coffee words

Coffea arabica (arabica coffee) is believed to be the first cultivated species of coffee. Today, it makes up 60% of global coffee production and is consumed in both specialty and commercial markets. Native populations are found in the forests of Southern Ethiopia and Yemen. It is more acidic, less bitter, and less caffeinated than the only other widely cultivated plant species – robusta coffee. Although arabica yields less fruit per tree and doesn’t resist disease as well as robusta plants, it produces fruitier flavors.

This term refers to how roasted coffee beans are transformed into a drinking liquid. There are many different methods, involving various machines and tools, water temperatures, and grind settings. The spectrum of grind options I offer in my e-shop is listed below. The size of ground coffee particulates you receive from me might differ from what you are used to. I developed this breakdown based on optimal results for the coffee I sell. This is not a universal or strict guideline, because no two grinders are exactly the same.

• French Press: coarsest grind

• Cold Brew: coarse grind

• Drip: medium grind

• Pour Over: medium-fine grind

• Aeropress: fine grind

• Moka Pot: very fine grind

• Espresso: finest grind

Cherries are the fruit that grows on coffee trees. Coffee beans are encased in two layers of skin. When the fruit is ripe during harvest season, the outermost skin turns dark red (a color reminiscent of cherries). However, some trees produce different cherry colors, like yellow, orange, or pink.

Shorthand for Cost of Production Covered. This label indicates that the cost of a farmer’s entire coffee operation is accounted for by the per-pound price of their total harvest, ensuring they can break even or make a profit. Learn more about how and why this approach was developed here.

Refers to any plant variety cultivated and produced by selective breeding. Most specialty coffee varieties belong to this category – Caturra, Bourbon, Typica, Geisha, SL28, Java, and Chiroso, to name a few. Cultivars can be propagated from other existing cultivated plants or wild populations.

A fleshy fruit with thin skin and one, central stone (seed). Coffee is in good company with other delicious drupes, such as peaches, almonds, cashews, lychees, mangoes, pistachios, dates, olives, etc. So yes, coffee is a fruit – we drink the brewed, liquid extract from roasted and ground seeds of a drupe.

Any plant or animal species that has acclimated to its local ecological and cultural environment over time through adaptation and isolation from other populations of the species. They are distinct from successive cultivars (breeds).

A lot is any amount of harvested coffee sold together as a whole entity or in smaller portions. No specific quantifiable amount defines a lot (for example, 8oz = 1 cup). However, all lots are labeled and named to help streamline product tracking and pricing through the exporting and importing processes.

A few different lot types include:

• Micro Lot: A small amount of exportable coffee. For different reasons, farmers may choose to portion out a selection of their beans. Check out this article to learn more.

• Nano Lot: The smallest quantity of coffee one would export. Similar to a Micro Lot, but usually with a smaller amount of coffee at the outset (hence the term nano).

• Community Lot: Coffees from different farms within the same local coffee-growing town or locale are mixed and sold together post-harvest as a community offering. They offer a broad view of flavor profiles from a specific area.

• Volume Lot: Similar to Community Lots, these combine various coffees together. However, they usually involve much higher quantities of coffee from a broader range of farms (at a regional scale).

The way coffee feels on your tongue. This can refer to the viscosity, texture, weight, or finish (like skim vs. low-fat vs. whole milk).

The country in the world where coffee is grown. Single Origin usually means that the coffee came from a single farm in a single region of a single country. I use Multi to describe blends that combine coffees from different countries.

Coffee cherries can be processed in several different ways. Each method contributes to flavor characteristics in the cup. The most common processing methods are washed and natural, followed by honey. Less common ones include anaerobic, carbonic maceration, wet-hulled, etc.

• The first step in the washed process involves removing the entire outermost skin of the coffee cherry. The cherry then may undergo a fermentation period in water containers. The length of fermentation varies (determined by the farmer), and all the pulp is washed off before drying the beans. Although desirable for the mild and clean flavors it produces, this processing method requires the most water to execute.

• When naturally processing coffee, the outer skin of the cherry is not removed. The whole cherry is left to dry and ferment with the red skin on. Once dry, both layers of skin (along with the dried pulp) are removed, revealing coffee beans infused with the intense and bold (usually fruity) flavors generated by this method.

• In the honey process, the outer skin of the coffee cherry is removed, leaving the coffee fruit pulp underneath it exposed to air. This pulp – sticky, sweet, and nectar-like (reminiscent of bee honey) – is left on while drying and fermenting. There are variations in the amount of pulp that gets removed and the intensity of sunlight exposure, resulting in color differences after drying (e.g. white, yellow, or red honey).

A coffee’s profile describes the sensory details within a brewed cup. It can be as simple as one or two words (ex: fruity, chocolatey, nutty) or it can be more nuanced. It’s somewhat of an abstract term applied to a complex sensory beverage like coffee. For the ease of the common consumer, I usually cover the main flavor notes that I sense, and some less obvious ones, along with the intensity and clarity of acidity, the texture of the coffee (thick or thin), and the way its personality strikes me when I drink it.

Most of us do not consume uncooked coffee beans. The coffee cooking process is called roasting. Roasting machinery, style, and intensity all affect how coffee behaves in the cup. Roast level most commonly refers to the color of the bean after the cooking process (on a spectrum from light to dark). Darker-roasted coffees stay in the roaster longer than lighter-roasted ones. I indicate roast levels on this spectrum with tick marks. The middle of that scale would be my version of a medium roast (but all of these terms are subjective, depending on the roaster and their style).

Coffea canephora (robusta coffee) makes up about 40% of all cultivated coffee worldwide. It is mainly grown in Vietnam and Uganda but naturally occurrs in western sub-Saharan Africa. Robusta is primarily used in instant coffee and blended with arabica to meet commercial market demand. Although it produces higher fruit yields per tree and is more disease-resistant than arabica, there’s little application for it in the specialty coffee market.

Understanding the unique qualities of green coffee before purchasing it is crucial. Sourcing refers to this buying process that involves different quality-checking stages and exposes farmers to desirable markets. Multiple entities participate in procuring green coffee for further sale, including farmers, importers, exporters, roasters, etc. To further delve into this broad topic, a good starting point is to read about the companies I source green coffee from: Osito Coffee, Sundog Trading, Shared Source, Terra Negra, Gold Mountain Coffee Growers, and Collaborative Coffee Source.

A French term describing all the environmental factors that affect the growth of a crop – climate, soil composition, elevation, weather, etc. All of these influence the growth and flavor of coffee, infusing every cup with a unique sense of place through particular sensory attributes.

A way of measuring how buyers trace the journey of coffee from a farm to its ending market. Additionally, the application of coffee processing techniques can be tracked, ensuring that farmers receive recognition for their quality of work. There are many great articles on the topic; this one is a good starting point for those interested in learning more.

Refers to the variations within plant species that occur through natural mutations like grafting, cuttings, and seed line inbreeding.