Coffee & Tea
Acid. Tartness, snap, twist, dryness. Darker roasts contain less
acid. The "backbone" of coffee.
Acidity. A measure of the acid content of the liquid; in fine coffees,
results in a pleasant sharpness.
Aftertaste. The sensation of taste released after swallowing; can
range from bitter to sweet or chocolaty to spicy.
Aroma. The fragrance ot freshly brewed coffee; can range from mild
to pungent.
Bouquet. The complete Aromatic profile; resulting frum a combination
of the aroma and aftertaste.
Blend. Any mixture of two or more coffees that complement each other.
Bitter. A coffee taste that is harsh and unpleasant. Bitterness can
be the result of over extraction (when water spends too much time in contact
with the coffee), over roasting or poor quality beans.
Body. A term describing a strong, full, pleasant characteristic (not
necessarily related to acidity).
Carbony. A common "burnt" scent in dark roasted coffees.
Cupping. The physical process of tasting coffee to evaluate it; involves
exaggerated spitting, slurping, and swallowing to experience each characteristic.
Caffeine. An odorless, bitter stimulant found in coffee beans, tea
leaves, kola nuts and cocoa beans.
Cherries. The fruit of coffee arabica, so called because it growns
bright red. Each cherry has two beans.
Dark Roast. A term applied to coffee beans that are roasted longer
to develop a strong, almost spicy taste. The resulting coffee beans are
very dark and oily.
Dirty. Unclean smell or taste such as sourness or mustiness, or a
more generalized taint.
Delicate. Related to mellow; a fragile, subtle flavor perceived by
the tip of the tongue.
Decaffeination. A process using either methylene chloride, carbon
dioxide or water, which remove, 97% of the caffeine from the green beans.
Dry. Coffee, espresso without hot milk, coffee and foam only, opposite
of "Wet."
Flat. 1) A term which describes a nondescipt bouquet; not a particularly
flattering term. 2) Same as "Wet."
Flavor. The unique combination of acidity, body and aroma that characterizes
each coffee.
Flavored Coffee. Coffees given specific flavors by the addition of
oils and extracts.
Fruity. A term describing an aroma of citrus or berry fruit.
Light. Espresso with extra water, less strong, opposite of tight.
Mellow. A rounded smooth taste, characteristically lacking in acidity.
Musty. A taint often due to poor storage. Can also be due to lack
of sufficient drying and aging or overheating.
Neutral. Lacking any strong main flavors; a characteristic desirable
in good blends.
Nutty. An aromatic released as brew is swallowed, reminiscent of
roasted nuts.
Rich. Describes a bouquet with intense aroma and aftertaste.
Thin. Related to under brewing (when water spends too little time
in contact with the coffee). The brew lacks body and acidity.
Tight. Espresso with a less water content, stronger, opposite of
light.
Wet. Coffee, espresso without foam, coffee and hot milk only, opposite
of "Dry" or "Flat".
Deamer 11/19/96