What does afternose mean in coffee cupping?

Afternose is the aroma that lingers in your nasal passage after you've swallowed or spat - the olfactory equivalent of aftertaste. Where aftertaste is what you keep tasting on the palate, afternose is what you keep smelling through the retronasal passage.

The term doesn't appear on the standard SCA cupping form, which groups finish under aftertaste. But experienced cuppers pay close attention to it, because some of the most interesting aromatic qualities in a coffee - delicate florals, spice, dried fruit - reveal themselves most clearly in the afternose rather than the initial hit. A Yirgacheffe that seems quiet on first sip can open up dramatically in the finish.

If you're cupping and something catches your attention a moment after the liquid has gone - that's afternose. Worth noting down.