What is fragrance in coffee cupping?

Fragrance is the smell of dry, freshly ground coffee before any water is added - one of the ten attributes scored on the SCA cupping form, and evaluated separately from aroma (which is the smell of the brewed coffee). In cupping protocol, fragrance is assessed immediately after grinding, while the grounds are still dry.

The distinction matters because fragrance and aroma can tell different stories. Some coffees have a dramatically expressive dry fragrance - intensely floral, fruity, or sweet - that hints strongly at what's coming in the cup. Others are muted in the dry stage and open up dramatically with hot water. The gap between fragrance and aroma is itself informative: a coffee that smells more complex wet than dry may have aromatic compounds that only volatilise at higher temperatures.

Common fragrance descriptors mirror those used for aroma and flavour: floral (jasmine, rose), fruity (citrus peel, berry, stone fruit), nutty, chocolatey, spicy. For home roasters cupping their own output, paying attention to fragrance adds a data point before tasting even begins - and comparing fragrance across roast levels of the same green coffee can reveal how roasting develops or masks the green coffee's inherent aromatic character.