WORDS FOR IT

A Glossary

AA. Capitalized letters are grade indicators usually describing the size of the bean. In Peru, for example, AAA is the largest bean; in Kenya, Tanzania, and New Guinea, AA is the largest; in India, A is the largest.

Acidity, Acidy, Acid. Usually, the pleasant tartness of a fine coffee. Acidity, along with flavor, aroma, and body, is one of the principal categories used by professional tasters in cupping, or sensory evaluation of coffee. When not used to describe cup characteristics, the term acidity may refer to pH, or literal acidity, or to certain constituents present in coffee that may produce indigestion or nervousness in some individuals.

After-Dinner Roast. See Espresso Roast.

Aged Coffee, Vintage Coffee. Traditionally, coffee held in warehouses for several years, sometimes deliberately, sometimes inadvertently. Such aging reduces acidity and increases body. Aged coffee has been held longer than either old crop or mature coffee. Recently, some Indonesia coffee has been subject to a sort of accelerated aging involving deliberate exposure to moist air, much like India’s monsooned coffee.

Alajuela. Market name for one of the better coffees of Costa Rica.

Altura. Spanish for “heights”; describes Mexico coffee that has been high-grown.

American Roast. Coffee roasted to traditional American taste: medium brown.

Americano. See Caffè Americano.

Ankola. Seldom-used market name for arabica coffee from northern Sumatra.

Antigua. Market name for one of the most distinguished coffees of Guatemala, from the valley surrounding the old capital of Guatemala, Antigua.

Arabian Mocha, Yemen, Yemen Mocha, Mocha. See Yemen.

Arrabica, Coffea Arabica. The earliest cultivated species of coffee tree and still the most widely grown. It produces approximately 70 percent of the world’s coffee, and is dramatically superior in cup quality to the other principal commercial coffee species, Coffea canephora or robusta. All fine, specialty, and fancy coffees come from Coffea arabica trees.

Aroma. The fragrance produced by hot, freshly brewed coffee. Aroma, along with flavor, acidity, and body, is one of the principal categories used by professional tasters in cupping, or sensory evaluation of coffee.

Arusha. Market name for coffee from the slopes of Mt. Meru in Tanzania.

Aquapulp. See Demucilage.

Automatic Filter-Drip Coffee Makers. Coffee brewers that automatically heat and measure water into a filter and filter receptacle containing the ground coffee.

Balance. Tasting term applied to coffees for which no single characteristic overwhelms others, but that display sufficient complexity to be interesting.

Bani. Market name for a good, low-acid coffee of the Dominican Republic.

Barahona. Market name for coffee from the southwest of the Dominican Republic, considered by many to be the best coffee from that country.

Barista. Italian term for skillful and experienced espresso bar operator.

Bar System. A complete system for producing espresso cuisine, usually including brewing and milk-frothing apparatus, specialized grinder and doser, accessories, and waste tray or knock-out box.

Batch Roaster. Apparatus that roasts a given quantity or batch of coffee at a time.

Bird Friendly. See Shade Grown.

Blade Grinder. Device that uses a propellorlike blade to grind coffee.

Blend. A mixture of two or more single-origin coffees.

Body. The sensation of heaviness, richness, or thickness and associated texture when one tastes coffee. Body, along with flavor, acidity, and aroma, is one of the principal categories used by professional tasters in cupping, or sensory evaluation of coffee.

Boiler. The tank in which water is heated for brewing and steam production in most espresso brewing apparatus.

Bourbon Santos. See Santos.

Bourbon. A botanical variety of Coffea arabica. Var. bourbon first appeared on the island of Bourbon, now Réunion. Some of the best Latin-American coffees are from bourbon stock.

Brazil. One of the world’s most complicated coffee origins. Most Brazil coffee is carelessly picked and primitively processed, and is not a factor in the specialty trade. The best (usually dry-processed Bourbon Santos) can be a wonderfully deep, complex, sweet coffee particularly appropriate for espresso. Almost all Brazil coffee is relatively low-grown, but the variety of processing methods (wet method, dry method, and semidry or pulped natural method) makes Brazil a fascinating origin.

Brown Roast. See American Roast.

Bugishu, Bugisu. Market name for arabica coffee from the slopes of Mt. Elgon in Uganda. Considered the best Uganda coffee.

Burr Grinder, Burr Mill. Coffee grinder with two shredding discs or burrs that can be adjusted for maximum effectiveness.

Café au Lait. Coffee drink combining one-third drip-brewed coffee with two-thirds hot, frothed milk.

Caffè Americano, Americano. An espresso lengthened with hot water.

Caffè Latte. A serving of espresso combined with about three times as much hot milk topped with froth.

Caffeine. An odorless, bitter alkaloid responsible for the stimulating effect of coffee and tea.

Cappuccino. An espresso drink comprised of one serving of espresso topped with hot milk and froth.

Caracas. A class of coffees from Venezuela, ranging from fair to excellent in quality.

Caracol. See Peaberry.

Caturra. A relatively recently selected botanical variety of the Coffea arabica species that generally matures more quickly, grows more compactly, and is more disease resistant than older, traditional arabica varieties. Many experts contend that the caturra and modern hybrid varieties of Coffea arabica produce coffee that is inferior in cup quality and distinction to the coffee produced by the traditional “old arabica” varieties like bourbon and typica.

Celebes. See Sulawesi.

Chaff. Flakes of the innermost skin of the coffee fruit (the silverskin) that remain clinging to the green bean after processing and float free during roasting.

Chanchamayo. Market name for a respected coffee from South-Central Peru.

Cherry. Common term for the fruit of the coffee tree. Each cherry contains two regular coffee beans, or one peaberry.

Chiapas. Coffee-growing state in southern Mexico. The best Chiapas coffees are grown in the southeast corner of the state near the border with Guatemala, and may bear the market name Tapachula after the town of that name. At their best, Chiapas or Tapachula coffees display brisk acidity, delicate flavor, and light to medium body.

