Life style / Coffee Glossary

Aa: Capitalized letters are grade indicators usually describing the size of the bean

Acerbic: A taste fault in the coffee brew giving an acrid and sour sensation on the tongue. The result of long-chained organic compounds due to excessive heat during the holding process after brewing.

Acid: A normal characteristic of arabica coffees, particularly of high-growth varieties. Some strains are sought for this particular taste (Kenya), which is influenced by the degree of roasting an . . . View Full Definition

Acidity: Taste those high, thin notes, the dryness the coffee leaves at the back of your palate and under the edges of your tongue? This pleasant tartness, snap, or twist is what coffee people call a . . . View Full Definition

Acrid: A secondary coffee taste sensation characterized by a predominantly piercing sour sensation on the posterior sides of the tongue. Caused by higher-than-normal percentage of sour acids and a . . . View Full Definition

After-Dinner Roast: Term for coffee brought to degrees of roast ranging from somewhat darker than the traditional American norm to dark brown. Acidity diminishes and a rich bitter-sweetness emerges. Among many . . . View Full Definition

Aftertaste: The sensation of brewed coffee vapors, ranging from carbony to chocolaty to spicy to turpeny. Released from the residue remaining in the mouth after swallowing. Aged A taste taint that gives . . . View Full Definition

Aged 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 t . . . View Full Definition

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

Alkaline: A supplemental coffee taste sensation characterized by a dry sensation at the back of the tongue. Caused by the presence of alkaloid compounds.

Altura: Heights in Spanish: describes Mexico coffee that has been high- or mountain-grown.

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

Americano: An espresso lengthened with hot water.

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.

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 tr . . . View Full Definition

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, disting . . . View Full Definition

Arabica: The earliest cultivated species of coffee tree and still the most widely grown. It produces approximately 70% of the world's coffee, and is dramatically superior in cup quality to the other . . . View Full Definition

Aroma: Strictly speaking, aroma can't be separated from acidity and flavor. Acidy coffees smell acidy, and richly flavored coffees smell richly flavored. Nevertheless, certain high, fleeting notes . . . View Full Definition

Aromatic: Designates a coffee that fully manifests the aroma characteristic of its nature and origin.

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

Astringent: A secondary coffee taste sensation characterized by a predominantly searing, salty sensation on the anterior sides of the tongue. Caused by acids increasing the saltiness. Typified by an unw . . . View Full Definition

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

Baggy: An off-taste often observed in cups from weakly roasted coffees that have been stored for a long time in unsuitable conditions.

Baked: A taste and odor taint that gives the coffee brew a flat bouquet and insipid taste. The result of the roasting process proceeding with too little heat over too long a period. Generally unple . . . View Full Definition

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