- Also called: finish
- Availability: Common
Aftertaste (sometimes called "finish") is one of the ten attributes scored on the SCA cupping form. The best coffees leave a clean, sweet, lingering impression — chocolate, citrus zest, floral — that evolves over 30–60 seconds after swallowing. A short or astringent aftertaste is often the first sign of either a defective lot or a poorly extracted brew.