In this episode, Morten Münchow talks with Morten Wennersgaard, co-founder of Nordic Approach, about how cupping methods evolve from trading desks to lab calibration to consumer-facing storytelling. They cover:

• Using the 2004 SCA 100-point form and Cup of Excellence protocols in procurement
• Supplementing scores with complexity, intensity & core flavor categories
• Aligning internal teams through rapid panel calibration exercises
• Translating lab data into clear, engaging descriptors for roasters and end-consumers
• A preview of Nordic Approach’s 2025 Autumn Cupping event

Whether you’re a coffee buyer, Q Grader, roaster, or enthusiast, you’ll discover practical insights on making sensory data work at every level of the coffee supply chain.

Welcome to this episode of Coffee Science for CoffeePreneurs! In today's episode, we delve into an essential concept that has been overlooked in our previous discussions on the theory of science, research design, and statistics— the "Evidence Hierarchy." I’m Morten Münchow, and I’m excited to explore how this model can transform our education systems and collaborations with research institutions in the specialty coffee business.

Highlights
Introduction to Evidence Hierarchy: Understand the relationship between expert experience, observation, and scientific scrutiny. Discover how applying this model correctly can revolutionize our approach to coffee education and research.
 
World of Coffee Seminars:
If you're attending the World of Coffee event in Copenhagen in June 2024, don't miss our free seminars in Room 6, Hall B. Topics include "How to Start a Roastery," "Cupping Form Confusion," "Rate of Rise Irrelevance," and "Improving Sensory Skills." If you can't make it in person, tune in to our live stream or catch the recorded sessions on our YouTube channel.
 
Expert Opinions vs. Scientific Research:
Learn why the current reliance on expert opinions in coffee education is problematic and how transitioning to a more evidence-based approach can benefit the community.

Case Studies and Research:
We discuss our own research, including the controversial topic of organic acids in coffee tasting and the Rate of Rise theory in roasting. Discover the gaps between anecdotal evidence and scientific validation and why it’s crucial to address these issues.

Challenges in Coffee Science:
Explore the barriers to collaboration between the specialty coffee business and universities, and how bureaucracy and politics hinder scientific progress in our community.

Call for Collaboration:
We invite educators and researchers to join us in a critical, open dialogue about the state of scientific methodology in the global coffee education community. Let's push for progress and refine our knowledge and practices.

Show Notes and Links:

• UC Davis article: Acids in coffee: A review of sensory measurements and meta-analysis of chemical composition
• SCA’s article about UC Davis’ work: Acids in Coffee: A Review of Sensory Measurements and Meta-Analysis of Chemical Composition
• CoffeeMind’s article: Acids in brewed coffees: Chemical composition and sensory threshold
• Creativity and commerce: a shifting balance for specialty foods and beverages
• Kat Melheim’s (roasterkat) Instagram post ”Same coffee roasted four (very similar) ways.”
• Comparison of Chemical Compounds and Their Influence on The Taste of Coffee Depending on Green Beans Storage Conditions
• “Quality does not sell itself”: Divergence between “objective” product quality and preference for coffee in naïve consumers. British Food Journal and also summarized by Morten at ReCo in Gothenburg in 2015 in this YouTube Video

By recognizing and applying the evidence hierarchy, we can better navigate the complex landscape of expert claims and scientific evidence, ultimately improving our educational systems and collaborative efforts in the coffee community. Join us in this insightful episode to become part of this transformative dialogue.

I metup with Andrew Stordy at their new office in London to see their new factory, plan our upcoming collaboration but primarily to sit down with Andrew and interview him about the IKAWA technology and business history.

In this episode, Morten interviews Kristina Vaarst Andersen, the senior author of our recent paper co-published in CoffeeMind. It is a paper covering the interpretation of the data we collected in a research project investigating the dynamics of business models of coffee roasteries. We started this project around eight years ago, and despite struggling with collecting enough data, we have finally gotten an excellent paper written up and published. Unfortunately, Morten did not set the microphones correctly, but hopefully, it is well enough polished in post-production for you to extract the meaning.

