Ask an Expert Joanne Yang

We love sourcing, roasting, smelling, tasting, crafting, and drinking coffee. And when it comes to smelling and tasting, no one knows the biz better than Joanne Yang, Peet’s R&D Sensory Manager.

What's your favorite aspect of how the R&D and Sensory team approach their work?

It wasn’t until after I joined the R&D team and started to use my sensory training for product development that I realized I was viewing coffee only from my personal preferences. R&D team uses sensory research to understand different aspects of all coffee products that appeal to different preferences. For example, black coffee drinkers appreciate the boldness in a cup of joe. Even within this group, some like the boldness of dark roasted coffee and some seek the delicate floral aromas in medium or light roasts. Caffe Latte drinkers enjoy the balance between creamy sweetness and coffee boldness. There’s hardly one thing fits all. We use sensory and consumer research to guide our product design, putting ourselves in many different shoes. It truly broadens my coffee preferences. Every time we approach new product development by putting ourselves in others’ shoes, new ideas spark. I enjoy this process of putting the Peet’s spin on so many different coffee products, providing different—almost tailored—flavor experiences for every unique coffee consumer.    

What aspect of Peet’s do you think people don’t know about, but should?

Sourcing with impact! This is THE Peet’s value that we pride ourselves on, and it doesn’t get broadcasted widely enough. We work with our non-profit partner to assess 100% of our coffee supply, and we are dedicated to support impactful improvement projects. I think anyone who buys and drinks Peet’s should know and pride themselves by also being a part of it. I can’t say enough but you can read more about it: Impact | Peet's Coffee (peets.com)

We know it’s probably hard to pick, but if you had to call out a favorite product or beverage from Peet’s, what would it be?

My usual drink at Peet's is the Havana Cappuccino, but our fall limited release Sparkling Grapefruit Cold Brew has been gaining on it.

What are you drinking right now?

I have been making a lot of sparkling coffee at home using the new Ultra Coffee Concentrate. Right now, I’m obsessed with experimenting with different sparkling waters. So far, I like the combination of yuzu sparkling water and Ultra Coffee, with a little bit of yuzu jam.