Industry Insights: An Expanded Le Nez du Café Offers Greater Diversity in Sensory Evaluation
By Emma Sage
Aroma has a profound emotional impact and plays a crucial role in how we perceive and connect with coffee. However, recognizing and evaluating aromas depends on past experiences—without prior exposure, a scent cannot be identified. Our ability to describe aromas is shaped by language, culture and personal encounters, making standardized references essential for a shared understanding across the coffee industry. For almost 30 years, Le Nez du Café’s 36 aroma references have served as a leading tool for professionals and enthusiasts alike to explore, train and refine their coffee expertise.
Designed as both a learning tool and a sensory guide, the kit helps users expand their aromatic vocabulary and sharpen their sensory skills. It not only deepens personal appreciation but also fosters industrywide consistency, enabling more precise communication of coffee’s complex qualities.
In April 2025, Editions Jean Lenoir (EJL), the family-run French company behind the Le Nez du Café aroma kit, released a new edition of its coffee reference set. Developed in collaboration with the nonprofit Coffee Quality Institute (CQI), the updated kit was launched at the Specialty Coffee Expo in Houston and will be available for online purchase later this year.
An updated and expanded Le Nez du Café aroma kit, developed in conjunction with the Coffee Quality Institute, will be available later this year.
SOME HISTORY
EJL launched Le Nez du Café in 1997, and it has remained a staple in the industry for nearly 30 years. Over the past decade, EJL has been working on a new edition to support the evolving needs of the coffee industry, aligning with advancements made by World Coffee Research (WCR) and the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). The goal has been to provide a tool that remains relevant and valuable for years to come. This journey began in 2015, when WCR began developing its Sensory Lexicon to aid in the evaluation of new coffee varieties. As the coffee science manager for the Specialty Coffee Association of America (now the SCA), I was invited along with a handful of other coffee professionals to Kansas State University (KSU) to collaborate with a trained sensory panel in the early stages of the lexicon’s development. We spoke with sensory scientists and the panel about coffee, recommended certain practices, discussed brewing and tasting, and sent them on their way with over 100 coffees to evaluate. The resulting lexicon, published in 2016, played a key role in shaping the SCA Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel.
The publication of the lexicon marked a turning point in the industry, fostering a shift toward more precise descriptive vocabulary. This movement was solidified by the SCA Flavor Wheel and is now deeply embedded in the new SCA Coffee Value Assessment, launched in November 2024. As we move further into a descriptive era, the ability to articulate and communicate coffee attributes will become more essential than ever. Standardized references, available globally, ensure consistent training across the supply stream and enable both descriptive and affective evaluations to be conducted with precision.
When the first edition of the WCR Sensory Lexicon was published in 2016, Le Nez du Café aromas were validated as official references for 16 of its attributes. I first began discussing the expansion of Le Nez du Café, though only in theory, with Viva Lenoir—head of aromas and development officer for EJL, and founder Jean Lenoir’s daughter—shortly after the WCR Sensory Lexicon was released. Little did we know that years later we would reconnect to make this vision a reality. The new edition of Le Nez du Café represents another step forward in the continuous evolution of sensory tools within the coffee industry.
The new kit includes a book exploring physiology, coffee tasting, coffee quality, chemistry, history and more, as well as a comprehensive bibliography for further reading.
THE E JL-CQI PARTNERSHIP
CQI partnered with EJL on the expansion of the kit because it has been an integral part of the nonprofit’s training since the inception of the Q Course, as the foundational lessons of the course were built around the 36 aromas. As director of education resources at CQI, I drew inspiration from my experience working on the creation of the SCA Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel, which involved a comprehensive industry survey to sort and categorize lexicon terminology into major and minor groups, or “parent and child” relationships. This work, facilitated by the Guinard Lab at the University of California at Davis, brought a new level of legitimacy to the flavor wheel and continued to propel the development of objective, descriptive evaluation in the coffee space.
For the new edition of Le Nez du Café, CQI brought in its instructors and Q Graders to identify the new aromas that were ultimately included in this kit. We conducted extensive aroma evaluations, gathered detailed feedback, and carried out an industrywide survey to ensure the selected aromas reflected the current landscape of coffee aroma. Over 200 Q Graders from 57 countries participated in the survey, resulting in the final selection of 60 aromas. At every stage, the coffee aromas were linked to the WCR Sensory Lexicon and organized around the SCA Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel, ensuring a scientifically grounded and industry-aligned tool for coffee professionals worldwide.
