Coffee Dictionary – Glossary of Coffee Terms

Caffè Americano, or Americano (English: American coffee) is a style of coffee prepared by adding hot water to espresso, giving it a similar strength to, but different flavor from regular drip coffee. The strength of an Americano varies with the number of shots of espresso and the amount of water added. The name is also

Arabic coffee is a general name that refers to the two main ways coffee is prepared in many Arab countries: Turkish-style, and Saudi Coffee. The Turkish coffee brewing method is common in the Levant, but brewed without the addition of sugar. Cardamom is often added, or it is served plain قهوة سادة qahwah sādah (lit.

Photo Credit: FCRebelo, Wikimedia Commons Coffea arabica is a species of Coffea indigenous to the forests of the southwestern highlands of Ethiopia. Coffea Arabica is also known as the coffee shrub of Arabia, or Arabica coffee. Arabica coffee is believed to be the first cultivated species of coffee. It accounts for 75–80% of the world’s coffee production,

What Is Caffè crema? Caffè crema sometimes misspelled cafe crema, refers to two different espresso drinks. Caffè crema is an old name for espresso, and it was used in the 1940s and the 50s. The other drink named caffè crema is a long espresso drink originating in Europe. Caffè crema is primarily served in Switzerland, Austria

A cappuccino, is an Italian coffee drink traditionally prepared with espresso, hot milk, and steamed-milk foam. Istituto Nazionale Espresso Italiano defines cappuccino as a beverage prepared with 25 ml espresso, and 100 ml steam-foamed milk. In coffee shops in North America, cappuccino is prepared with a doppio espresso and frothed milk up to 6 fl

Coffea is a genus of flowering plants whose seeds, called coffee beans, are used to make coffee. It is a member of the Rubiaceae family. They are shrubs or small trees native to tropical and southern Africa and tropical Asia. Coffee ranks as one of the world’s most valuable and widely traded commodity crops and

Photo by Christy via Flickr. Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. The coffee beans are in fact the seeds of the Coffea plant berries and they are also referred to as coffee. Green (unroasted) coffee is one of the most traded agricultural commodities in the world. The most used species are Coffea arabica,

A coffee bean is the seed of the coffee plant. The roasted and ground seeds of the Coffea plants are used to brew coffee. The coffee cherry contains two pits with a flat side and a round side. The fruits are harvested and the cherry flesh is removed and the pits then are dried and

A coffee brewing method is a distinctive coffee preparation method, with specific brewing parameters, and using specific coffee making equipment. Some of the brewing parameters that can be altered to suit a coffee brewing method are: Water temperature during brewing Pressure Coffee grind size Extraction time   The brewing methods are also determined by the

Water temperature during coffee brewing determines the extraction yield, the total dissolved solids, and chemical profile of the coffee. All these parameters will affect the aroma and flavor of the final cup. Read more

Extraction in the context of coffee brewing, is the process of dissolving soluble solids and emulsifying aromatic oils in water. Coffee extraction is a precise process, and there are a few parameters that will determine the taste, aroma, and strength of the brewed coffee. Correctly brewing coffee requires using the correct amount of coffee grounds,

What Is Coffee Grind Size? Grind size is an important factor in coffee preparation, and it refers to the how fine or coarse the coffee bean is ground in order to prepare the coffee beverage. What Is the Coffee Grind Size for the Major Brewing Methods? In general, each coffee brewing method has its own grind

Coffee brewing refers to the preparation of the coffee beverage. There are many coffee brewing methods, and the extraction method can be different for these methods. Strictly speaking, the coffee brewing operation is when the coffee is extracted from the ground coffee beans into the water. However, the extraction is tightly related to the other

A coffee roasting company, or a coffee roaster for short, is a company that buys green coffee beans and roasts them. A coffee roaster sells various single origin or blends of coffee beans. Read more

Roasting, in general, is a cooking method that uses dry heat, whether an open flame, oven, or other heat source. Roasting can enhance flavor through caramelization and Maillard browning on the surface of the food. Roasting coffee transforms the chemical and physical properties of green coffee beans into roasted coffee products. The roasting process is

Cold brew is a coffee preparation technique where coffee is extracted using cold water or at room temperature. Cold brew coffee is not the same as iced coffee, which refers to coffee that is brewed hot and then chilled by pouring over or adding ice. There are various ways to prepare cold brew coffee. The most common brewing

Espresso crema is a brown, foamy layer on top of the brewed coffee. Crema is a mix of gas bubbles, and emulsified fats, which are the signature of a good espresso. The perfect crema is a reddish-brown foam, with tiny bubbles. If the bubbles are too big, the shot was incorrectly extracted. If the colour is too light

