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.
