chemical sensations (e.g. astringency (3.2.2), cooling) as flavour (3.1.6) properties.
[SOURCE: ISO 5492:2008, 3.62]
3.1.8
note, noun
distinctive and identifiable feature of an odour (3.1.9) or flavour (3.1.6)
[SOURCE: ISO 5492:2008, 3.28]
3.1.9
odour, noun
olfactory, adj
sensation perceived by means of the olfactory organ in sniffing certain volatile substances
Note 1 to entry: The olfactory organ may be stimulated by the volatiles of roast coffee or coffee brew, with the
inhaled air stream through the nose or from the mouth cavity via the retronasal route.
[SOURCE: ISO 5492:2008, 3.18, modified — The term “olfactory” and a Note 1 to entry have been added.]
2 © ISO 2018 – All rights reserved

---------------------- Page: 6 ----------------------
ISO 18794:2018(E)

3.1.10
saltiness, noun
salty taste, noun
basic taste (3.1.4) produced by dilute aqueous solutions of various substances such as sodium chloride
Note 1 to entry: This taste can mean high mineral concentration in the water used for brewing/extraction of coffee.
[SOURCE: ISO 5492:2008, 3.6, modified — Note 1 to entry has been added.]
3.1.11
sweetness, noun
sweet taste, noun
basic taste (3.1.4) produced by dilute aqueous solutions of natural or artificial substances such as
sucrose or aspartame
Note 1 to entry: Commonly associated with sweet aroma (3.1.2) descriptors such as fruity, chocolate and caramel.
It is dependent on the ripeness of the coffee cherry. (This could also be affected by processing method.)
[SOURCE: ISO 5492:2008, 3.7, modified — Note 1 to entry has been added.]
3.1.12
taste, noun
sensation perceived by the taste organ when stimulated by certain soluble substances
Note 1 to entry: The term “taste” should not be used to designate the combination of gustatory, olfactory and
trigeminal sensations (3.1.15) which are designated by the term flavour (3.1.6).
Note 2 to entry: Taste organs are the epithelial cells in the mouth cavity, stimulated by the coffee brew.
[SOURCE: ISO 5492:2008, 2.12, modified — A sentence has been deleted from the Note 1 to entry and a
Note 2 to entry has been added.]
3.1.13
texture, noun
mechanical, geometrical, surface and body (3.2.4) attributes of a product perceptible
by means of kinaesthesis and somesthesis receptors and (where appropriate) visual and auditory
receptors from the first bite to final swallowing
Note 1 to entry: Beverage preparations with foaming influence the texture of the coffee brew.
[SOURCE: ISO 5492:2008, 3.41, modified — The two notes have been replaced with a new Note 1 to entry.]
3.1.14
smell, verb
perceive or to attempt to perceive an odour (3.1.9)
[SOURCE: ISO 5492:2008, 2.15]
3.1.15
trigeminal sensation, noun
oro-nasal chemesthesis, noun
sensation resulting from irritation caused by chemical (3.3.8) stimuli in the mouth, nose or throat
[SOURCE: ISO 5492:2008, 2.19]
© ISO 2018 – All rights reserved 3

---------------------- Page: 7 ----------------------
ISO 18794:2018(E)

3.2 Generic terms in the sensory assessment of coffee
3.2.1
after-taste, noun
residual taste, noun
olfactory and/or gustatory sensation that occurs after the elimination of the product, and differs from
the sensations perceived while the product was in the mouth
[SOURCE: ISO 5492:2008, 3.65]
3.2.2
astringency, noun
astringent, adj
complex sensation, accompanied by shrinking, drawing or puckering of the skin or mucosal surface in
the mouth
Note 1 to entry: Produced by substances such as kaki tannins, sloe tannins, cranberry, Spanish lime, green
plantain peel or unripe green skin.
Note 2 to entry: Astringency is a mouthfeel (3.1.7) suggested to be directly transmitted to the brain through
trigeminal nerve endings in the mouth.
[SOURCE: ISO 5492:2008, 3.10, modified — The definition has been reworded and notes to entry have
been added.]
3.2.3
balanced, adj
coffee with an adequate proportion of each characteristic under evaluation and with none of them
excessively dominant
3.2.4
body, noun
consistency, compactness of texture (3.1.13), fullness, richness, flavour (3.1.6) or substance of a product
Note 1 to entry: This concept along with acidity (3.1.1) and aroma (3.1.2) is used to assess the quality of coffee.
[SOURCE: ISO 5492:2008, 3.27, modified — Note 1 to entr
...