Acidity - Acidity makes the palate fresh. Coffee must have refreshment value. Coffee is low in acidity-between 5 and 6 on the pH scale. When food or coffee is too acidic it becomes sour and so is normally complemented by cream. If acidity is present in coffee the darker the coffee is roasted the lower the acidity.

Aroma - Aroma is one of the great attractions of coffee-both in the ground form and in the cup.

Certain coffees are expected to have certain aromas-Costa Rica is typically a light, almondy aroma. Columbian coffee typically has a honey type smell and Ethiopian Mocha can have a wine type smell. Other coffees have more or less aromas this will vary with individual samples.

Both the time and temperature of roasting may vary the quantity of aroma in a coffee. High roasting temperatures and longer roasting tend to diminish the aroma.

Barista - A person who makes espresso coffee drinks as a profession.

Baristi-Plural of Barista.

Bitter-The taste that is typically perceived at the back of the tongue. Dark Roasts are intentionally bitter. Bitterness can be caused by over-extraction where the grind is too fine and the water flow is too slow..

Bland - The pale flavour often found in poor quality Robusta coffees. Blandness can be caused by under-extraction where the grind id too course and the water flows too quickly.

Blend - A mixture of two or more individual coffee varieties.

Body - The tongue is very sensitive to the thickness or body of any liquid. The more body a coffee has the longer the aftertaste remains in the mouth. If this taste is good the body is a positive characteristic. May be thin to medium to full to buttery to syrupy.

Colombian, Kenyan and Indonesian Arabicas generally have good body whereas some Central American and Brazilian coffees are thin and watery.

Darker roasting will increase the body of a coffee.

Briny - The salty sensation caused by excessive heat after brewing-percolated coffee at the end of the day.

Cupping - Cupping or sampling the coffee. It takes place at several points between crop and cup.

Dematisse - A small cup used for serving espresso-French for “half cup”.

Crema - Crema is an essential attribute of quality espresso. The crema is a thick layer of a honeycomb-coloured foam that sits on top of the espresso. Most of the aroma from the espresso comes from the crema. The crema is made up of the oils from the coffee. It contains the caffeine in the coffee. If there is no crema or if the crema looks dark/bubbly/patchy the quality will not be there in the coffee. It is most likely that the grind is not right. The crema will sit on the top of the espresso for a few minutes before it dissipates.

Earthy-The spicy “of the earth taste” of Indonesian coffee.

Espresso - A coffee brewing method that extracts the heart of the bean. It was invented ion Italy. It involves a pump-driven machine that forces hot water through fine grounds of coffee under pressure (around 9 atmospheres of pressure). It produces a sweet, rich, thick and smooth shot of espresso.

Exotic - Unusual aromatic and flavour notes such as berry and floral.

Flavour - The overall impression of Acidity, Aroma and Body. The only way to asses flavour is to taste it.

French Press - Also known as plunger. A device for brewing coffee where ground coffee is steeped in water. The grounds are then removed from the coffee by a filter plunger which presses the grounds to the bottom of the bowl or pot.

Foam - Hot milk that has been made smooth and foamy by aerating it with steam.

Hard Bean - Coffee grown at altitudes of 4000 feet and higher. Coffee grown at these altitudes mature more slowly and ate harder and denser than other beans.

Peaberry - Most coffee cherries contain two beans but occasionally a cherry will form with one bean. These are called Peaberries and are often separated and sold as its own distinct varietal. New Guinea is a more popular one.

Portafilter - The cupped handle on an espresso machine which holds the finely ground coffee during the brewing process.

Soft Bean - Used to describe beans grown at altitudes below 4000 feet. These beans grow more quickly and produce a lighter more porous lighter bean.

Sweet - Smooth and palatable coffee that is free from defects and harsh flavours.

Tone - The appearance or colour of coffee beans. Usually light, medium or dark.

Varietal - The term used for a coffee from a geographical region. Soil, climate and cultivation techniques affect the taste of coffee.

Winy - A flavour reminiscent of fine red wine.