Glossary
Acidity, Acidy, Acid: The pH of the substance. In coffee it’s about 5. The tartness taste to coffee.
Aloha Spirit: A reference to the friendly, accepting attitude the Hawaiian Islands are known for. Goes beyond the “Aloha” expression, suggesting a deeper living in the moment and sharing in life’s joy.
Arabica Coffea: Arabica, the most common cultivated species of coffee in the modern market.
Aroma: The fragrance produced by any substance. Smell.
Automatic Drip: Coffee brewers that automatically heat and filter water the coffee.
Blend: A mix of two or more types of coffee beans.
Body: The sense of thickness associated with taste.
Caffeine C8H10N4O2: An alkaloid substance found in the coffee bean, the leaf, some tea leaf, yerba mate, cocoa bean.
Caffeine Content: The amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee, which is about 1.5 grains.
Cherry: The ripe fruit of the coffee tree.
Commercial Coffees: Generally refers to pre-ground, brand name coffee. Used by some countries to differentiate
between those coffees which the locals can drink and those exported.
Complexity: A tasting term describing sensation shifts; resonance, depth.
Crema: The pale brown foam covering the surface of a well-brewed cup of espresso.
Cup Testing: Judging the merits of a coffee by roasting, grinding and brewing some of it. The brew is then sipped.
Dark French Roast: A roast almost jet black in color, thin bodied and bittersweet tasting a bit like burnt charcoal.
Dark Roast: A roast in which the beans are just turning black but still look brown.
Decaffeinated: Coffee which has had the caffeine removed or blocked in such a way that the caffeine will not leave
the bean during brewing.
Decaffeination Process: The process by which the coffee was decaffeinated.
Drip Method: A brewing method that drips the hot water over the bed of coffee grounds.
Earthiness: A tasting term describing coffee which tastes a little off and a bit like dirt.
Espresso: A method to brew coffee which forces the water into the grind by pressure.
Estate Grown: Coffee grown on large farms as opposed to small peasant plots, usually old family owned plantations.
Filtered Method: Coffee brewed with a filter where the coffee is held separate from the sitting water.
Finish: The after taste or the lingering taste of the coffee.
Flip Drip: A drip brew coffee maker in which water is heated on the bottom of the brewer. When boiling, the device is flipped over and the water drips down through the coffee which was loaded in the middle of the brewer.
French Press: A coffee brewing device, which brews coffee by allowing the grinds to sit in the water. When finished, a press is used to push the grounds to the bottom.
French Roast: Means the bean is roasted sufficiently to bring the oils to the surface of the bean. The roast is black in color, tasting bittersweet but not like burnt charcoal, as with Dark French Roast.
Good Hard Bean: A grade of coffee grown at altitudes above 3000 feet. Term varies depending on the country where the bean is grown.
Grade: The measure of quality.
Green Coffee: Unroasted coffee beans.
Group: The fixture protruding from the front of an espresso machine which makes more than one cup at a time.
Groundy: An earthly taste. The taste of dirt.
Kohana: The small white flowers that bloom on the coffee plant.
Mellow: Well-balanced, full, and smooth, but lacking acidity.
Middle Eastern Coffee: Another term for Turkish Coffee, coffee ground to a fine powder, served grounds and all.
Mild Coffees: Coffees free of harsh flavor.
Mocha: A small irregular bean, the color of olive green. Has a unique acid character. Generally shipped from Mocha Yemen.
Nutty: Reminiscent of roasted nuts.
Open Pot: One of the oldest brewing methods, leave the coffee in an open pot where the grind separates from the brew by settling or straining.
Peaberry: A rounded bean from an occasional coffee cherry, which contains just one seed instead of the usual flat-sided pair.
Percolation: Any brewing method where the hot water is pumped up and gravity falls through the grind.
Pyrolysis: Chemical breakdown during roasting of fats and carbohydrates into oils which provide flavor and aroma.
Rich, Richness: A tasting term of good body and/or acidity. Having depth and complexity of flavor and body.
Silver Skin: A thin, papery covering on the coffee bean surface.
Smooth: Full-bodied but low in acid.
Soft: Well-rounded and lacking in harshness or acidity.
Soft Bean: Coffees grown at low altitudes. Generally, a more porous or less dense bean.
Source: The place of origin.
Specialty Coffee: A term to differentiate between large commercial roasters and coffees which are marketing more individually. Small scale roasts or coffee sold by the grower.
Steam Wand: A pipe on most espresso machines, which provide steam for the milk frothing operation.
Sweet: Pleasant, clean, smooth and free of harshness or acidity.
Tamper: A device used to compress the ground coffee inside the filter basket of an espresso machine.
Turkish Coffee: Coffee ground to a fine powder, brewed and served with the grounds.
Whole Bean: Coffee which has been roasted but not ground.
Winey: Rich, rounded and smooth, reminiscent of mature red wine.
