CQI Flavor Standards
The new flavoractiv exam in Q combo 5.0
It’s not often that CQI adds a new test to the Q Combo Course & Exam. In fact, it’s so rare that it usually indicates a system-wide update to the curriculum. Sure enough, this test is part of an update CQI rolled out last year: Q Version 5.0. It includes a few other changes, like including the “bitter” taste modality into the Sensory Skills exam.
The new exam is called “CQI Flavor Standards”, and features a kit made in collaboration with FlavorActiv. This kit features 14 flavors commonly found in coffee. The flavored powders are packaged in pill caps whose contents should be dissolved in one liter of water.
This tool - much like the Le Nez du Cafe kit, also featured as an exam in the Q Combo - allows people all over the world to experience exactly the same flavors. If you’ve studied anything about sensory science, you know that the gap between flavor perception and communication around experienced flavors can be enormous. Tools like these allow us to calibrate to a universal standard - our experiences or preferences may different, but with the flavor standard in front of us we can easily calibrate with the group. Currently there are no alternatives to create this kind of universal teaching tool, and the implications should be massive.
Of course there are some downsides, too. The first is pricing: the full kits are $1300, and the individual calibration kits are $160. This will drive the cost of the Q Combo Exam up for both Instructors and Students. Another complaint is that some of the flavors do not seem to be precise enough; the Apple and Tropical Fruit flavors in particular lead to quite a bit of confusion. Some flavors are so mild as to be almost indetectable; and some vary drastically from similar references used elsewhere in the Q Combo, even though they are given the same name.
Despite these drawbacks it seems that the new Flavor Standards test is here to say. Let’s discuss how the test looks and how to prepare for it!
There are 14 Flavor Standards included in the kit. 7 are positive attributes, and 7 are cup defects.
Attribute / On Flavors:
• Apple
• Floral
• Fruity
• Molasses
• Vanilla
• Almond
• Warming Spices
Defect / Off Flavors
• Bitter
• Phenol Defect
• Under-Ripe
• Musty
• Papery
• Potato Defect
• Sour
During the course, students will taste through and discuss all 14 flavors. The exam asks students to correctly identify 6 flavors presented blind. Students must get 5 out of 6 correct in order to pass.
I do not recommend that students buy the solutions themselves to use at home - that is totally cost prohibitive. However, students can spend time reviewing the 14 flavors included in the test so that they have a memory reference to match to their sensory experience during practice.
When tasting through the 14 flavors, recruit all your senses - especially your olfactory skills and your sense memory. What do these flavors remind you of? What memories or emotions do they evoke? Reinforce these by building connections to the flavor you’re experiencing.
Finally, if you’re able to find a course in your area offering a practice session - take it! I offered a “Q Prep” course in May of 2023 that allowed students to taste all 14 flavors and then participate in a mock test. It was really useful for students to experience these references for the first time outside of a test setting, and many of them passed the exam when they participated in subsequent Q Combos.
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