Please find the paper here (Presse the 'Fulltext' link on the right side of the page):
https://orbit.dtu.dk/en/publications/creativity-and-commerce-a-shifting-balance-for-specialty-foods-an

In this webinar 4 of the scientists behind the surprising findings in the research project "Acids in brewed coffees: Chemical composition and sensory threshold" present and discuss the results with CoffeeMind's community.

Listen to

• Lead author Christina J. Birke Rune
• Senior researcher Davide Giacalone
• Sensory Scientist and initiator of the project  Ida Steen
• Coffee expert Morten Münchow

As they discuss the the findings and answers questions from the community.

Don't miss out on the offer bundle associated with the event:
https://coffee-mind.com/sp/landing-page-acids/

Since 2014 we have been skeptical about the inclusion of teaching, training, and testing coffee professional in individual organic acids. This episode is the story behind how we explored this question and clarified the issue in a scientific project proving this irrelevance in sensory education systems.

• Ida Steens 4-week sensory training kit: https://coffee-mind.com/product/sensory-training-kit-program/ use the coupon code "podcast" and get the following bonuses for free together with the above training kit: 
  • Sensory Basics e-learning course (value €30)
  • CoffeeMind's collected papers (value €100)
• Acids in brewed coffees: Chemical composition and sensory threshold: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crfs.2023.100485
• Evaluation of a sensory and cognitive online training tool for odor recognition in professional coffee tasters: https://doi.org/10.1111/joss.12819

As a consultant and trainer, I’m constantly confronted with the concept of Rate of Rise as a superior reference point for improving roast profiles. With our scientific background and strong commitment to only use concepts that are explicitly helpful for coffee roasters to create successful products for customers we have to speak up about the misleading nature of how Rate of Rise often is obsessed by by students all over the world. It is the single most discussed concept that I have to handle during all my courses and dismantle in my students minds before we can get to the userful concepts that actually makes a difference in their lives and are actionable from a business strategic perspective. The content of this blogpost is the result of discussion this with hundreds and hundreds of students and clients so I think it is relevant and useful to make a separate blogpost about it even though it was also dealt with from many different angles in our podcast series about Coffee Science.  It will show you how our thoughts are not just ‘our opinion’ but deeply embedded in the scientific tradition all the way back to Plato and through the centuries of refinement and improvement of scientific thinking! Where the science podcast series was structured from the point of view of science this article is a good example of how science can be used practically on a single technical subject that has caused quite a lot of confusion. This article is a condensation of the approach I have when the subject of Rate of Rise is discussed during courses and consultancy sessions. To save time and get this subject over with before these sessions we will systematically refer students and clients to this podcast before the event. 

Links

• The blogpost Roast profile analysis that explains the concept mathematically
• A deeper dive into CoffeeMind approach to science: podcast series about Coffee Science
• The scientific article: “The Effect of Roast Development Time Modulations on the Sensory Profile ”. 
• Differential calculus
• The sensory data showing even coffee professionals struggling to taste difference between big differences can be seen in this passage in this YouTube webinar
• If you want to go through the themodynamic control excercise on your own equipment you can do it with this affordable e-learning program: Roast Profile Design Basics for only €30.
• Our Roasting defect article (behind paywall): Common roasting defects in coffee: Aroma composition, sensory characterization and consumer perception
• Go deeper in our overall competency roadmap to make startup roasters successful roasteries:  Your Perfect Coffee Roastery
• Our free research paper "The Effect of Roast Development Time Modulations on the Sensory Profile "
• If you want to improve your sensory skills check out Ida's scientifically proven approach released as an e-learning program with supplied sensory kit

In this episode we are starting a new episode series about a special kind of CoffeePreneurs which is inventors of new roasting equipment. Even though that particular field is extremely technical and involves a lot of industrial-type thinking it is clear that people succeeding with this is as passionate as any green coffee producer, importer, roaster, barista and consumer!
I met with Jonas at Frederiksberg in Copenhagen to sit down and have a chat about his life, early days of making the prototype of the machine as well as the technicalities that makes this roaster special. Also we talked about general coffee roasting theory as well as what can be expected from their upcoming launch of the AiO.

