Ashy

The smell or taste of ash, such as an ashtray, cigarette smoke, or fireplace. Often a roast defectA problem with the roasting machine or process, resulting in off flavors in the cup: Roast defects indicate a problem with the roasting machine or process, resulting in off flavors in the cup. These are More.: A quality in aromaAroma refers to sensations perceived by the olfactory bulb and conveyed to the brain; whether through the nose or "retro-nasally": The aromatics of a coffee greatly influence its flavor profile and come from the perception More or flavor similar to that of an ashtray, the odor of smokers’ fingers or the smell one gets when cleaning out a fireplace. In the most moderate amount, it may not ruin a cup, but is never used by Sweet Maria’s as a positive quality. Ashy flavors can hint at roasting defects, anything from smokeyUsually a defect of roasting, or of green coffee processing, smokey notes are sometimes found as a positive flavor in a few exotic coffees; This smell and flavor is similar to fireplace effluence, campfire, or More uncleanA general negative description of dirty or hard flavors in a coffee that should have none. These are flavors without positive qualities, that distract from the cup. Also simply called "off" More air being recycled through a roasting drum (or a roaster that doesn’t vent, like a barbeque drum roasterA roaster with a rotating drum that provides agitation to the beans, while a heating element (typically either electric or gas) provides heat. The metal drum conducts heat to the beans, so drum roasters heat More set-up). Softer, lower-grown coffees will show ashy tastes before high-grown, dense coffees, given the same roast treatment.