Glossary of Coffee Terms

Acidity
The single characteristic credited for releasing flavor. It is felt most often toward the back of the mouth or tongue. 

Aged
Characteristic of coffee beans that have been store for more than one year before roasting. They have lost acidity and have a heavy body.

Aroma
The specific fragrance descriptive of brewed coffee.

Batch roaster
The type used at Baroness, this roaster enables more control as it roasts a small quantity for a specific time period.

Black beans
Dead coffee beans that have dropped from trees before harvest.

Blend
A mixture of several types of coffee.

Body
Feeling of the weight (light, heavy) of coffee in the mouth.

Bitter
A harsh unpleasant taste detected on the back of the tongue. A characteristic of over-extracted brews, over-roasted coffees and those with taste defects.

Cherry
This term applies to ripe fruit of the coffee tree.

Cupping
The art and process of tasting coffee to determine its distinct qualities and enable removal of undesired attributes.

Espresso
A brewing method whereby a pump-driven machine forces hot water through grounds to extract the bean's essence.

Finish
Also referred to as aftertaste.

Flavor
The coffee's taste. This is often a combination of factors, including body and aroma.

Groundy
An earthy taste sometimes found in damaged beans.

Harsh
An unpleasant rough taste

Hidy
Coffee that smells like hide.

Mellow
A full-bodied, balanced coffee.

Musty
A flavor often found in coffee that results from either overheating or lack of sufficient drying or aging.

Rich
Description of coffee that exhibit depth of flavor and body

Stale
The aroma of roasted coffee that has been overexposed to oxygen, and has thus gone flat.

Tone
The physical appearance or color of coffee