What Does a Coffee Award Actually Measure Understanding Coffee Quality Awards
Quick Summary
Coffee awards don't all measure the same thing. In reality, different awards evaluate products using different methodologies, judging criteria and objectives.
Great Taste Awards, Blas na hÉireann and the Irish Quality Food Awards all provide valuable recognition and have earned strong reputations within the food and drink industry. However, they are designed to evaluate products through broader food and consumer frameworks.
The International Institute of Coffee Tasters (IIAC) takes a different approach. Founded in Italy in 1993, the IIAC focuses exclusively on coffee and applies a scientific sensory methodology built around blind tasting, trained sensory panels and statistical validation.
This article explores the differences between these approaches and explains why understanding what an award measures is just as important as understanding the award itself.
What Does a Coffee Award Actually Measure Understanding Coffee Quality Awards
Introduction
Walk into any supermarket, specialty food shop or online store and you will quickly encounter award logos. Gold medals, stars, trophies and quality marks have become powerful tools that help consumers navigate increasingly crowded markets.
Coffee is no exception.
Many consumers recognise names such as Great Taste Awards, Blas na hÉireann and the Irish Quality Food Awards. These awards play an important role in celebrating excellence across food and drink.
However, coffee presents a unique challenge.
Coffee is one of the most chemically complex beverages consumed globally. Its quality can be influenced by hundreds of volatile aromatic compounds, extraction variables, roast development, acidity levels, bitterness balance, crema stability and mouthfeel characteristics.
This raises an interesting question:
Should coffee be evaluated in the same way as other food and drink products, or should it be assessed using coffee-specific methodologies?
Composition of Coffee Awards
Before comparing methodologies, it is important to understand that these awards were created for different purposes.
| Award | Scope | Primary Evaluation Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Great Taste Awards | Food and drink | Taste and product excellence |
| Blas na hÉireann | Irish food and drink | Blind tasting, quality and consumer appeal |
| Irish Quality Food Awards | Retail food and drink | Product quality, packaging, innovation and market relevance |
| IIAC International Coffee Tasting | Coffee only | Scientific sensory evaluation of coffee |
All four awards have value.
The difference lies in what they are trying to measure.
Intrinsic Quality vs Extrinsic Quality
The most important distinction in this discussion comes from sensory science.
In academic sensory evaluation, quality is often divided into two categories.
Intrinsic Quality Attributes
Intrinsic quality refers to the physical properties of the product itself.
These include:
Volatile aromatics
Acidity
Bitterness
Sweetness
Crema quality
Lipid structure
Body and mouthfeel
Chemical composition
These characteristics exist within the product and cannot be changed without altering the physical nature of the food or beverage.
Extrinsic Quality Attributes
Extrinsic quality refers to factors surrounding the product rather than the product itself.
These include:
Brand reputation
Packaging
Price
- Origin stories
- Provenance
What Does a Coffee Award Actually Measure Understanding Coffee Quality Awards
These factors influence purchasing decisions despite not being physically present within the liquid itself.
Total Product Value
Intrinsic Quality (The Liquid Itself)
Volatile Aromatics
Crema and Lipids
Acidity and Bitterness
Chemical Precision
Extrinsic Quality (The Consumer World)
Branding and Logos
Price Point
Storytelling
Market Positioning
Packaging
Sustainability Claims
This distinction becomes important when examining how different award programmes evaluate products.
Why the IIAC Focuses on Intrinsic Quality
The IIAC functions under an analytical sensory paradigm.
Its objective is to benchmark a highly specific product category: coffee.
More specifically, espresso coffee.
The IIAC was founded in Italy in 1993 as an independent, non-profit scientific association dedicated to studying and promoting the sensory evaluation of coffee.
Unlike broader food competitions, the IIAC developed a strict, data-driven methodology for analysing coffee using blind tasting panels and statistical validation.
The organisation is recognised internationally for:
Scientific sensory evaluation
Blind tasting protocols
Statistical validation of results
Coffee-specific sensory training
International Coffee Tasting competitions
Development of Certified Italian Espresso standards
The IIAC approach begins with a specific premise:
If the goal is to evaluate coffee quality, external influences should be removed as much as possible.
