From Orthonasal to Retronasal: What Coffee Professionals Really Need to Know About Smell
(Room 25 C)
11 Apr 26
10:00 AM
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10:45 AM
Coffee flavor is not built on taste alone: it emerges from two distinct olfactory pathways—orthonasal and retronasal perception—working together. Yet most coffee professionals rarely receive clear, practical explanations of how the system actually functions, how aroma memory develops, or why some descriptors feel intuitive while others remain elusive.
This session offers a simple, rigorous, and non-medical introduction to smell tailored for the coffee trade: how the brain organizes aromas, how “aroma grammar” structures sensory language, and what methods help tasters build reliable, shared references. Drawing on cross-disciplinary sensory pedagogy, attendees will leave with usable tools for improving their consistency, vocabulary, and tasting accuracy—without needing scientific training.