A Sensory Evaluation of Arabica Gayo Coffee Flavour Based on Varieties and Processing Techniques

Post-harvest handling of coffee is one of the main factors in producing a high-quality coffee, including its processing techniques. This study aimed to conduct a sensory evaluation of arabica Gayo coffee flavour in various varieties and processing techniques. There were four selected coffee varieties in this study, namely Bor-bor, Tim Tim Aceh, Bergendal and Ateng Super, which were obtained from the garden of farmers in Gayo Highlands, Province of Aceh, Indonesia. The coffee processing methods used in this study were both dry and wet processing techniques. The sensory assessment of arabica Gayo coffee flavour was carried out by ten panelists by evaluating the acceptance of the product based on the level of preference. The sensory assessment of flavour included fragrance, flavour, after-taste, acidity, balance, body, and overall based on the panelist decision values using the exponential comparison method (ECM/MPE). Results showed that the wet processing technique was the most suitable technique for arabica Gayo coffee based on the preference of panelists compared to the dry processing technique. Arabica Gayo coffee varieties that have the highest acceptance value by panelists in sequence were Bor-bor varieties (1^st choice), Tim Tim Aceh (2^nd choice), Ateng Super (3^rd choice), and Bergendal (4^th choice). Therefore, the Bor-bor variety was the most important coffee variety recommended to be developed by the farmers compared to other coffee varieties.