What Does a Coffee Award Actually Measure Understanding Coffee Quality Awards
The Problem of Cognitive Bias
Why is this necessary?
Research in sensory science has consistently shown that consumers and judges can be influenced by external information.
Psychologists often refer to this as the Halo Effect.
For example:
A high price can increase perceived quality.
A prestigious origin can influence expectations.
Premium packaging can alter perception.
A compelling brand story can affect taste evaluation.
These influences occur before the coffee is even tasted.
The IIAC attempts to minimise these effects by stripping away external variables.
The story, the brand and the price do not exist in the evaluation room.
How the IIAC Methodology Works
The IIAC relies heavily on Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA) and strict sensory science principles.
In this model, judges are not treated as consumers expressing personal preferences.
They are treated as calibrated sensory instruments.
To participate in IIAC evaluations, judges must undergo specialised training and obtain a Coffee Taster Licence.
Evaluations are conducted under controlled conditions using:
Blind tasting
Standardised preparation
Controlled environments
Consistent serving conditions
Structured sensory grids
Coffee samples are assessed against precise criteria rather than broad personal impressions.
The IIAC methodology evaluates factors such as:
Aroma intensity
Aroma quality
Acidity
Bitterness
Body
Balance
Persistence
Sensory harmony
Crema characteristics
Because the objective is repeatability, every score sheet undergoes statistical validation.
If a judge's score demonstrates an abnormal deviation from established patterns, that data may be excluded from the final evaluation.
The purpose is not to suppress opinions.
The purpose is to improve reproducibility and reduce bias.
What Does a Coffee Award Actually Measure Understanding Coffee Quality Awards
Certified Italian Espresso and the IIAC
The IIAC also played a key role in defining the sensory profile associated with Certified Italian Espresso.
Working alongside researchers and academic institutions, the IIAC helped establish parameters describing the characteristics of a traditional Italian espresso.
These include:
Approximately 25 ml extraction volume
Fine textured hazel to dark brown crema
Balanced bitterness and acidity
Floral notes
Fruit notes
Chocolate notes
The objective was to create a reproducible sensory reference point rather than relying on subjective descriptions alone.
What Does a Coffee Award Actually Measure Understanding Coffee Quality Awards
How Blas na hÉireann Differs
Blas na hÉireann occupies a different space.
The awards were developed to recognise excellence across Irish food and drink.
Its Sense Award scoring system was developed in collaboration with University College Cork and academic partners.
Rather than focusing exclusively on intrinsic sensory measurements, Blas evaluates products through a broader framework.
Judges may include:
Chefs
Retailers
Buyers
Food writers
Industry specialists
The objective is not to replicate a laboratory.
The objective is to identify excellent products within real commercial contexts.
The methodology combines:
Appearance
Aroma
Flavour
Texture
Overall quality
Consumer appeal
This makes it particularly valuable for assessing how products perform within the wider marketplace.
What Does a Coffee Award Actually Measure Understanding Coffee Quality Awards
How Great Taste Differs
Great Taste Awards are among the most recognised food awards in the UK and Ireland.
The methodology differs significantly.
Great Taste utilises expert industry panels composed of:
Chefs
Food critics
Buyers
Producers
Food specialists
The process focuses on identifying exceptional taste experiences.
Rather than applying rigid quantitative scoring grids, Great Taste relies on expert sensory judgment.
The objective is to identify products that deliver outstanding eating or drinking experiences.
It is therefore a broader assessment of product excellence rather than a coffee-specific sensory analysis programme.
What Does a Coffee Award Actually Measure Understanding Coffee Quality Awards
How the Irish Quality Food Awards Differ
The Irish Quality Food Awards take another approach.
The programme evaluates products within commercial retail environments.
Judging criteria may include:
Product quality
Taste
Innovation
Packaging and Origin Story
Price
Provenance
This reflects a Total Quality Management perspective.
The product is assessed as something that exists within a commercial ecosystem rather than as an isolated sensory sample.
For retailers and manufacturers, this provides valuable insight into how products perform within real world markets.
Can Coffee Quality Be Measured?
This question sits at the heart of the discussion.
Some people believe coffee quality is entirely subjective.
