A defectIn coffee, a defect refers to specific preparation problems with the green coffee, or a flavor problem found in the cupping process. Bad seeds in the green coffee... term referring to oxidized unpleasantly sharp cheese flavor.: A defect term referring to oxidized, unpleasantly sharp cheese flavor, found in coffee that has not been stored correctly, or shipped with cheese. This is a term of yore, as it is documented in Uker’s All About Coffee, but I have never heard it used in the modern day.