Chicory. The root of the endive, roasted and ground, it is blended with coffee in New Orleans–style coffee.

Chipinga. Region in eastern Zimbabwe near the border with Mozambique that produces the most admired coffees of that country.

Cibao. Market name for a good, generally low-acid coffee from the Dominican Republic.

Cinnamon Roast. See Light Roast.

City Roast. See Full-City Roast.

Clean. Coffee cupping or tasting term describing a coffee sample that is free from flavor defects.

Coatepec, Altura Coatepec. Market name for a respected washed coffee from the northern slopes of the central mountain range in Veracruz, Mexico.

Cobán. Market name for a respected, high-grown coffee from North-Central Guatemala.

Coffea Arabica. See Arabica.

Coffea Canephora, Robusta. See Robusta.

Coffee Oil, Coffeol. The volatile coffee essence developed in the bean during roasting.

Cold-Water Method. Brewing method in which ground coffee is soaked in a proportionally small amount of cold water for ten to twenty hours. The grounds are strained out and the resulting concentrated coffee is stored and mixed with hot water as needed. The cold-water method produces a low-acid, light-bodied cup that some find pleasingly delicate, and others find bland.

Colombia. The standard Colombia coffee is a wet-processed coffee produced by small holders, and collected, milled, and exported by the Colombian Coffee Federation. It is sold by grade (Supremo is the highest) rather than by market name or region. It can range from superb, high-grown, classic, mildly fruity Latin America coffee to rather ordinary, edge-of-fermented, fruity coffee. Coffees from some estates and cooperatives and from privately operated mills are sold by region as well as by botanical variety (bourbon is best). Narino State in southern Colombia is currently producing the most respected Colombia coffee. Mixed Medellín, Armenia, and Manizales Columbia coffees are often sold together as MAMs.

Commercial Coffees. Packaged preground (prebrewed in the case of instant or soluble) coffees sold by brand name.

Complexity. A tasting term describing coffees whose taste sensations shift and layer pleasurably, and give the impression of depth and resonance.

Continental Roast. See Espresso Roast.

Continuous Roaster. Large, commercial coffee roaster that roasts coffee continuously rather than in batches.

Costa Rica. The best Costa Rica coffees (San Marcos de Tarrazu, Tres Rios, Heredi, Alajuela) display a full body and clean, robust acidity that make them among the most admired of Central American coffees.

Crema. The pale brown foam covering the surface of a well-brewed tazzina of espresso.

Cúcuta. Market name for a coffee grown in northeastern Colombia but often shipped through Maracaibo, Venezuela.

Cupping. Procedure used by professional tasters to perform sensory evaluation of samples of coffee beans. The beans are ground, water is poured over the grounds, and the liquid is tasted both hot and as it cools. The key evaluative categories are aroma, acidity, body, and flavor.

Dark French Roast. A roast of coffee almost black in color with a shiny surface, thin-bodied, and bittersweet in flavor, with an overlay of burned or charcoal-like tones.

Dark Roast. Vague term; may describe any roast of coffee darker than the traditional American norm.

Decaffeination Processes. Specialty coffees are decaffeinated in the green state, currently by one of four methods. The direct solvent method involves treating the beans with solvent, which selectively unites with the caffeine and is removed from the beans by steaming. The indirect solvent or solvent-water method involves soaking the green beans in hot water, removing the caffeine from the hot water by means of a solvent, and recombining the water with the beans, which are then dried. Both processes using solvents are often called European process or traditional process. The water-only method, commonly known by the proprietary name Swiss Water Process, involves the same steps but removes the caffeine from the water by allowing it to percolate through a bed of activated charcoal. In the carbon dioxide method, which is only beginning to be established in the specialty coffee trade, the caffeine is stripped directly from the beans by a highly compressed semiliquid form of carbon dioxide.

Defects, Flavor Defects. Unpleasant flavor characteristics caused by problems during picking, processing (fruit removal), drying, sorting, storage, or transportation. Common defects include: excess numbers of immature or underripe fruit (unselective picking); inadvertent fermentation (careless processing); fermentation combined with invasion by microorganisms, causing moldy, hard, or rioy defects (careless or moisture-interrupted drying); and contact with excessive moisture after drying, causing musty or baggy defects (careless storage and transportation).

Degassing. A natural process in which recently roasted coffee releases carbon dioxide gas, temporarily protecting the coffee from the staling impact of oxygen.

Demitasse. “Half cup” in French; a half-size or 3-ounce cup used primarily for espresso coffee.

Demucilage, Aquapulp. Terms for a procedure in which the sticky fruit pulp, or mucilage, is removed from freshly picked coffee beans by scrubbing in machines. Mechanical demucilaging is gradually replacing the traditional wet-processing procedure of removing mucilage by fermentation and washing.

Djimah, Djimma, Jimma. A coffee from Ethiopia. Washed Djimah can be an excellent low-acid coffee. Dry-processed Djimah is a lesser coffee often exhibiting wild or medicinal taste characteristics and is not often traded as a specialty coffee.

Doppio. A double espresso, or 1½ to 3 ounces of straight espresso.

Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo. High-grown Dominican coffee is a fairly rich, acidy coffee with classic Caribbean characteristics. Lower-grown Dominican coffees tend to be softer and less acidy.

Doser. A spring-loaded device on specialized espresso grinders that dispenses single servings of ground coffee.

DP. Abbreviation for “double picked,” meaning the coffee in question has been subjected to hand picking to remove imperfect beans, pebbles, and other foreign matter twice rather than once.

Drip Method. Brewing method that allows hot water to settle through a bed of ground coffee.

Drip Tray. In espresso brewing apparatus, the tray designed to catch the overflow from the brewing process.