Others believe it can be measured scientifically.
The answer is likely both.
Consumer preference will always remain personal.
Some people prefer darker roasts.
Others prefer lighter profiles.
Some enjoy high acidity.
Others prefer chocolate and nut driven flavour profiles.
However, sensory science demonstrates that many characteristics of coffee can be measured, described and reproduced.
This is why organisations such as the IIAC exist.
Their objective is not to tell consumers what they should like.
Their objective is to evaluate coffee using structured and repeatable methodologies.
Market Trends
Consumers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in how they evaluate products.
They want:
Third party validation
Independent assessment
Objective evidence
Transparency
At the same time, businesses are facing greater scrutiny around claims and product positioning.
This has increased interest in:
Certifications
Awards
Independent testing
Scientific validation
The challenge is that many consumers see award logos without understanding what those awards actually measure.
Understanding the methodology behind the award provides a much clearer picture of its significance.
What Does a Coffee Award Actually Measure Understanding Coffee Quality Awards
Why Do Coffee Buyers Need To Know All This
The most important takeaway from this article is not that one award is better than another.
The most important takeaway is that different awards measure different things.
A Great Taste Award, a Blas na hÉireann Award, an Irish Quality Food Award and an IIAC Award may all represent excellence.
However, they arrive at that conclusion through different methodologies.
When evaluating coffee, buyers should familiarise themselves with the criteria so they know what they're buying and why:
What was measured?
Who measured it?
How was it measured?
What was the objective of the evaluation?
The answers often reveal more than the logo itself.
What Does a Coffee Award Actually Measure Understanding Coffee Quality Awards
Why Choose Fzin Coffee
At Fzin Coffee, we see coffee quality as an objective, measurable and highly repeatable metric. While personal preferences will always differ, many aspects of coffee quality can be evaluated using established sensory science methodologies.
The methodology discussed throughout this article is directly relevant to one of the coffee blends available through Fzin Coffee.
IIAC Gold Medal (2024)
IIAC Platinum Medal (2025)
These recognitions were awarded through the International Coffee Tasting competition using the coffee-specific sensory methodology described in this article.
The same award winning coffee blend is also used in Aromatico.
For buyers seeking coffee that has been evaluated through a coffee-specific sensory framework, these awards provide independent recognition from an organisation dedicated exclusively to coffee assessment.
What Does a Coffee Award Actually Measure Understanding Coffee Quality Awards
Frequently Asked Questions
Is IIAC an award organisation?
IIAC is the International Institute of Coffee Tasters, an independent non-profit scientific association dedicated to coffee sensory evaluation. It also operates the International Coffee Tasting competition.
Does IIAC only evaluate coffee?
Yes. IIAC focuses exclusively on coffee and coffee sensory science.
Are Great Taste and Blas na hÉireann respected awards?
Yes. Both are highly regarded food and drink awards that recognise product excellence across multiple categories.
Does IIAC use blind tasting?
Yes. Blind tasting forms a core part of the IIAC methodology.
Why does IIAC use statistical validation?
Statistical validation helps improve consistency and reduce the influence of outlier scoring during evaluations.
What Does a Coffee Award Actually Measure Understanding Coffee Quality Awards
References
What Does a Coffee Award Actually Measure Understanding Coffee Quality Awards
International Institute of Coffee Tasters (IIAC). Official organisational materials and educational resources.
International Coffee Tasting (ICT). Competition methodology and judging framework.
Istituto Espresso Italiano (IEI). Certified Italian Espresso standards.
Food Quality and Preference. Sensory evaluation and Quantitative Descriptive Analysis literature.
International Journal of Food Science and Technology. Research relating to sensory profiling of espresso coffee.
Blas na hÉireann. Sense Award methodology and judging framework.
University College Cork School of Food and Nutritional Sciences. Development of sensory evaluation methodologies for food awards.
Guild of Fine Food. Great Taste Awards judging process.
Irish Quality Food Awards. Judging criteria and award framework.
Sensory Science Literature on Intrinsic and Extrinsic Quality Attributes and Consumer Behaviour.
What Does a Coffee Award Actually Measure Understanding Coffee Quality Awards