Coffee brewing requires following strict recipes. This includes brewing temperature, coffee grind size, brewing time and the coffee dose. Coffee dose refers to the amount of ground coffee used for brewing coffee. This, like yield is measured in grams rather than volume to enable baristas to get a precise measurement. Even though baristas sometimes use

Double, in the context of espresso brewing, refers to the volume of coffee pulled at one time. A double shot of espresso is pulled from approximately 14 grams of coffee grounds. The filter basket used for pulling it, is also called a double, and it can hold 14 grams of coffee grounds. The double espresso shot is also

Brewing Method Drip Coffee, or filtered coffee, is a method which involves pouring water over roasted, ground coffee beans contained in a filter, creating the beverage called coffee. Water seeps through the ground coffee, absorbing its oils and essences, solely under gravity, then passes through the bottom of the filter. The used coffee grounds are

An Easy Serving Espresso Pod, or E.S.E. pod, is a small coffee disc (Coffee pod), packed in a paper filter covering. Each pod contains 7 grams of compressed ground coffee, ready to be extracted into a shot. A double serving pod, (doppio), contains 14 grams of ground coffee. Pods are typically 44-45mm size for E.S.E. certified machines. There

Foam is an important aspect of coffee preparation, and it determines, or validates quality in some coffee drinks.  Read more

A God shot can be described as a perfect shot achieved from an espresso machine, where the recipe and all of the parameters that go into espresso brewing such as bean type, roast, grind size, dose, water volume and temperature, as well as properly maintained and clean machinery all align to produce a coffee shot

A latte (meaning “coffee milk”) is a coffee drink made with espresso and steamed milk. When used in English, the word is also sometimes incorrectly spelled latté or lattè – the diacritical mark being added as a hyperforeignism. Northern Europe and Scandinavia have traditionally used the term ‘Café au lait’ for espresso and milk, although

Normale, in the context of espresso, is the standard way of extracting a shot. A single shot normale is obtained by extracting approximately 1 oz of coffee, using 7 grams of ground coffee. A single is often named solo, using the Italian word for it. A normale is the standard espresso concentration, whereas ristretto is a

Robusta coffee, also known as Coffea canephora or Coffea robusta, is a variety of coffee plant, with its origins in central and western sub-Saharan Africa. It is a species of flowering plant in the Rubiaceae family. Though widely known as Coffea robusta, the plant is scientifically identified as Coffea canephora, which has two main varieties – Robusta and

A screen filter is a type of filter using a rigid or flexible screen to separate sand and other fine particles out of water. Typical screen materials include stainless steel, polypropylene, nylon and polyester. Read more

Single in the context of espresso brewing, refers to a single shot of espresso, pulled from approximately 7-8 grams of coffee grounds. Also called a solo, by the Italian name, a single shot normale espresso holds about 1 oz. of brewed coffee, and it is prepared using a single filter basket. True solo shots are rare. Usually,

Single-origin coffee is coffee grown within a single known geographical origin. Sometimes this is a single farm or a specific collection of beans from a single country. The name of the coffee is then usually the place it was grown to whatever degree available. Single-origins are viewed by some as a way to get a

“Specialty coffee” was first used in 1974 by Erna Knutsen in an issue of Tea & Coffee Trade Journal. Knutsen used this term to describe beans of the best flavor which are produced in special microclimates. Specialty coffee is the term commonly used to refer to “gourmet” or “premium” coffee. According to the SCAA, (Specialty

A tamper is a device used for compacting the coffee grounds when brewing espresso. The “tamping” operation is one of the most important steps in espresso brewing. During tamping, the coffee grounds are pressed in to the filter basket, compacting them into a puck. The coffee needs to be compacted in order to create enough pressure

Total Dissolved Solids (often abbreviated TDS) is a measure of the combined content of all inorganic and organic substances contained in a liquid in: molecular, ionized or micro-granular suspended form. Generally the operational definition is that the solids must be small enough to survive filtration through a sieve the size of two micrometer. Total dissolved

Triple, in the context of espresso brewing, refers to a triple shot of espresso, pulled from approximately 21 grams of coffee grounds. The triple is pulled using special filter baskets that can hold the necessary 21 grams of coffee. Triplo, as is also called with the Italian name, is not just simply a time and volume

Turkish coffee is a method of preparing coffee. This coffee brewing method is found in the Middle East, North Africa, the Caucasus, and the Balkans. Although the method is named the same, the recipe has slight variations that modify the grind size, the extraction time, temperature, and the concentration. Preparation Method Roasted and then very finely