Dry-Processed Coffee, Dry-Method Coffee, Natural Coffee. Coffee processed by removing the husk or fruit after the coffee fruit has been dried. When only ripe fruit is utilized and the drying is done carefully, dry-processed coffee can be complex, fruity, and deeply dimensioned. When the picking and drying are performed carelessly, as is the case with cheaper dry-processed coffees, the result is off-tasting, harsh coffee. The best and most celebrated dry-processed coffees are Yemen coffees, the Harrar coffees of Ethiopia, and the finest traditional Brazil coffees.

Earthiness. Either a taste defect or a desirable exotic taste characteristic depending on who is doing the tasting and how intense the earthy taste in question is. Apparently earthiness is caused by literal contact of wet coffee with earth during drying. Indonesia coffees from Sumatra and Sulawei are particularly prone to display earthy tones.

Ecuador. At best, Ecuador coffees are medium-bodies and fairly acidy, with a straightforward flavor typical of Central and South America coffees.

El Salvador. El Salvador coffees tend toward softer, less acidy versions of the classic Central American flavor profile. The best high-grown El Salvadors from trees of the bourbon and pacamara varieties can be fragrant, complex, lively, and pleasingly gentle.

En Pergamino, In Parchment. See Parchment Coffee.

Espresso Roast, After-Dinner Roast, Continental Roast, European Roast. Terms for coffee brought to degrees of roasting ranging from somewhat darker than the traditional American norm to dark brown. Acidity diminishes and a rich bittersweetness emerges. Among many newer American specialty roasters, roast styles once called by these names may in fact constitute the typical, “regular” roast of coffee.

Espresso. Used to describe both a roast of coffee (see Espresso Roast) and a method of brewing in which hot water is forced under pressure through a compressed bed of finely ground coffee. In the largest sense, an entire approach to coffee cuisine, involving a traditional menu of drinks, many combining brewed espresso coffee with steam-heated, steam-frothed milk.

Estate-Grown Coffee. Coffee produced by a single farm, single mill, or single group of farms, and marketed without mixture with other coffees. Many specialty coffees are now identified by estate name, rather than less specific regional or market name.

Ethiopia. Ethiopia is a very complex coffee origin. The best Ethiopia dry-processed coffee (Harrar or Harar) tends to be medium-bodied and brilliantly acidy with rough, fruity, berry, or winy tones. The best washed Ethiopian coffee (Yirgacheffe, Sidamo, some Limu, and some washed Djimah) is light-bodied but explosive with complex floral and citrus notes.

European Preparation. Used to describe coffee from which imperfect beans, pebbles, and other foreign matter have been removed by hand.

European Process. See Decaffeination Processes.

European Roast. See Espresso Roast.

Excelso. A comprehensive grade of Colombia coffee, combining the best, or supremo, and the second-best, or extra, grades.

Extra. Second-best grade of Colombia coffee.

Fair-Trade Coffee. Coffee that has been purchased from farmers (usually peasant farmers) at a “fair” price as defined by international agencies. The premium paid these farmers under fair-trade arrangements is quite modest, by the way.

Fermentation. An important but confusing coffee term with two main meanings. As a positive component of the wet method of coffee processing, fermentation is a stage in which the sticky pulp is loosened from the skinned coffee seeds or beans by natural enzymes while the beans rest in tanks. If water is added to the tanks, the process is called wet fermentation; if no water is added, it is called dry fermentation.

In sensory evaluation, or cupping, of coffee, fermentation is an important descriptor for a range of related taste defects set off when the sugars in the coffee fruit begin to ferment. Sensations described as ferment can range from sweet, composty, rotten-fruit tastes to harsh, moldy, musty, or medicinal tastes.

Filter Basket. The receptacle that holds the gound coffee during the brewing operation. In espresso brewing, a small metal filter basket fits inside the filter holder or portafilter, which in turn clamps onto the group.

Filter Holder. See Portafilter.

Filter Method, Filter-Drip Method. Technically, any brewing method in which water filters through a bed of ground coffee. In popular usage, describes drip-method brewers utilizing a paper filter to separate grounds from brewed coffee.

Finish. The sensory experience of coffee just after it is swallowed (or, in the professional cupping procedure, just after it is spit out). Some coffees transform from first impression on the palate to finish; others stand pat.

Flavored Coffees. Coffees that in their roasted, whole-bean form have been mixed with flavoring agents.

Flavor. In cupping, or sensory evaluation of coffee, what distinguishes the sensory experience of coffee once its acidity, body, and aroma have been described.

Flip Drip, Neapolitan Macchinetta, Macchinetta. A style of drip-method brewer in which the ground coffee is secured in a two-sided strainer at the waist of the pot between two closed compartments. The brewing water is heated in one compartment, then the pot is flipped over, and the hot water drips through the coffee into the opposite compartment.

Fluid Bed Roaster, Fluidized Bed Roaster, Air Roaster, Sivitz Roaster. A roasting apparatus that works much like a giant popcorn popper, utilizing a column of forced hot air to simultaneously agitate and roast green coffee beans. These devices are sometimes called Sivitz roasters, after their popularizer and first American manufacturer, inventor Michael Sivitz.

Fragrance. As a specialized term in cupping, or sensory evaluation of coffee, fragrance describes the scent of dry coffee immediately after it has been ground but before it is brewed.

French Press, Plunger Pot. Brewing method that separates spent grounds from brewed coffee by pressing them to the bottom of the brewing receptacle with a mesh plunger.

French Roast, Heavy Roast, Spanish Roast. Terms for coffee brought to degrees of roast considerably darker than the American norm; may range in color from dark brown (see Espresso Roast) to nearly black (see Dark French Roast) and in flavor from rich and bittersweet to thin-bodied and burned.

Frothed Milk. Milk that is heated and frothed with a steam wand as an element in the espresso cuisine.

Full-City Roast, Light French Roast, Viennese Roast, Light Espresso Roast, City Roast, High Roast. Terms for coffee brought to degrees of roast somewhat darker than the traditional American norm, but lighter than the classic dark roast variously called espresso, French, or Italian. In the cup, full-city and associated roast styles are less acidy and smoother than the traditional American “medium” roast, but may display fewer of the distinctive taste characteristics of the original coffee. Among many newer American specialty roasters, roast styles once called full-city, Viennese, etc., may constitute the typical, “regular” roast of coffee.

