The Sensory Coffee Continuum

Positioned as flavour explorers from the future in a time when coffee has become extinct, workshop participants must explore ‘the sensory coffee continuum’ - approximated colours, flavours, smells, textures of coffee as discovered by historians - in an attempt to recreate the lost taste, smell, and ritual of coffee.

Guided by the host and a series of reflection questions, the workshop explores questions such as:

• What combination of flavours and scents create the closest approximation of coffee? Is it cedar, cacao, cherry, tobacco, chicory root?
• What are our personal connections to and memories of coffee?
• What are the daily rituals we cherish? Which ones do we wish to pass to future generations?
• Can we recreate the things we love from a sum of their parts?
• Through pleasure and play, how can we reimagine our connection to food?

Practical notes

The workshop includes:

The workshop includes an installation of 7 plinths - the ‘sensory continuum’, presenting the chromatic journey of coffee from tree to cup, small bites, scents, coffee beans at different stages of roasting, and a natural alternative to coffee. 

Participants will also be provided with a ‘tasting notes’ sheet for them to record their findings and reflections.

Consumables will be plant-based and no gluten containing ingredients but may contain nuts and traces of gluten.

Not suitable for children.

Duration: 60 minutes

Facilitator bio

Helen Russell Brown is a food artist working at the intersection of sensory experience, sustainability, and connection. With more than 10 years experience creating edible experiences and a masters degree in sustainable food systems, her approach is to reimagine relationships with food, each other, and the natural world through pleasurable and playful encounters.