Coffee sensory properties can depend on several factors such as the species/varieties cultivated, the processing after the harvesting phase, geographical origin, and climatic factors. The impact of microclimates has been suggested to be critical to coffee sensory properties. Thirteen Arabica coffee samples from different farms in different sub areas of the same municipality (Pitalito region of Huila, Colombia), were evaluated using descriptive sensory analysis. The coffee samples differed in growing altitude, shading level, and fermentation practices. Overall, samples differed for attributes such as burnt, acrid, ashy, metallic, sour and sweet aromatics. However, differences generally were small, <1-point on a 0-15 scale for most attributes. Differences could not be directly attributed to geographical area, different farming practice, or storage methods. This study suggests that the impact of specific microclimates within the same small region does not have a large impact on sensory properties of coffee.
Keywords: Arabica; Aroma; Descriptive analysis; Flavor; Microclimate; Post-harvest.
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