Gayo Mountain. Market name for coffee exported by a large processing center and mill in Aceh Province, northern Sumatra. Wet-processed Gayo Mountain tends to be a clean but often underpowered version of the Sumatra profile. Traditionally processed Gayo Mountain resembles similar coffees from the Mandheling region of Sumatra: at best displaying an expansive, quirky flavor and a low-toned, vibrant acidity.

Ghimbi, Gimbi. A wet-processed coffee from western Ethiopia.

Good Hard Bean (GHB). A grade designation based on growing altitude in some Central American countries, including Costa Rica and Guatemala. GHB is somewhat lower grown than the highest designation, Strictly Hard Bean (SHB).

Green Coffee. Unroasted coffee.

Group, Delivery Group, Brew Head. The fixture protruding from the front of most espresso machines into which the portafilter and filter clamp.

Guatamala. Guatemala is a complex coffee origin. Strictly Hard Bean–grade coffees from the central highlands (Antigua, Atitlan,) tend to exhibit a rich, spicy, or floral acidity. Coffees from mountainous areas exposed to either Pacific (San Marcos) or Caribbean (Cobán, Huehuetenango) weather tends to display a bit less acidity and more fruit.

Haiti. The best Haiti coffees are low-acid, medium-bodies, and pleasantly soft and rich. At this writing, virtually all Haiti coffees entering the United States are produced by a large group of cooperatives and marketed under the name Haitian Bleu.

Hard Bean. Term often used to describe coffees grown at relatively high altitudes; in the same context, coffees grown at lower altitudes are sometimes designated soft bean. The higher altitudes and lower temperatures produce a slower-maturing fruit and a harder, less porous bean. Hard-bean coffees usually make a more acidy and more flavorful cup than do soft-bean coffees, although there are many exceptions to this generalization. The hard/soft distinction is used most frequently in evaluating coffees of Central America, where it figures in grade descriptions.

Hard. Trade term for low-quality coffee, in contrast to mild coffee. In Brazil, hard is a grade name for coffee that has been tainted by microorganisms during drying and displays harsh, nuance-dampening flavor notes.

Harrar, Harar, Harer, Mocha Harrar, Moka Harar, Mocca Harar. The best of the dry-processed, or natural, coffees of Ethiopia. Grown in eastern Ethiopia near the city of Harrar. Usually rather light-bodied but fragrant with complex wine-, fruit-, or floral-toned acidity. Often substituted for Yemen in Mocha Java blends.

Hawaii. The traditional and classic coffee of Hawaii is Kona, grown on the west coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. On the other Hawaiian islands, however, sugar cane and pineapple plantations have been converted to premium coffee farms. Kauai (Kauai coffee), Maui (Kaanapali coffee), Molokai (Malulani Estate) and Oahu all now produce interesting and improving coffees.

Heavy Roast. See French Roast.

Heredia. Market name for a respected coffee of Costa Rica.

High-Grown. Arabic coffees grown at altitudes over 3,000 feet, usually higher. Such coffees are generally superior to coffees grown at lower altitudes. The term high-grown is also used in many Latin American grade descriptions.

High Roast. See Full-City Roast.

Huehuetenango. One of the better coffees of Guatemala.

India. India coffee is grown in the south of the country. The best is low-key, with moderate body and acidity and occasional intriguing nuance; at worst it is bland. Mysore is a market name for certain high-quality, wet-processed India coffees. Coffees from the Shevaroys and Nilgiris districts generally tend to display more acidity than coffees from other South India regions. Also see Monsooned Coffee.

Indonesia. Indonesia coffees are usually marketed under the name of the island of origin; see Sumatra, Sulawesi, Java. At best, most are distinguished by full body, rich flavor, and a low-toned, vibrant acidity. At worst, many display unpleasant hard or musty defects. Others display an earthiness that many coffee lovers enjoy and others deplore.

Ismaili. Market name for a respected coffee from Central Yemen. Also describes a traditional botanical variety of Yemen coffee with round, pealike beans and superior cup quality.

Italian Roast. A roast of coffee considerably darker than the traditional American norm. Usually dark brown in color and rich and bittersweet in flavor, but may range in color to almost black and in flavor to nearly burned.

Jamaica Blue Mountain Style. Various blends of coffee intended by their originators to approximate the qualities of authentic Jamaica Blue Mountain. These blends may contain no actual Jamaica coffee.

Jamaica Blue Mountain. Celebrated single-origin coffee from above 3,000-foot elevation in the Blue Mountain district of Jamaica. Can be exceptional: rich, complex, bouillonlike. More often a rather ordinary, balanced, low-toned, Caribbean coffee.

Jamaica. The best (Jamaica Blue Mountain) is, or was, a balanced, classic coffee with rich flavor, full body, and a smooth yet vibrant acidity. These characteristics and its relatively short supply have made it one of the world’s most celebrated coffees. Whether it still merits this distinction is subject to debate among importers and roasters. Lower-grown Jamaica coffees (Jamaica High Mountain) tend to be less acidy and lighter in body. Other Jamaica coffees are undistinguished.

Java, Java Arabica. Unlike most other Indonesia coffees, which are grown on tiny farms and often primarily processed, Java coffees are grown on large farms or estates, most operated by the government, and are wet-processed using modern methods. The best display the low-toned richness characteristic of other Indonesia coffees, but are usually lighter in body and brighter. Old Java, Old Government, or Old Brown are specially processed coffees from Java, created to mimic the flavor characteristics of the original Java coffee, which was inadvertently aged in the holds of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century ships during their passage to Europe.

Jimma, Djimma. See Djimah.

Jinotega. Market name for a respected Nicaragua coffee.

Kalossi. See Sulawesi.

