Coffee Glossary

Acidity: A pleasant quality that points up a coffee's flavour and provides a liveliness, sparkle, or snap to the drink. The acidity of a coffee may be assessed as lively, moderate, flat, or dull. The pH of 'High Acid' coffees is equivalent to that of a carrot. It is less than cola, beer and orange juice.

Arabica: A specific variety of coffee (Coffea arabica). Considered to be the best variety of coffee. The majority of the world's commericial coffee is arabican. Nearly all specialty coffee is arabician.

Barista: A person who makes coffee as a profession.

Bitter: A characteristic of over-extracted brews as well as over-roasted coffees, and those with various taste defects; it is a harsh, unpleasant taste detected towards the back of the tongue.

Blend: A mixture of two or more individual varieties of coffee.

Bodum: This is a trade name of a specific brand of french press/plunger pot. Though common usage, the name has become somewhat synonymous with the term french press pot.

Body: Impression of weight, thickness, density, consistency, viscosity or creaminess.

Breve: Cappuccino made with light cream.

Cafetiere: Another name for a french press pot.

Caffeine: The drug contained in coffee and tea. This is the stuff that makes coffee so addictive. It stimulates the central nervous system and, in the right amounts, causes adrenaline to be released and can enhance heart function. It helps with the intellect, defends the body, and can even enhance sex!

Cappuccino: A shot of coffee, followed by less than half a cup of steamed milk and a big head of foamed milk to contain the warmth.

Caffe Latte: A shot of coffee, with a healthy covering of hot steamed milk and up to a quarter-inch of foamed milk on top.

Caffe Mocha: Chocolate syrup on the bottom of the cup, topped with espresso, steamed milk, whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.

Chiaro: An espresso drink prepared "clear" by adding more milk.

Creme: The tan foam that forms when you brew espresso. The creme makes a 'cap' which helps retain the aromatics and flavours of the espresso within the cup.

Cupping: A term used by coffee professionals to describe the activity of sipping brewed coffees to assess their qualities.

Decaffeination: Coffee with 97 percent or more of its naturally occurring caffeine removed is classified as decaffeinated.

Demitasse: A french term meaning 'half cup' and also refer as small coffee cup.

Doppio: A double shot of espresso with one shot of water.

"Double Dry Short": A double shot of espresso in a short cup with no foam.

Espresso: A one-ounce shot of intense, rich black coffee made and served at once. Espresso is best when freshly roasted beans (usually Arabica) are ground, packed firmly and then extracted under pressure.

Espresso can Panna: A shot of coffee topped with whipped cream.

Flavour: Every individual coffee has it's own unique flavour profile. Both natural and crafted: soil, climate, choice of seed, milling and roasting all participate in the overall taste in the cup.

French press / plunger pot: 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 'Bodum' or 'Cafetiere'.

Froth / foam: The term given to milk which has been made thick and foamy by aerating it with hot steam.

Hard bean: Coffee grown at relatively high altitudes (4,000-4,500 feet). Beans grown at these high altitudes mature more slowly and are harder and denser then other beans and are thus more desirable.

"A Harmless": Double shot of decaffeinated coffee and non-fat milk.

Latte: A very dense mixture of foamed/steamed milk is poured down the side of a cup with a shot of espresso. The espresso and milk combine to form a dense mixture.

Latteccino: Espresso with two parts of steamed milk and one part foamed milk.

Mocha: Chocolate flavoured latte that can be topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

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 from other coffee and sold as its own distinct grade.

Portafilter: The cupped handle on an espresso machine which holds the ground coffee during the brewing process.

"Quad": An espresso drink with four shots of coffee.

Ristretto: Highly concentrated espresso (¾ to 1oz of water used for extraction).

Siphon method: A method that uses less finely-ground beans. Water is put in coffee and left to dip. As the water is less hot (than the espresso method), its goes more slowly through the grounds and results in a milder taste.

Soft bean: Describes coffee grown at relatively low altitudes (under 4,000 feet). Beans grown at lower altitudes mature more quickly and produce a lighter, more porous bean.

Varietal: A single or straight coffee from one region or country of origin