We know the whole coffee world can be a bit confusing to start with (anyone else feel the pressure when ordering a coffee?!) and nothing is more mind boggling than the coffee terminology. However fear not, we’ve put together a quick A-Z on the most commonly used coffee-lingo out there and exactly what they mean, so you can feel a bit more “in-the-know”.

A

ACIDITY Acidity is referred to in differed ways in coffee, such as a brightness, a tartness or a liveliness that carries the high notes of a flavour.  

B

BODY The perceived thickness, richness, or viscosity of brewed coffee. A full-bodied coffee is one with a heavy mouthfeel.

C

CHERRY The fruit of the coffee tree. Each cherry contains two coffee beans or one peaberry.

D

DARK ROAST Coffee beans roasted to a medium-dark colour and beyond; coffee oils appear on the surface of the beans and varietal flavours are muted.

E

EARTHINESS A taste characteristic found primarily in coffees from Sumatra and Sulawesi in which wet coffee has come into contact with earth during drying.

F

FINISH The sensory experience of coffee just as it is swallowed.

G

GROUP Located at the front of most espresso machines where the portafilter and filter sit.

H

HIGH-GROWN Arabica coffee grown at altitudes of 3,000 feet and beyond is usually  superior in taste quality to coffee grown downslope and is known as ‘high grown’.

I

ITALIAN ROAST Coffee is generally roasted dark brown in colour and is rich and bittersweet in flavour 

L

LATTE ART  Gone are the days when a simple heart will do on a cappuccino or flat white. Today there are even international latte art competitions for our most creative baristas. 

M

MONSOONED COFFEE Dry-processed, single-origin coffee from India deliberately exposed to monsoon winds in order to increase body and reduce acidity.

N

NATURAL COFFEE This refers to the oldest method of coffee processing when the whole cherry is left on tables to dry naturally in the sun.  

O

ORGANIC COFFEE Coffee that has been certified by a third-party agency as having been grown and processed without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or similar chemicals.

P

PEABERRY A small, round bean formed when only one seed, rather than the usual two, develops at the heart of the coffee fruit.

Q

QUAKERS Defective coffee beans that fail to roast properly, remaining pale in colour.

R

ROBUSTA One of two primary coffee beans in the world (the other one is Arabica) which is grown mainly in Indonesia and Africa and has a stronger flavour and twice the caffeine content of Arabica.

S

SPECIALITY COFFEE Speciality coffee is distinguished by the quality of its raw material and represents 10% of all coffee grown worldwide. 

T

TERROIR denotes the influence of geography, geology, and climate on the unique taste qualities of a coffee.

V

VARIETAL A term to describe a single predominant botanical variety of coffee tree, such as var. bourbon or var. typica. Often incorrectly used in the coffee world as denoting origin.

W

WASHED COFFEE A process that removes the skin and pulp from the bean while the coffee fruit is still fresh. Most of the world’s coffees are processed in this manner.

X 

X FACTOR!  This is what you hope to have in order to set your coffee shop apart from everyone else.

Y

YIELD An extraction yield measured as a percentage can be an indicator of acidity and bitterness in coffees.

Z

ZAMBIA Often overlooked by the speciality coffee market, Zambia produces around 10,000 bags of excellent, bright floral coffee a year.