Kenya. Kenya coffees are celebrated for their deep, winy acidity, resonant cup presence, and complex fruit and berry tones. Of the world’s great coffees, Kenya probably is the most consistent in quality and most widely available.

Kilimanjaro. Coffee from the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania; also marketed as Moshi.

Knock-Out Box. In espresso brewing, a sturdy boxlike receptacle with a padded crossbar or edge. Spent grounds are dumped into the box by knocking the filter basket against the padded bar or edge.

Kona, Hawaii Kona. Single-origin coffee from the Kona coast of the island of Hawaii. The best Kona coffee displays classic balance, with medium body, good acidity, and rich, complex aroma and flavor.

Kopi Luak. Coffee from Sumatra, Indonesia, distinguished not by origin, but by the uniquely intimate way it is processed. A mammal called a luak, or civet, eats ripe coffee cherries, digests the fruit, and excretes the seeds, after which the seeds or beans are gathered from its dry droppings. Kopi luwak is one of the most expensive coffees in the world owing to obvious limitations on its production. Authorities differ on how much of the kopi luwak that arrives at coffee dealers is authentic and how much is ordinary coffee that has been “treated” in luwak manure, but samples certainly look authentic, smell authentic, and are pleasantly earthy, sweet, and full in the cup.

La Minita, La Minita Farm. Well-publicized estate in the Tarrazu district of Costa Rica that produces an excellent, meticulously prepared coffee.

Latte. See Caffè Latte.

Lavado Fino. Highest grade of Venezuela coffee.

Light Espresso Roast. See Full-City Roast.

Light French Roast. See Full-City Roast.

Light Roast, Cinnamon Roast, New England Roast. Coffee brought to a degree of roast of coffee lighter than the traditional American norm and grainlike in taste, with a sharp, almost sour acidity. This roast style is not a factor in specialty coffee.

Limu. Market name for a respected fragrant, floral- and fruit-toned wet-processed coffee from South-Central Ethiopia.

Lintong, Mandheling Lintong. Market name for the most admired coffee of Sumatra, Indonesia. From the Lake Toba area toward the northern end of the island.

Luak. See Kopi Luak.

Macchinetta, Neapolitan Macchinetta. See Flip-Drip.

Macchiato. Either a serving of espresso “stained” or marked with a small quantity of hot, frothed milk (espresso macchiato), or a moderately tall (about 8 ounces) glass of hot, frothed milk “stained” with espresso (latte macchiato). In North America, the term is more likely to describe the former than the latter.

Machine Drying. Coffee must be dried, either directly after picking (in the dry method) or after fruit removal (in the wet method). Sun drying is often replaced or supplemented by drying with machines, either in large, rotating drums or in cascading silos. Machine drying can be superior or inferior to sun drying in terms of promoting cup quality, depending on weather conditions, drying temperature, and other factors.

Malawi. Most Malawi (a small country west of Mozambique, Africa) coffee to reach the United States is grown on larger estates and distinguished by a rather soft, round profile.

Mandheling. The most famous of Sumatra, Indonesia. From the Lake Toba area toward the northern end of the island.

Maracaibo. A class of coffees from Venezuela, including many of the most characteristic and distinguished coffees of that country.

Maragogipe (Mah-rah-goh-shzee-peh), Elephant Bean. A variety of Coffea arabica distinguished by extremely large, porous beans. It first appeared in Maragogipe, Brazil, and has since been planted elsewhere in Latin America, particularly in Mexico and Central America. It is currently falling out of flavor owing to thinnish cup character and low-bearing trees.

Matagalpa. Market name for a respected coffee of Nicaragua.

Mattari, Matari. Market name for one of the most admired coffees of Yemen. From the Bani Mattar area west of the capital city of Sana’a. Usually a winier, sharper version of the Yemen style.

Mature Coffee. Coffee held in warehouses for two to three years. Mature coffee has been held longer than old-crop coffee but not as long as aged or vintage coffee.

Mbeya, Pare. Market names for coffee from the south of Tanzania.

Medium Roast, Medium-High Roast. See American Roast.

Mérida. Market name for one of the most respected and most characteristic Venezuela coffees, delicate and sweet in the cup.

Mexico. The best Mexico coffees (Oaxaca Pluma, Coatepec, Chiapas) are distinguished by medium body and a delicate, pleasant acidity. Highland Chiapas coffees can be bigger and more richly acidy.

Microwave Brewers. Brewing apparatus designed to take advantage of the unique properties of the microwave oven. Over the years microwave brewers have incorporated a variety of technical means, ranging from open pot through various approaches to filter drip. At this writing, none have made an impression on the market.

Middle Eastern Coffee, Turkish Coffee. Coffee ground to a powder, sweetened (usually), brought to a boil, and served grounds and all.

Mild. A trade term for high-quality arabica coffees. Often contrasted with hard, or inferior, coffees.

Milling. Mechanical removal of the dry parchment skin from wet-processed coffee beans, or the entire dried fruit husk from dry-processed beans.

Mocha, Moka, Mocca, Moca. Single-origin coffee from Yemen; also a drink combining chocolate and (usually espresso) coffee. The coffee, also called Arabian Mocha, Yemen, or Yemen Mocha, takes its name from the ancient port of Mocha. It is the world’s oldest commercially cultivated coffee, distinguished by its distinctively rich, winy acidity and intriguing nuance. Coffee from the Harrar region of Ethiopia, which resembles Yemen coffee in cup character, is also sometimes called Mocha.

Mocha Java, Moka Java, Mocca Java. Traditionally, a blend of Yemen Mocha and Java Arabica coffees, usually one part Yemen Mocha and two parts Java Arabica. All commercial Mocha Java blends and many specialty versions no longer follow this recipe. Commercial blends may combine any of a variety of round, full coffees in place of the Java, and any of a variety of bright, acidy coffees in place of the Mocha. Versions offered by specialty roasters may blend a true Java with a true Yemen Mocha or may substitute another (often better) Indonesia coffee for the Java or an Ethiopia Harrar for the Yemen. Most specialty coffee variations probably do represent the classic blend accurately. In its traditional form, Mocha Java is the world’s oldest coffee blend.