At CQI, teaching a common language of quality is one of the foundational ways we work toward our global mission. Finding tools to align the entire supply stream is critical to continue that work and ensure coffee can be evaluated in an objective, descriptive format. We seek to bring more equity to discussions around quality and price, as that will enable all coffee people to improve their livelihoods. This is ultimately why we partnered with EJL on this important project.
The updated kit includes 60 aromas sorted into three sets, vial covers to eliminate visual clues, descriptive cards and more.
DISCOVERING THE HISTORY BEHIND FLAVORS AND AROMAS
I jumped at the opportunity to write the book accompanying this new aroma kit, driven by my passion for exploring scientific literature and uncovering the best and most relevant information for the coffee world. When I agreed to take on this project, I knew it would be a massive undertaking, but I had no idea just how many fascinating discoveries it would reveal. Reimagining the resources that accompany the aroma vials led me deep into the worlds of chemistry, coffee science, sensory evaluation and beyond. What was once a short booklet has now evolved into a comprehensive textbook of aroma and coffee chemistry, and an investigation into the factors that create and impact coffee aroma.
This book is not only an investigation into smell, coffee and chemistry. It ended up often being a fascinating history lesson. Did you know that nutmeg was so coveted that the Dutch traded Manhattan Island (aka New York City) to ensure their control of the spice? That George Washington Carver not only studied and promoted peanuts but actually testified before Congress about the crop’s benefits? That molasses supported the triangle slave trade and is the reason the Northeastern United States still enjoys its iconic baked beans? That vanilla pods have no aroma upon harvest but develop it as they undergo extensive processing, including fermentation? Or that pineapples are speculated to have been traded at an intercontinental scale as many as 3,000 years ago? I could go on. The history and chemistry of food and aromas related to coffee is a never-ending learning opportunity.
Developing standardized flavor and aroma references is key to effective communication across the global coffee community.
WHAT’S IN THE NEW EDITION?
The new edition of Le Nez du Café is designed to represent a diverse array of coffee aromas, inclusive of the coffee world we live in today. It is relevant to both arabica and robusta coffee.
The kit now includes a total of 60 aromas—20 of which were carried over from the existing Le Nez du Café kit, 25 from EJL wine or whiskey aroma collections, and 15 newly developed aromas. Of the 60, 40 have been validated by KSU for the WCR Sensory Lexicon. These 60 vials are organized in three boxes to mimic the flavor wheel: floral, fruity; roasted, spices, nutty/cocoa, sweet; and sour/fermented, green/vegetative, other. Each box contains 20 individual aroma vials; vial covers, allowing the user to hide the color of the liquid inside the glass vials; and descriptive cards.
In addition, there is a new book with over 90 pages covering science, aromas, history and more. The book not only speaks of physiology, smell, coffee tasting, coffee quality, chemistry and the origins of coffee aroma, but includes a massive bibliography for those who want to take on additional learning.
The biggest updates include:
The addition of 40 aromas new to Le Nez du Café
Organization using the WCR Sensory Lexicon and categories around the SCA Flavor Wheel
Aromas inclusive of robusta and arabica coffee
A new book covering the most recent thinking on the origins of coffee aromas
New descriptive cards for all 60 aromas
Vial covers to mitigate visual bias based on the color of the liquids
So, after 30 years of Le Nez du Café, get ready for mango, potato, strawberry, black currant, banana, leather and melon. The fun has just begun.
***
EMMA SAGE is the director of science and content at the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI). Since 2018, she has worked to support many areas within the organization, including managing public projects, the Post-Harvest Processing program and research projects, and developing education content. In her current role, she ensures all content reflects the best available science and responds to the needs of the people CQI serves. Sage worked with Editions Jean Lenoir on the new edition of Le Nez Du Café and is the author of the revised book and aroma cards. She holds a Master of Science degree in botany, a B.A. in ecology, and received a post-graduate certificate from the Applied Sensory and Consumer Science Certificate Program at the University of California, Davis.
Advertisement
