Coffee Glossary
We have complied a list of common coffee terms used to give you a better understanding of the coffee industry language.
Arabica
One of the two major commercially significant species of coffee. It is believed to be the first species of coffee to be cultivated, and is the dominant cultivar, representing approximately 60% of global production.
Aroma
The term used to describe the scent of the coffee.
Balanced
A coffee that features a pleasant mix of flavour, acidity and body. No dominating characteristic.
Barista
An Italian word meaning a person who is specially trained in the making and serving of coffee drinks, as in a coffee bar.
Blend
A coffee blend is a mixture of two or more coffee beans from different origin countries.
Body
The feeling of weight or thickness of the coffee on your tongue.
Coffee Cherry
The fruit of the coffee tree. Each cherry contains two coffee beans or one "peaberry."
Crema
Crema is the caramel-coloured layer of foam found on the surface of a shot of an espresso.
Cup of Excellence
An annual competition held to identify the highest quality coffees produced. The Cup of Excellence coffee lots fetch significantly higher prices at auction.
Cupping
Coffee cupping is a tasting method used by professionals. Ground coffee is steeped with hot water in cupping bowls, then slurped using cupping spoons.
Decaffeination
The process by which caffeine is removed from coffee.
Degassing
A natural process in which recently roasted coffee releases three times its volume as carbon dioxide gas, protecting coffee from the staling effect of oxygen for several days.
Distribution
Distribution refers to the untamped coffee grounds in the filter basket and how evenly they are spread. There are a few different techniques to distribute coffee including tapping the portafilter on the grinder forks or tapping the side of the portafilter with your palm to settle (or collapse) the coffee grounds.
Direct Trade
Direct Trade refers to coffee being purchased directly from the farm rather than from the coffee brokers.
Extraction
Coffee extraction is the process of dissolving soluble flavours from coffee grounds.
Green Beans
Unroasted coffee beans.
Grooming
Grooming is a distribution method to smooth out the top of the grounds with your finger. This is done to achieve a flat even bed of coffee grounds pre-tamp.
Micro-Lot
Coffee from a single farm, or a specific part of that farm.
Natural Processed Coffee
Processed by removing the husk or fruit after the coffee fruit has been dried in the sun, allowing the beans to draw in all the flavours of the fruit, mucilage and parchment layers.
Portafilter (also known as Group Handle)
The filter basket and handle on an espresso machine.
Processing
The method in which the fruit of the coffee cherry is separated from the green coffee bean.
Robusta
One of the two major commercially significant species of coffee. Grown at lower altitudes than arabicas, the flavour is less refined and the caffeine content is higher.
Puck
Refers to the ground coffee in the filter basket after coffee has been extracted from it.
Single Origin
Coffee from a particular region, farm or area within a farm.
Tamping
Tamping is the act of compacting the coffee grounds within the filter basket to create an evenly dense coffee puck, and prepare the coffee for extraction.
Washed Coffee
Coffee Cherries are put in a depulping machine, then the beans are put into fermentation tanks for around 12-24 hours. This method is considered to produce some of the highest quality coffees thanks to the clarity of flavours.
Varietal
A botanical subheading of species. For example, Gesha is a varietal of the species arabica.
Arabica
One of the two major commercially significant species of coffee. It is believed to be the first species of coffee to be cultivated, and is the dominant cultivar, representing approximately 60% of global production.
Aroma
The term used to describe the scent of the coffee.
Balanced
A coffee that features a pleasant mix of flavour, acidity and body. No dominating characteristic.
Barista
An Italian word meaning a person who is specially trained in the making and serving of coffee drinks, as in a coffee bar.
Blend
A coffee blend is a mixture of two or more coffee beans from different origin countries.
Body
The feeling of weight or thickness of the coffee on your tongue.
Coffee Cherry
The fruit of the coffee tree. Each cherry contains two coffee beans or one "peaberry."
Crema
Crema is the caramel-coloured layer of foam found on the surface of a shot of an espresso.
Cup of Excellence
An annual competition held to identify the highest quality coffees produced. The Cup of Excellence coffee lots fetch significantly higher prices at auction.
Cupping
Coffee cupping is a tasting method used by professionals. Ground coffee is steeped with hot water in cupping bowls, then slurped using cupping spoons.
Decaffeination
The process by which caffeine is removed from coffee.
Degassing
A natural process in which recently roasted coffee releases three times its volume as carbon dioxide gas, protecting coffee from the staling effect of oxygen for several days.
Distribution
Distribution refers to the untamped coffee grounds in the filter basket and how evenly they are spread. There are a few different techniques to distribute coffee including tapping the portafilter on the grinder forks or tapping the side of the portafilter with your palm to settle (or collapse) the coffee grounds.
Direct Trade
Direct Trade refers to coffee being purchased directly from the farm rather than from the coffee brokers.
Extraction
Coffee extraction is the process of dissolving soluble flavours from coffee grounds.
Green Beans
Unroasted coffee beans.
Grooming
Grooming is a distribution method to smooth out the top of the grounds with your finger. This is done to achieve a flat even bed of coffee grounds pre-tamp.
Micro-Lot
Coffee from a single farm, or a specific part of that farm.
Natural Processed Coffee
Processed by removing the husk or fruit after the coffee fruit has been dried in the sun, allowing the beans to draw in all the flavours of the fruit, mucilage and parchment layers.
Portafilter (also known as Group Handle)
The filter basket and handle on an espresso machine.
Processing
The method in which the fruit of the coffee cherry is separated from the green coffee bean.
Robusta
One of the two major commercially significant species of coffee. Grown at lower altitudes than arabicas, the flavour is less refined and the caffeine content is higher.
Puck
Refers to the ground coffee in the filter basket after coffee has been extracted from it.
Single Origin
Coffee from a particular region, farm or area within a farm.
Tamping
Tamping is the act of compacting the coffee grounds within the filter basket to create an evenly dense coffee puck, and prepare the coffee for extraction.
Washed Coffee
Coffee Cherries are put in a depulping machine, then the beans are put into fermentation tanks for around 12-24 hours. This method is considered to produce some of the highest quality coffees thanks to the clarity of flavours.
Varietal
A botanical subheading of species. For example, Gesha is a varietal of the species arabica.