Monsooned Coffee, Monsooned Malabar. Dry-processed, single-origin coffee from southern India deliberately exposed to monsoon winds in open warehouses, with the aim of increasing body and reducing acidity.

Moshi. Market name for coffee from the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

Mysore, India Mysore. See India.

Nariño. Department in southern Colombia that produces certain particularly admired specialty coffees.

Natural Coffee. See Dry-Processed Coffee.

Neapolitan Macchinetta, Macchinetta. See Flip Drip.

Neapolitan Roast. Term for coffee brought to a degree of roast darker than the typical espresso roast but not quite black.

New Crop. Coffee delivered for roasting soon after harvesting and processing. Coffees are at their brightest (or rawest) and most acidy in this state. Also see Old Crop.

New England Roast. See Light Roast.

New Guinea. Single-origin coffee from Papua New Guinea. The best-known New Guinea coffees are produced on large, state-of-the-art estates that produce a very well-prepared, clean, fragrant, deeply dimensioned, moderately acidy coffee. Other organically grown New Guinea coffees are produced on small farms and processed by the farmers using technically simple means, producing quirky, full, complex coffees at best, off-tasting coffees at worst.

New Orleans Coffee. Traditionally, dark-roast coffee blended with up to 40 percent roasted and ground chicory root. Most New Orleans blends sold in specialty stores today contain no chicory, however. They are essentially dark-roast blends, heavy on dry-processed Brazil coffees.

Nicaragua. Nicaragua coffees (usually market names Jinotega and Matagalpa) are excellent but usually not distinguished coffees in the classic Central American style: medium-bodied, straightforwardly acidy, and flavorful.

Oaxaca (Wuh-hAH-kuh), Oaxaca Pluma. Market name for coffee from the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca.

Ocoa. Market name for one of the better-respected coffees of the Dominican Republic.

Old Arabicas. Botanical varieties or cultivars of the Coffea arabica species that were developed by selection relatively early in the history of coffee, such as var. bourbon and var. typica, as opposed to hybrid varieties that have been developed more recently in deliberate efforts to increase disease resistance and production. Many experts contend that the modern hybrid varieties of Coffea arabica produce coffee that is inferior in cup quality and interest to the coffee produced by the more traditional old arabica varieties.

Old Crop. Coffee that has been held in warehouses before shipping. Old crop differs from aged or vintage and mature coffees in two ways: It has not been held for as long a period, and it may not have been handled with as much deliberateness. Depending on the characteristics of the original coffee and the quality of the handling, old crop may or may not be considered superior in cup characteristics to a new crop version of the same coffee. See also New Crop.

Old Java, Old Government, Old Brown. Arabica coffee from Java that, like mature coffee, has been deliberately held in warehouses in port cities to reduce acidity and increase body. The purpose is to mimic the flavor characteristics of the original Java coffee, which was inadvertently aged in the holds of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century sailing ships during their passage to Europe.

Open-Pot Method. Brewing method in which the ground coffee is steeped (not boiled) in an open pot and separated from the brewed coffee by settling or being strained.

Organic Coffee, Certified 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.

Parchment Coffee, In Parchment, En Pergamino. Describes wet-processed coffee shipped with the dried parchment skin still adhering to the bean. The parchment is removed prior to shipping and roasting, a step called milling.

Parchment. A final thin, crumbly skin covering wet-processed coffee beans after the coffee berries have been skinned, the pulp removed, and the beans dried.

Pare. See Mbeya.

Patio Drying. Drying coffee directly after picking (in the dry-processed method) or after fruit removal (in the wet-processed method) by exposing it to the heat of the sun by spreading and raking it in thin layers on open patios. A more traditional alternative to machine drying.

Peaberry, Caracol. A small, round bean formed when only one seed, rather than the usual two, develops at the heart of the coffee fruit. Peaberry beans are often separated from normal beans and sold as a distinct grade of a given coffee. Typically, but not always, they produce a brighter, more acidy, but lighter-bodied cup than normal beans from the same crop.

Percolation. Technically, any method of coffee brewing in which hot water percolates, or filters down through, a bed of ground coffee. The pumping percolator utilizes the power of boiling water to force water up a tube and over a bed of ground coffee.

Pergamino. See Parchment.

Peru. The best Peru coffee is flavorful, aromatic, gentle, and mildly acidy. Chanchamayo, from South-Central Peru, and Urubamba, from a growing district farther south near Machu Picchu, are the best-known market names.

Piston Machine. An espresso machine that uses a piston operated by a lever to force brewing water at high pressure through the compacted bed of ground coffee.

Plunger Pot. See French Press.

Polishing. An optional procedure at the end of coffee processing and milling in which the dried, shipment-ready beans are subjected to polishing by friction to remove the innermost skin, or silverskin, and improve their appearance. Polishing does nothing to help flavor and may even hurt it by heating the beans, hence most specialty coffee buyers do not encourage the practice.

Portafilter, Filter Holder. In espresso brewing, a metal object with plastic handle that holds the coffee filter, and clamps onto the group.

Prima Lavado, Prime Washed. Middle grade of Mexico coffee.

Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico Yauco. Yauco coffees from Puerto Rico are a revived specialty origin that, at best, display the qualities that made Jamaica Blue Mountain famous: A deep, vibrant, yet restrained acidity and balanced, gently rich flavor. However, this potentially finest of Caribbean coffees is often marred by inconsistency.

Pull. In espresso brewing on a pump or piston machine, a single brewing episode. One pull may produce either a single serving of espresso if the single filter basket is used or a double serving if the double filter basket is used.

Pulping. Process of removing the outermost skin of the coffee cherry or fruit. See Wet-Processed Coffee.