In this episode I'm talking to no other than Peter Giuliano who is the Executive Director at Coffee Science Foundation which is an organization planning, organizing and executing research projects in coffee with relevance to SCA's resarch strategy.
I was quite involve in both the education and research part of the SCAE and SCAA merger in 2016 but I lost a bit connection to it all in the chaos. Reconnecting with Peter was such a blast for me in this episode and the dialogue with him was a great inspiration and a comment to our Coffee Science podcast series. Even though I had high expectations for the level of the conversation it really exceeded what I expected and I hope everybody with an interest in Sensory Methodology will find this inspiring and clarifying as well as giving a direction for future research, education and standards for sensory evaluation and education in the global coffee community.

In this episode we get Wender Bredies feedback on the CoffeeScience Methodology podcast episode series. Wender is the supervisor of our Industrial PhD project with Ida Steen as executing scientist and we are really honoured to have Wender as a daily guide all things sensory science! I'm so excited to be able to share Wenders deep thinking and wast experience and knowledge with our audience. Wender is such an amazing person both as a sciencetist, scientific entrepreneur, organiser and community caregiver which I hope is obvious throughout this podcast episode. Enjoy :-)

Today I had the pleasure to talk to Tim about the Coffee Science methodology podcast series. I have known Tim since 2004 and we have met often over many years at different events and coffee projects and the integrity of his mind and the drived business is a continous inspiration from a coffee quality, business, project/vision management and scientific perspective. Hopefully you find inspiration in how we talk about current state of affairs in the business, education systems and scientific approaches to coffee and how we see this into the future.

If you want to learn more about Tim I think his Podcast is a great way to go:
https://timwendelboe.podbean.com/

And obviously his website: https://timwendelboe.no/
And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timwendelboe/

In this podcast episode Andrew Tolley comments on the
Coffee Science methodology podcast series and offers his perspective on science and education in the coffee community
Episode also available with video on: https://youtu.be/U1S0bSbfHdw
Andrew's profile on Knowledge Hub: https://coffeeknowledgehub.com/en/member/5f0ed078ed8093314d29794c

Samo Smrke is a well know scientist and educator in the specialty coffee business and in this episode he offers his perspective on coffee science and education and gives feedback on the coffee science methodology podcast series.

This episode is also available with video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3PCDbFH_GLQ

Some calculations that shows the fundamental problems of using the SCA Cupping Form as an objective parameter estimate of 'quality'.

The term 'Subjectivity' is actually a bit problem when it comes to describing sensory methodology but it can be solved.

In this episode we will look deeper at Bayesianism which is the direction in research design handling the problem of verification and falsification is a really elegant model using probability theory. I'm explaining it using the example of a green coffee experiment.

In this episode I zoom in on Empiricism and Critical Rationalism which I consider the most useful foundation for the concept 'objectivity'

In this episode Occam's razor is introduced which is an important foundation for a good theory and examples of where this is not applied correctly is explained

In this episode we will go all the way back to Plato to discuss what a good theory looks like if it is to serve a community and not mislead

This is the first episode of a series going through theory of science and research design to support the global coffee community with solid ground when building theories and practices for education, product development and quality control. This is a pretty long and deep series of podcast and only the most patient and eager listener will stay through it all and reap the fruits of their patience. We will provide some very specific guidelines and also be completely honest when going through all the theories in roasting and sensory education that we find both wrong and misleading. 

The Midway Temperature Point has been spreading as a concept the last couple of years and as far as I know I came up with the concept (as I mention it is so simple that it might have been 'invented' by others without me knowing it) for a specific purpose and I see it used outside this purpose which I think is misleading. This podcast sheds light of where I think the concept came from and how it is sometimes slightly misunderstood (if my understanding is correct).
In the podcast I refer to this video 17 min in: https://youtu.be/xE296OquIZ0?t=1030 

Ida Steen, who created CoffeeMind's Flavour wheel, is interviewed by Morten Münchow about the creation process and how it CoffeeMind's flavour wheel differs from the other coffee flavour wheels out there.
CoffeeMind's unique approach to education and research and how to combine the two is perfectly illustrated by the creation process Ida has been through to create the new wheel

(also available on youtube with video)
In this first episode Morten Münchow fleshes out CoffeeMind's concept of CoffeePreneuship by explaining how he got into the coffee business as an entrepreneur.
Future episodes will be hands on and techical so this first episode sets the tone for working across purpose (why) and content (what) of a coffee startup and how the company identity and technicalities of the business are integrated.