Coffee Terms
General Coffee & Espresso Terms
Aroma
The aroma - the scent or fragrance of fresh coffee which adds to the flavors we taste.
Acidity
It is a feeling of dryness in the back and under the edges of your tongue.
It creates a sharp, pleasing, lively, bright taste... without acidity the coffee would taste boring and flat.
Body
Body is the weight of the coffee in your mouth, how it feels. Does it have a rich full feeling or light diluted feeling? It can be light, medium, full or full bodied.
Coffee Beans
A coffee bean is the seed of the coffee plant.
Even though they are seeds they are referred to as 'beans' because of their resemblance.
Coffee beans consist mostly of endosperm that contains 0.8 - 2.5 % caffeine.
Flavor
Flavor is the overall taste and experience of the coffee. Body, aroma, and acidity combined contribute to the flavour.
It can be rich (full bodied), complex (multi-flavored), or balanced.
- Richness refers partly to body, partly to flavour, and generally refers to fullness
- Range refers to how complex the sensation of the coffee is.
- Complexity refers to how many different sensations the flavours have on one's palate.
- Balance refers to the overall sensations of the coffee - do they balance out. Whether or not the sensations desirable together or not. And where no one quality overprowers the others.
Desirable flavor qualities:
- Bright or dry – highly acidic leaving a dry aftertaste
- Caramelly – caramel like or syrupy
- Chocolaty – aftertaste similar to unsweetened chocolate or vanilla
- Earthy – a soily-like quality (sometimes unfavorable)
- Fragrant – an aroma ranging from floral to nutty to spicy, etc.
- Fruity – having a citrus or berry scent
- Mellow – a smooth taste lacking acidity but not flat
- Nutty – similar to roasted nuts
- Smooth - a heavy body and and a sweetness that overwhelms any bitterness and acidity.
- Spicy – an exotic aroma of various spices
- Sweet – a lack of harshness - the vibrant natural sweetness of the coffee
- Wild – a gamey flavor rarely, but sometimes considered favorable
- Winy – aftertaste resembling a mature wine
Undesirable flavor qualities:
- Bitter – an aftertaste - the bitter twinge or bite perceived at the back of the tongue
- Bland – neutral in flavor
- Carbony – burnt charcoal flavors
- Earthy – a musty, soily-like quality
- Flat – lacking aroma, acidity, and aftertaste
- Grassy – aroma and taste of grass
- Harsh – a caustic, raspy quality
- Muddy – thick and flat
- Musty – slightly stuffy smell (sometimes desirable in aged coffees)
- Rubbery – a smell of burnt rubber
- Sour – a tart flavor such as unripe fruit
- Turpeny – a flavor resembling turpentine
- Watery – a lack of body
- Wild – a gamey flavor
Other flavour qualities:
- Pungency - the strength of the taste of the coffee
- Finish - the aftertaste that lingers on your palate after the coffee is swallowed
Latte art
Latte art involves pouring steamed milk into a shot of espresso that creates a pattern or design on the surface of the cappuccino orlatte. It can also be created by “drawing” in the top layer of foam.
Macrofoam (dry foam)
Macrofoam is steamed milk which has large bubbles, the kind of milk commonly on cappuccinos.
Microfoam (wet foam)
Microfoam is steamed milk generally made using a steam wand on an espresso machine.
Roasting
Roasting transforms the chemical and physical properties of green coffee beans into roasted coffee. The roasting process determimes the flavor of coffee by causing the green coffee beans to expand and change in color, taste, smell, and density.
As coffee is roasted, it goes from sharper and more acidic to a smoother more full bodied taste, and eventually to a full bodied, almost charred taste.
Typical roasts and their flavor characteristics:
- Cinnamon or Light Roast (Light brown and dry surface) - Lighter-bodied, higher acidity, no obvious roast flavor, a bright toasted grain taste
- Medium High or Regular Roast (Milk chocolate brown with a dry surface) - Sweeter than light roast; more body exhibiting more balance in acid, aroma, and complexity. Bright but lacks the grain taste.
- Full City or High Roast (Darker brown with a satin appearance) - Somewhat spicy; complexity is traded for heavier body/mouth-feel. Slight bittersweet tang with less acidity.
- French, Italian, or Espresso Roast (Dark chocolate with patches of oil) - Very little acidity and noticeably bittersweet.
- Double Roast, Dark French or Heavy (Almost black and very oily) - Smokey-sweet; light bodied, but quite intense. Almost no acidity and very bittersweet.