FOCUS GROUP: A QUALITATIVE MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENT FOR COFFEE STRENGTH

Focus group (FG) is a traditional interview technique in consumer research. Through the interaction of the interviewees social representations about a theme is revealed. The study objective was to use FG to obtain sensory perceptions of coffee and correlate them with the concept of coffee strength. Regular coffee drinkers (both genders), over the age of 18, were recruited from a previously established coffee drinker database. Two mixed FGs lasting approximately 120min each were conducted with eight participants in June 2023 at FEA-Unicamp. The FGs were conducted by the first author using a semi-structured interview guide. FG were divided into three parts. First stage: participants recalled memorable moments with coffee; Second: three different coffees were presented in monadic order to each of the participants: a medium roast gourmet coffee (8g/100mL water), and a traditional dark roast coffee with different concentrations (8g/100mL water; 16g /100mL of water). Third: harmonization of food with coffee was addressed. All sessions were recorded and analyzed using content analysis with theoretical approach in Grounded Theory. Participants used a variety of sensory attributes to refer to the coffee presented. Memorable moments were strongly linked to new experiences of drinking: a new preparation method or a new type of coffee. Majority of participants preferred traditional coffee (16g/100mL), characterized as strong coffee due to its color, body and flavor intensity. “Strong coffee” was defined as positive .Talking about pairing, everyone agreed that coffee accompaniment has the function of mitigating the “strength” in the drink. On the other hand, participants more used to specialty coffees preferred gourmet coffee (8g/100mL), the characteristic of "strong coffee" was evaluated negatively. Harmonization was evaluated as a complement to the beverage. In conclusion, FG proved to be an appropriate technique to reveal perceptions of coffee consumers, as well as insights into the perception of "strong coffee".