Introducing Our Coffee Intensity Profiles

09.08.24
Zest Coffee
At Zest, we’re all about discovering and sharing exceptional flavour and we warmly invite everyone to join us on this journey. Over the years, we’ve endeavoured to make specialty coffee approachable, accessible, and fun for everyone, regardless of level of expertise.

While our passion for sharing flavour is immense, we recognise that not everyone finds it as easy to discern these nuances. Traditionally, like many roasters, we’ve primarily relied on flavour notes to describe our coffees, and while it’s great to set these expectations, we’ve come to realise that flavour notes often don’t capture the full entirety of a coffee, often overlooking important attributes like body, acidity, and aftertaste.

Additionally, especially for those new to coffee, these subtleties can be quite overwhelming and confusing. Recognising this, we’ve spent the past few months developing a new, simplified way to communicate about our coffee and we’re thrilled to introduce our new Coffee Intensity Profiles.

 

So How Does It Work?

 

First and foremost, our graph measures intensity, not quality. While appreciating the quality of coffee is important, it’s essential to recognise that perceptions of quality vary. Like wine, beer, or any other beverage, coffee is subjective. If it weren’t, there would only be one type for everyone. The reality is, our taste preferences differ, making our coffee experiences uniquely enjoyable.

In assessing the most common attributes of coffee, we selected four that are universally applicable and easily understood: acidity, flavour, body, and aftertaste.

Each attribute is ranked on a scale from 1 to 9, with 1 indicating the lowest intensity and 9 the highest. It’s important to remember that a higher intensity level does not necessarily equate to higher quality.

 

Why focus on intensity instead of quality?

 

Intensity can be measured objectively, and it turns out, we’re quite adept at assessing it. Quality, however, can be more divisive since it often boils down to personal preference. By using intensity as our metric, we provide a clearer, more effective way to communicate and describe coffee characteristics.

For example, we can all agree that a lemon has a higher acidity intensity than a rockmelon, just as a glass of milk has a higher body intensity compared to a glass of chamomile tea.

Coffee is incredibly diverse, and so are our palates. We come from various backgrounds, leading to different preferences for specific flavours and attributes. It’s not our place to dictate what quality is; rather, we encourage you to explore and draw your own conclusions.

Moreover, not every coffee serves the same purpose. Some are better suited to certain brewing methods or pair more effectively with milk. Our goal is to describe coffee objectively in the best possible way, allowing you to make an informed decision based on your needs and preferences.

 

Why do the graphs feature different colours?

 

If you’re familiar with Zest’s branding, you’ll likely have noticed that each of our coffees is associated with a unique ‘flavour terrain.’ These terrains are represented by various colours that relate to the flavours you might detect. Along with our flavour descriptors, this additional information aims to help you make better purchasing decisions and set accurate expectations before buying a coffee.