VIETNAM – ASEAN Coffee Institute (ACI), the official education arm of ASEAN Coffee Federation (ACF) is launching its very own ASEAN coffee flavour wheel. Named the “ASEAN Flavour Sphere”, the initiative is to promote inclusivity of ASEAN coffee within the industry. ACI has been working closely with a team of Q-graders from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam on their ASEAN Coffee Excellence Programme (ACEP).
Under this programme, ACI aims to develop an ASEAN standard for roasting, grinding, grading and cupping of ASEAN coffee.
The ASEAN coffee flavour wheel
Using data that has been compiled over the years from cupping and grading hundreds of ASEAN coffee, ACI has created a more localised version of the coffee flavour wheel.
“As a region, ASEAN produces almost 33% of the world coffee supply, with Vietnam and Indonesia leading the pack. ASEAN plays a significant role in the coffee market and it is time that the region has its own flavour wheel,” says Victor Mah, president of ACF and ACI.
The Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel which was originally published by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) in the 1990s, has always been an iconic and valuable resource within the coffee community.
The introduction of the ASEAN Flavour Sphere to the market will be an additional tool to encourage both consumers and producers to deepen their understanding of the flavours of ASEAN coffee.
“The ASEAN Flavour Sphere includes descriptors that are localised and accessible to the ASEAN market. With that, we hope coffee producers in our region are able to recognise the potential of their coffee, promote their offering in greater detail and improve participation in the coffee trade chain. At the same time, this will also help consumers to better appreciate our local flavours,” adds Victor.
That said, ACI recognises the challenge in ensuring that the flavour descriptors used are representative of coffee produced in all the ASEAN member countries.
Other than continuing to improve and expand the Flavour Sphere, ACI is also looking to develop its very own flavour kits to allow more people to learn about the flavours found in ASEAN coffee.
To access and download the ASEAN Coffee Flavour Sphere click here.
About ASEAN Coffee Federation
ASEAN Coffee Federation (ACF) was first conceived by a group of passionate ASEAN coffee industry players who are in constant pursuit of improving and developing the quality of ASEAN’s coffee beans, so as to compete in the world stage.
Established in year 2010, ASEAN Coffee Federation currently represents 10 coffee associations across Southeast Asia as its key members, with 1 other coffee association as associate member from North Asia. The key members are:
- Indonesia – (1) Specialty Coffee Association of Indonesia and (2) Association of Indonesian Coffee Exporters and Industries
- Laos – (3) Lao Coffee Association
- Malaysia – (4) Malaysia Specialty Coffee Association
- Myanmar – (5) Myanmar Coffee Association
- Philippines – (6) Philippine Coffee Board
- Singapore – (7) Singapore Coffee Association
- Thailand – (8) Thai Coffee Association and (9) Barista Association of Thailand
- Vietnam – (10) Vietnam Coffee & Cocoa Association
In 2021, ACF formed its official coffee training and education body – ASEAN Coffee Institute (ACI).
The institute’s objective is to: (i) establish coffee quality and standards for the ASEAN region reaching out to the world (ii) provide affordable coffee education to all (iii) promote sustainability practices to coffee farmers (iv) encourage sustainable sourcing by traders, roasters and cafe owners. For more information click here.
