Glossary of Coffee

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- Acidity - The sharp lively quality characteristic of high-grown coffee, tasted
mainly at the tip of the tongue. The brisk, snappy quality that makes coffee refreshing.
It is NOT the same as bitter or sour and has nothing to do with pH factors. Coffees are
low in acidity, between 5 and 6 on the pH scale.
- Americano - A shot or two of espresso that has been poured into a glass filled
with hot water.
- Aroma - The fragrance of brewed coffee. The smell of coffee grounds is referred
to as the Bouquet.
- Bag - A burlap sack of coffee. In various countries it is a different weight. For
example: Brazil a bag is 132 pounds. Colombia it is 154 pounds. In Hawaii it is 100 pound.
(132 lbs is the most common.)
- Barista - A person who makes coffee drinks as a profession.
- Batch Roaster - A machine which roasts a given quantity at one time. It does not
continually roast beans. There is an identifiable start and end time to the roasters
capabilities.
- Bitter - The taste perceived at the back of the tongue. Dark Roasts are
intentionally bitter. Over-extraction (too little coffee at too fine a grind) can cause a
bad bitterness.
- Bland - The pale flavor often found in low grown robusta coffees. Also caused by
under-extraction (too little coffee or too course a grind).
- Blend - A mixture of two or more individual varietals of coffee.
- Body - The tactile impression of the weight of the coffee in the mouth. May range
from thin to medium to full to buttery to syrupy.
- Bright - Tangy acidity is often described as bright.
- Briny - The salty sensation caused by excessive heat after brewing (truck-stop
coffee).
- Caffe Americano - Espresso that is cut with very hot water to fill an American
size cup.
- Caffe Mocha - This can be prepared a variety of ways. Basically this is a
chocolate cafe latte. Often prepared with whipped cream on top.
- Cappuccino - Cappuccino gets its name from the Italian order of Catholic Capuchin
monks, whose hooded robes resemble the drink's cap of foam in shape and color. The frothed
milk from the top of the steaming pitcher is spooned on top to "cap" the
cappuccino and retain heat. The proportion of espresso to steamed and frothed milk for
cappuccino is usually 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk and 1/3 frothed milk on top.
- Cupping - While tasting wine is called "tasting", tasting coffee is
called "cupping".
- Demitasse - A small (1/2 size) cup used for serving espresso. It is a French term
meaning 'half cup'.
- Doppio - A double shot of espresso. Also see solo.
- Caffeine - The drug contained in coffee. A bitter white alkaloid derived from
coffee (or tea) and used in medicine for a mild stimulant or to treat certain kinds of
headache.
- Crema - The caramel colored foam that appears on top of a shot of espresso during
the brewing period. It soon dissipates after brewing. If your Crema is gone then
you waited too long...or you received a bad shot! The crema makes a 'cap' which helps
retain the aromatics and flavors of the espresso within the cup - the presence of crema
indicates an acceptable brew.... Crema is due to colloids and lipids forced out into an
emulsion under the pressure of a espresso machine.
- Earthy - The spicy "of the earth taste" of Indonesian coffees.
- Espresso - A brewing method that extracts the heart of the bean. It was
invented in Italy at the turn of the century. A pump-driven machine forces hot water
through fine grounds at around nine atmospheres of pressure. It should take between 18 to
23 seconds to extract a good shot. This will produce from 3/4 to one ounce of great
liquid. This produces a sweet, thick and rich, smooth shot of espresso. Comes from the
Latin word "Expresere" which means "to press out."
- Espresso Breve - Espresso with half and half.
- Espresso Lungo - A shot that is pulled long for a bit of extra espresso. While
many believe this maximizes the caffeine, in most shops this merely produces a bitter cup.
- Espresso Macchiato - Espresso with a minimal amount (or "mark") of
steamed milk on top.
- Espresso Ristretto - Literally "restricted" espresso. A shorter draw.
The goal being a thicker and more flavorful espresso.
- Exotic - Unusual aromatic and flavor notes, such as berry or floral.
- Flavor - The total impression of Aroma , Acidity , and Body.
- French Press - A device for making coffee in which ground coffee is steeped in
water. The grounds are then removed from the coffee by means of a filter plunger which
presses the grounds to the bottom of the pot. Also referred to as a plunger pot.
- French Roast- Dark Roasted. Taste bittersweet but not like burnt charcoal.
- Froth or Foam - Milk which has been made thick and foamy by aerating it with hot
steam.
- Hard Bean - Coffee grown at relatively high altitudes, 4,000 to 4,500 feet.
Coffee grown above 4,500 feet is referred to as strictly hard bean. This terminology says
that beans grown at higher altitudes mature more slowly and are harder and denser than
other beans and are thus more desirable.
- Latte - A shot or two of espresso that has been poured into a cup filled with
steamed milk and topped off with foamed milk (about a 1/4").
- Mocha - A small irregular bean. Has a unique acid character. Generally shipped
from Mocha Yemen. It is sometimes mixed with coffee shipped from Mocha Yemen.
- Monsooned Coffee - coffee deliberately exposed to monsoon winds in open warehouse
to increase body and reduce acidity.
- Peaberry - Normally, each coffee cherry contains two beans. Occasionally, a
cherry will form with only one bean. These are called peaberries and are frequently
separated and sold as its own distinct varietal. New Guinea is one of the more popular
ones.
- Ristretto - This is the strongest and most concentrated espresso drink. It is
made with about half the amount of water but the same amount of coffee as a regular
espresso. It is pure, intense, and wonderful in taste. Ristretto in Italian means
"restricted."
- Solo - A single shot of espresso. Also see doppio.
- Soft Bean - Describes coffee grown at relatively low altitudes (under 4,000 ft).
Beans grown at lower altitudes mature more quickly and produce a lighter, more porous
bean.
- Spicy - The flavor of particular spices.
- Stale - Coffee that has been exposed to oxygen for too long. It becomes flat and
has a cardboard taste.
- Sweet - Smooth and palatable coffee that is free from defects and harsh flavors.
- Tone - The appearance or color of coffee. i.e. "This light toned coffee
resembles the brown robes of the Franciscan Order."
- Varietal - The term used for the coffee that comes from a geographical region. A
Sumatra, Kenya, Costa Rica or a Java are varietals. As in wine...soil, climate and
cultivation methods affect the taste of your coffee. The term varietal is actually a
misnomer, since Arabica coffee plants are basically of the same species, unlike wine
grapes which come from different species of grape vines.
- Winy - A flavor reminiscent of fine red wine. Kenya is one of the most notables.
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