Pump Machine. An espresso machine that uses a pump to force brewing water at high pressure through the compacted bed of ground coffee.

Pyrolysis. The chemical breakdown, during roasting, of fats and carbohydrates into the delicate oils that provide the aroma and most of the flavor of coffee.

Quakers. Defective coffee beans that fail to roast properly, remaining stubbornly light-colored.

Regular Roast. See American Roast.

Reservoir. In smaller pump-activated expresso brewing devices, the (usually removable) tank that holds water at room temperature before it is distributed to the boiler or thermal block for heating.

Richness. A satisfying fullness in flavor, body, or acidity.

Rio. A class of dry-processed coffees from Brazil with a characteristic medicinal, iodinelike flavor deriving from invasion of a microorganism during drying. The term rioy or rio-y has come to be applied to any coffee with similar taste characteristics. The rio taste is considered a rank defect by North American buyers but is sought after by some buyers from Balkan and Middle Eastern countries.

Rioy, Rio-y. See Rio.

Robusta, Coffea Canephora. Currently the only significant competitor to Coffea arabica among cultivated coffee species. Robusta produces about 30 percent of the world’s coffee. It is a lower-growing, higher-bearing tree that produces full-bodied but bland coffee of inferior cup quality and higher caffeine content than Coffea arabica. It is used as a basis for blends of instant coffee and for less expensive blends of preground commerical coffee. It is not a factor in the specialty coffee trade except as a body-enhancing component in some Italian-style espresso blends.

Sanani. A comprehensive market name for coffees from several growing regions west of Sana’a, the capital city of Yemen. Usually a lower-toned, somewhat less acidy version of the Yemen style.

Santo Domingo. See Dominican Republic.

Santos, Bourbon Santos. A market name for a category of high-quality coffee from Brazil, usually shipped through the port of Santos, and usually grown in the state of São Paulo or the southern part of Minas Gerais State. The term Bourbon Santos is sometimes used to refer to any high-quality Santos coffee, but it properly describes Santos coffee from the bourbon variety of arabica, which tends to produce a fruitier, more acidy cup than other varieties grown in Brazil.

SCAA. See Specialty Coffee Association of America.

Semi-Dry-Processed Coffee, Pulped Natural Coffee, Semi-Wet-Processed Coffee. Coffee prepared by removing the outer skin of the coffee fruit (a process called pulping) and drying the skinned coffee with the sticky mucilage and the parchment and silverskin still adhering to the bean. This processing method, situated between the dry method and the wet method, has no consensus name. It is one of three processing methods practiced in Brazil, and is used sporadically on a small scale by farmers in Sumatra and Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Shade Grown, “Bird Friendly.” Describes coffee grown under a shady canopy. Arabica coffee is traditionally grown in shade in many (but not all) parts of Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela, and in some other parts of the world, including India and some regions of Indonesia and Africa. Elsewhere arabica coffee is traditionally grown in full sun or near-full sun. The importance of maintaining shade canopies to supply habitat for migrating song birds in Central America has led to a controversial campaign by researchers at the Smithsonian Institution and their supporters to define “shade grown” in rather narrow terms (shade provided by mixed native trees) and label coffees grown under such a native canopy as “Bird Friendly.”

Shot. A single serving of espresso, typically 1 to no more than 2 ounces.

Sidamo, Washed Sidamo. Market name for a distinguished light-to-medium-bodied, fragrantly floral or fruity wet-processed coffee from southern Ethiopia.

Silverskin. The thin, innermost skin of the coffee fruit. It clings to the dried coffee beans until it is either removed by polishing or floats free during roasting and becomes what roasters call chaff.

Single-Origin Coffee. Unblended coffee from a single country, region, and crop.

Sivitz Roaster. See Fluid-Bed Roaster.

Soft Bean. Sometimes used to describe coffees grown at relatively low altitudes. In the same context, coffees grown at higher altitudes are often designated hard bean. The lower altitudes and consequently warmer temperatures produce a faster-maturing fruit and a lighter, more porous bean. Soft-bean coffees usually make a less acidy and less flavorful cup than do hard-bean coffees, although there are many exceptions to this generalization. The hard/soft distinction is used most frequently in evaluating coffees of Central America, where it figures in grade descriptions.

Spanish Roast. See French Roast.

Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA). An important and influential association of specialty coffee roasters, wholesalers, retailers, importers and growers headquartered in Long Beach, California.

Specialty Coffee. Practice of selling coffees by country of origin, roast, flavoring, or special blend, rather than by brand or trademark. The term specialty coffee also suggests the trade and culture that has grown up around this merchandising practice.

Steam Wand, Nozzle, Pipe, Stylus. The small, protruding pipe on most espresso machines that provides live steam for the milk-frothing operation.

Straight Coffee, Varietal Coffee. See Single-Origin Coffee.

Strictly Hard Bean (SHB). The highest-grade designation based on growing altitude in some Central American countries, including Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Panama.

Strictly High-Grown. Highest grade of El Salvador and Mexico coffees based on growing altitude.

Sulawesi, Celebes. Single-origin coffee from the island of Sulawesi (formerly Celebes), Indonesia. Most come from the Toraja or Kalossi growing region in the southeastern highlands. At best, distinguished by full body, expansive flavor, and a low-toned, vibrant acidity. At worst, many display unpleasant hard or musty defects. Some display an earthiness that many coffee lovers enjoy and others avoid.

Sumatra. Single-origin coffee from the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. Most high-quality Sumatra coffee is grown either near Lake Toba (Mandheling, Lintong) or in Aceh Province, near Lake Biwa (Aceh, Gayo Mountain). At best, distinguished by full body, deep, expansive flavor and a low-toned, vibrant acidity. At worst, many display unpleasant hard or musty defects. Some display an earthiness that many coffee lovers enjoy and others avoid.

Sun Drying. Drying coffee directly after picking (in the dry method) or after fruit removal (in the wet method) by exposing it to the heat of the sun by spreading and raking it in thin layers on drying racks or patios. A more traditional alternative to machine drying.

