In the 2004 version of the protocol, both “balance” and “overall” looked at how all the sensory components of the cup interacted with each other to produce an overall impression, though “balance” was supposed to be more “objective,” while “overall” was supposed to be more “subjective.” Today, we know that both balance and overall were actually affective ratings of the overall perception of a cup’s sensory attributes: there is no such thing as an “objectively” balanced cup: what is “too acidic” for some might be perfectly balanced for others. Therefore, we integrated “balance” into our current “overall”—you still get to rate a cup’s balance, as part of that “overall,” but we no longer assume every person has the same ideal of what a balanced cup should be. “Overall,” on the other hand, as a holistic, affective rating of a coffee’s sensory attributes, makes sense as an element to be considered in an affective assessment.