When developing a new product, you are likely to go through several tasting sessions before finalizing a formula. Using the same lexicon when describing taste and flavor can help the product developer and flavorist understand desired flavor adjustments and speed up the process of achieving the expected taste and mouthfeel.
We talk about how to describe flavor often, because we’re designing new ones every day. Reach out to request flavor samples from our extensive flavor library.
Here is an explanation of some of the common terms used to describe taste and flavor:
Astringency – Dry, chalky sensation in the mouth
Acidic – Sharp, tart, sour
Acrid – Pungent, sharp, biting, bitter
Alkaline – Dry, somewhat bitter
Ashy – Dry, burnt, smoky, bitter
Barnyard – Dusty, musty, earthy
Burnt – Scorched, bitter
Buttery – Fatty, creamy, rich
Candy-like – Sweet, cooked sugar, cotton-candy
Cardboard – Papery, stale, oxidized
Caustic – Biting, acidic, astringent, stinging
Citrus – Ripe citrus fruit like lemon, lime, grapefruit, orange
Chalky – Dusty, powdery, gritty
Chemical – Medicinal, metal, sulphur
Clean – Without off-flavors or undesirable traits
Cooked – Sulfurous, caramelized, burnt
Delicate – Pleasant, mild, mellow
Earthy – Musty, green
Green – Vegetative, grassy, leguminous
Jammy – Preserved fruit, ripe, pungent, sweet
Lactic – Fresh, heated, acidified or transformed (burnt, rotten) milk
Lipid – Fatty, rich
Malt-like – Sweet, nutty
Medicinal – Chemical, plastic
Musty – Stale, moldy, mildew, damp
Piquant – Pleasantly pungent, tart, zesty, zingy
Pungent – Sharp, intense, penetrating
Phenolic – Plastic, chemical, medicinal
Rancid – Rotten, spoiled, stale, bad
Resinous – Woody, pine, cedar, oak
Smoky – Wood smoke, burnt, char
Sulfur – Rotten eggs, burning, match-like
Tangy – Tart, zesty, mouthwatering
Tart – Sour, sharp, bitter, acidic
Vegetal – Green, beany, raw, grassy
Yeasty – Bready, doughy
Have any other favorite tasting terms? Email us at marketing@imbibeinc.com with your suggestions or to talk about your next beverage project.
