Coffee flavour wheel in Indian languages for baristas and farmers

The Hindu

4 days ago

At his Barista Training Academy in Panchsheel Park, New Delhi, Vinny Varghese is brewing more than just good coffee — he is creating an inclusive vocabulary for how we talk about it. Last year, the seasoned barista and co-founder translated the globally recognised Coffee Flavour Wheel into Hindi, which took him 10 days to complete. Now, he is expanding the project to six more Indian languages, including Tamil, Malayalam, Punjabi, Assamese, and Bengali.
For each regional version, Vinny — known in the coffee community as Binny — has collaborated with connoisseurs from those linguistic and cultural backgrounds to ensure accuracy and authenticity. 'The idea is to help Indian coffee lovers and professionals connect more deeply with the beverage, in their own language,' he says.
Originally developed by the Specialty Coffee Association in 1995 in US, the Coffee Flavour Wheel is a detailed chart that helps classify and describe different coffee flavours based on taste and aroma. It is widely used by roasters, baristas and enthusiasts to articulate a brew's profile, and to help customers better understand their preferences.
Binny breaks it down: 'There are three levels to the wheel. The innermost circle consists of nine broad categories — sweet, floral, fruity, sour, green, other, roasted, spices, and nutty/cocoa. The second layer refines these into more specific descriptors like citrus fruits, berries or dried fruit under the fruity umbrella. The outermost circle offers even finer nuances pinpointing the exact flavour notes in each category.'
With these translations, the once-intimidating flavour lexicon becomes far more approachable.
What inspired Vinny to reimagine the Coffee Flavour Wheel in Indian languages? The answer, as with most things in coffee, lies in making that taste accessible.
'At the Barista Training Academy, many of our students aren't fluent in English, nor are they familiar with global flavour references like 'blueberry' or 'green apple',' he says. 'But they know jamun. They know amla. The idea was to create something relatable, so that whether you're a barista, a farmer, or someone who enjoys coffee, you can understand what you're tasting in your own words.'
Each chart is translated into colloquial versions of Hindi, Tamil, or whichever language it is being developed in — dialects and phrasing that students actually use. This is no stiff textbook translation. 'So where the original flavour wheel says 'roast', the Hindi version might say bhuna hua or halka bhuna hua,' Vinny explains. 'For a dark roast, we've gone with jala-hua, not because it's literally burnt, but because it conveys that familiar smoky, acidic sharpness.'
For now, the regional flavour wheels are displayed at the Barista Training Academy for its students. English versions sit side by side with their Indian counterparts, giving learners the context and confidence to describe what they are tasting.
The flavour wheels in select regional languages are currently available at the Barista Training Academy.