Glossary of coffee terms

A

Acidity-a normal characteristic of arabica coffees, especially of the high grown varieties. The pleasant sharpness, snap and dryness that you will pick up on the back of your palate. The acid notes should be very clear in the coffees of Africa and a little softer and richer in the ones from Sumatra. An acidy coffee is somewhat analogous to a dry white wine. A positive acidy brightness is very desirable.

Aftertaste-this is a sensation that occurs after swallowing and is created by the residue remaining in your mouth and have a vast flavour profile from nutty to sweet chocolaty.

Arabica-is the species name assigned to coffee and refers to the higher grown coffees that in turn will have a much higher quality.

Aroma-the sensation of gases released from brewed coffee, ranging from fruity to herby, as they are inhaled through the nose.

B

Balanced-no one quality overwhelms all the others and the coffee contains all the right characteristics to the proper extent.

Bird Friendly-instead of cutting down all the trees to plant coffee trees, the other crops are left retaining the nesting grounds for the birds.

Body-is the mouth feel at the back of the tongue that occurs while swishing the coffee around your mouth a sense of heaviness, richness and thickness. A coffee with a heavy body will come through when you put milk in the cup

C

Caffeol- the oil you see on the surface of the coffee bean that has been roasted dark. This is the soluble oil that is created in the roasting process and is soluble. Without this oil we have no coffee. These oils are also quick to evaporate and will go rancid after a while.

Chaff-the light fluffy pieces that come off the beans while they are being roasted, somewhat like the thin cover of the peanut after you open the shell.

Cherry-the little fruit that starts off green and as it ripens on the coffee tree turns red indicating that it is ready for picking.

Crema-the thick brown layer you will see on top of an espresso as it is made. The thicker the better and I Italy it should be able to hold the sugar for a few seconds before it dissolves into the cup.

Cupping- the term used by the roasters that are sampling the coffees to determine their traits.

D

Dark-a reference to the degree of roast

Decaffeination process-there are 3 methods. One is a solvent the other 2 are natural. The swiss water method is a trade marked process where caffeine is removed prior to roasting from the green beans. with water and charcoal filters. In the end 99.9% of caffeine is removed.

E

Earthiness-refers to a particular flavour sensation that comes from certain Indonesian coffees.

Espresso-a multi used term that refers to the drink, the style of roast, the grind and the equipment. Remember there is no such thing as an espresso tree; the espresso is a specific blend of beans roasted to a specific level to give you a particular taste.

F

Fair Trade-just briefly it refers to a program where the farmers growing and picking the coffee are being paid a fair wage. For more details go to the Fair trade page on this site.

Flavour- a bit of an ambiguous term used to describe the coffee since acidity; body and aroma all contribute to the final flavour or taste.

French Roast-is a style of roast very common in Europe where the beans are dark brown and very oily.

Fruity-an aromatic sensation common in certain African coffees and can be in a range from citrus to dry berries.

Full-a description of the bouquet of the cup.

Full city-here the beans are roasted to the level just before they begin to turn dark and before the oils are brought to the outside of the bean.

G

Green-the state the coffee is in before it is roasted. To the roaster it is more than a simple green colour that he will check for since depending on the origin of the coffee the shade may very from a light blue green to a dark green. Coffee in this state prior to roasting can last for a long time providing elements such as humidity or smells do not alter its quality

I

Italian roast-once again a European style very dark and oily.

M

Medium- a roast level where the beans are brown but not a light cinnamon colour.

Mellow-a widely used term in advertising to depict a light and delicate taste in the cup

Micro-roaster- has the advantage of using a more specialized style of roasting which allows for a more psecialized development of the flavour profile of the coffee beans
.

Mild-a secondary taste sensation characterized by a subtle taste on the tip of the tongue.

N

Nutty-this is an aromatic sensation that comes out in a variety of different forms such as hazelnuts, peanuts and walnuts.

O

Organic-a process where no pesticides are used in the growing of the crop. This is certified by an international body "OCIA" organic crop improvement association that goes to the plantation to examine the soil.

P

Peaberry-normally inside the cherry there are two seeds that sit flat against each other, in this case there is only one seed and is normally a little smaller and rounder.

Pulping-the process of removing the cherry from around the coffee seeds.

R

Richness-describes a bit of the body and the flavour and describes the satisfying fullness from the cup of coffee.

Robusta-the lower grade of coffee, twice the caffeine amount as the Arabica coffee bean, used mostly in the commercial and donut shop market

S

Sharp-a taste that is somewhat salty and is predominant in robusta coffee

Smooth-a sensation when drinking the coffee where complex characteristics do not occur

Strong-usually used for describing a very dark cup of coffee

W

Winy-a primary coffee taste created when the natural occurring sugars combine with the acids to reduce sourness. These tastes can range from tangy to tart and are often found in African coffees

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