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COFFEE GLOSSARY

BEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY

A

  • AMERICAN ROAST

    Coffee roasted to traditional American taste: medium brown.

  • AMERICANO

    An espresso lengthened with hot water.

  • 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 principal commercial coffee species, Coffea canephora or Robusta . All fine, specialty, and fancy coffees come from Coffea arabica trees.

B

  • BARISTA

    Italian term for skillful and experienced espresso bar operator.

  • BLEND

    A mixture of two or more single-origin coffees.

  • BURR GRINDER

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

C

  • CAFÉ AU LAIT

    Coffee drink combining one-third drip coffee with two-thirds hot frothed milk.

  • CAFÉ AMERICANO

    An espresso lengthened with hot water.

  • CAFÉ 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.

  • 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. So Pure CAFEIDO Concentrated Liquid Coffee is Certified Organic Coffee.

  • CAFÉ 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.

  • CREMA

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

  • 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 evaluation characteristics are Aroma, Acidity, Body, and Flavor.

D

  • DECAFFEINATION

    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 often are called European Process or Traditional Process. The water-only method, commonly known by the proprietary name Swiss Water ProcessTM, 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 semi-liquid form of carbon dioxide.

E

  • 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.

  • ESPRESSO ROAST

    Terms 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 newer American specialty roasters, roast styles once called by these names may in fact constitute the typical, “regular” roast of coffee.

  • 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 the less specific regional or market name.

F

  • FAIR TRADED COFFEE

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

  • FERMENTATION

    Terms 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 newer American specialty roasters, roast styles once called by these names may in fact constitute the typical, “regular” roast of coffee.

  • FROTHED MILK

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

G

  • GREEN COFFEE

    Unroasted coffee.

  • GROUP 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 and excellent body. Coffees from mountainous areas exposed to either Pacific (San Marcos) or Caribbean (Cobán, Huehuetenango) weather tend to display a bit less acidity and more fruit.

H

  • HEAVY ROAST

    Also known as French Roast and 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.

  • HIGH-GROWN

    Arabica 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.

I

  • INDONESIA

    Indonesia coffees are usually marketed under the name of the island of origin; see Sumatra, Sulawesi, Java, Timor. 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 which many coffee lovers enjoy and others deplore.

J

  • JAVA

    Unlike most other Indonesia coffees, which are grown on tiny farms and often primitively 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 more acidy. Old Java, Old Government, or Old Brown are mature 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.

K

  • KNOCKBOX

    A knockbox (informally known as a "bash bin" or "coffee column") is a device used to store spent espresso grounds, called a puck, after a shot of espresso has been pulled. It is generally made out of stainless steel or plastic, and has a sturdy bar known as a "bash bar", against which a portafilter is tapped to release the puck.

M

  • MACCHIATO

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

  • MACCHINETTA

    Flip-Drip, Neapolitan 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.

  • 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.

  • MEDIUM ROAST

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

  • MICROFOAM

    Microfoam is milk foamed using a steam wand on an espresso machine, used for making espresso-based coffee drinks, particularly those with latte art.

  • MOCHA COFFEE

    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 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.

N

  • 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.

O

  • 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 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.

  • Onyx COLLECTION

    An bean to cup beverage machine range from So Pure with TFT Screen technology encased within onyx

P

  • PLATINUM COLLECTION

    An bean to cup beverage machine range from So Pure

  • PORTAFILTER

    A portafilter (or group handle) attaches to the grouphead of semi-automatic and piston-driven espresso machines, and carries a tamped puck of coffee grounds within its basket. It is usually made of brass for better heat retention, and is attached by a plastic or wooden handle.

  • 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.

R

  • REGULAR ROASTED

    Coffee roasted to traditional American taste: medium brown.

  • RICHNESS

    A satisfying fullness in flavor, body, or acidity of coffee.

  • ROBUSTA

    Currently the only significant competitor among cultivated coffee species to Coffea arabica. Robusta produces about 30% 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, a less expensive blends of preground commercial coffee.

S

  • STEAM WAND

    The small protruding pipe on most espresso machines that provides live steam for the milk-frothing operation.

  • SUMATRA COFFEE

    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 which many coffee lovers enjoy and others avoid.

  • SUN DRYING

    Its 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

    When coffee that is not grown under a shade 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.

T

  • TAMPER

    In espresso brewing, the small, pestle-like device with a round, flat end used to distribute and compress the ground coffee inside the filter basket Visit So Pure Professional Range.

  • THERMAL BLOCK

    A system for heating water in espresso brewers that uses coils of pipe enclosed inside a heating element or hot water tank The So Pure Professional Range . Only uses steel allowing heat saving with the So Pure brewers.

V

  • VINTAGE COFFEE, 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 than either old crop coffee 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.

W

  • WASHED COFFEE

    When coffee prepared by removing the skin and pulp from the bean while the coffee fruit is still moist. 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 short the pulp or mucilage is scrubbed from the beans by machine.

  • WHOLE-BEAN COFFEE

    Coffee that has been roasted but not yet ground Like of platinum and Onyx of Bean to cup beverage machines