Sun Grown. See Shade Grown.

Supremo. Highest grade of Colombia coffee.

Sustainable Coffee. At this writing, a contested and vaguely defined category of environmentally friendly coffees. A caucus in the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) is attempting to evolve reliable guidelines for what constitutes a genuine, sustainably grown coffee. Supporters of organic coffees currently object to the concept as dangerously fuzzy.

Swiss Water Process. See Decaffeination Processes.

Tamper. In espresso brewing, the small, pestlelike device with a round, flat end used to distribute and compress the ground coffee inside the filter basket.

Tanzania. The best and most characteristic Tanzanian coffees display a rich flavor and fully body, with a vibrantly winy acidity that makes them resemble the coffees of neighboring Kenya. Others are softer, gentler coffees.

Tapachula. See Chiapas.

Tarrazu, San Marcos de Tarrazu. Market name for one of the better coffees of Costa Rica.

Thermal Block. A system for heating water in espresso brewers that uses coils of pipe enclosed inside a heating element or hot water tank.

Timor. Single-origin coffee from East Timor. Timor coffee was a classic origin in the early years of the twentieth century. Recently it was revived with help from international assistance agencies. At best, distinguished by fullish body, expansive flavor, and a low-toned, vibrant acidity. At worst, may display unpleasant hard or musty defects.

Toraja, Kalossi. Market names for coffee from southwestern Sulawesi (formerly Celebes), Indonesia.

Traditional Process. See Decaffeination Processes.

Tres Rios. Market name for one of the more respected coffees of Costa Rica.

Turkish Coffee. See Middle Eastern Coffee.

Typica. A botanical variety of Coffea arabica, var. typica is one of the oldest and most traditional of coffee varieties. Some of the best Latin-American coffees are from typica stock.

Uganda. The finest Uganda arabica (Bugishu or Bugisu) displays the winy acidity and other flavor characteristics of the best East Africa coffees but is less admired than the finest Kenya or Zimbabwe, owing to generally lighter body and less complex flavor.

Vacuum-Filter Method. A brewing method that differs from other filter methods in that the brewing water is drawn through the ground coffee by means of a partial vacuum.

Varietal Coffee. As used by many people in the American specialty coffee industry, a term describing an unblended coffee from a single country, region, and crop. For example: Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, Kenya AA, or La Minita Costa Rica Tarrazu. However, to follow the California wine analogy more precisely, varietal coffees ought logically to come from a single predominant botanical variety of coffee tree; var. bourbon, for example, or var. typica. Increasingly, coffee writers use “single origin” rather than “varietal” to describe coffees from a single country, region, or crop.

Varietal Distinction, Varietal Character. A tasting or cupping term describing positive characteristics that distinguish a given coffee from coffee from other regions. Examples are the winy or berrylike acidity of Kenya coffees or the full, resonant character of the best Sumatra. See Varietal Coffee.

Venezuela. Some Venezuela coffees (Tachira, Cúcuta) resemble Colombia coffees. However, the most characteristic (Mèrida, Caripe) are sweet and delicately flavored.

Viennese Coffee. Ambiguous term. Describes coffee brewed by the drip or filter method from a blend of coffee brought to a degree or darkness of roast called Viennese Roast; also refers to brewed coffee of any roast or origin topped with whipped cream.

Viennese Roast. Term for coffee brought to a degree of roast slightly darker than the traditional American norm, but lighter than degrees of roast variously called espresso, French, or Italian. In the cup, Viennese roast (also called full-city, light French, or light espresso roast) is less acidy and smoother than the characteristic American roast but may display fewer of the distinctive taste characteristics of the original coffee. Viennese roast may also refer to a mixture of beans roasted to a dark brown and beans roasted to the traditional American medium brown.

Vintage Coffee. See Aged Coffee.

Wallensford Estate Blue Mountain. At one time the most celebrated and best of Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee. Now simply any Blue Mountain coffee from the Wallensford mill, which makes it little different from any other Jamaica Blue Mountain.

Washed Coffee. See Wet-Processed Coffee.

Waste Tray. A small drawer in the base of espresso machines or bar units designed to facilitate the disposal of spent grounds during the brewing of multiple cups of espresso.

Wet-Processed Coffee, Wet-Method Coffee, Washed Coffee. Coffee prepared by removing the skin and pulp from the bean while the coffee fruit is still fresh. Most of the world’s great coffees are processed by the wet method, which generally intensifies acidity. In the traditional wet process, the coffee skins are removed (pulping), the skinned beans are allowed to sit in tanks where enzymes loosen the sticky fruit pulp or mucilage (fermentation), after which the loosened fruit is washed off the beans (washing). In the shortcut demucilage or aquapulp method, the pulp or mucilage is scrubbed from the beans by machine.

Whole-Bean Coffee. Coffee that has been roasted but not yet ground.

Yauco, Yauco Selecto, Puerto Rico Yauco. See Puerto Rico.

Yemen, Yemen Mocha, Mocha, Arabian Mocha. Single-origin coffee from the southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, bordering the Red Sea, in the mountainous regions of present-day Yemen. The world’s oldest cultivated coffee, distinguished by its full body and distinctively rich, winy acidity.

Yirgacheffe, Yirga Cheffe, Yrgacheffe (Yur-ga-shef-ay). Market name for one of the most admired washed coffees of Ethiopia, distinguished by its fruitlike or floral acidity and high-toned, complex flavor.

Zambia. Some estate coffees from eastern Zambia (Zambia is located in South-Central Africa) appear in the North American specialty market. They tend toward the softer, less acidy version of the East Africa profile.

Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe coffee exhibits excellent cup presence and the vibrant, winy acidity characteristic of East Africa coffees. Some rank it second in quality only to Kenya among Africa coffees. Most is grown in the Chipinge region, along the eastern border with Mozambique.

Note: Terms that appear elsewhere in the glossary are italicized.