What is a sensory panel in coffee cupping?

A sensory panel in coffee cupping refers to a group of tasters who evaluate coffee. This process involves trained individuals who assess various attributes of the coffee, such as aroma, flavor, acidity, body, and aftertaste. By using a sensory panel, the tasting becomes systematic and reliable, allowing for consistent evaluation and comparison of different coffee samples. These panels play a crucial role in quality control, classification, and ensuring that the coffee meets certain flavor profiles or standards that consumers expect.

The other roles mentioned, such as roasting coffee beans, developing new blends, or grading coffee certifications, are important in the coffee industry but do not specifically pertain to the function of a sensory panel in the context of cupping. A sensory panel's primary focus is strictly on the sensory evaluation of coffee, which is pivotal in determining its overall quality and marketability.