Coffee glossary.
The words you meet in recipes and on labels, explained in a sentence or two.
- Ratio
- How much water per gram of coffee. At 1:16, 15 g of coffee takes 240 g of water. It is the setting that changes a cup's strength the most.
- Grind size
- The size of the ground coffee particles. The finer it is, the faster water extracts it. Each method wants its own: fine for espresso, coarse for a French press.
- Bloom
- The first pour, about twice the coffee's weight in water, followed by a 30 to 45 second wait. The coffee releases roast CO₂ and then extracts more evenly.
- Extraction
- What the water pulls out of the coffee. Under-extraction tastes sour and thin; over-extraction tastes bitter and dry. Grind, time and temperature control it.
- Roast
- Cooking the green bean, which creates aroma, sweetness and colour. Light roasts keep more acidity and origin character; dark roasts bring more bitterness and body.
- First crack
- The popping sound beans make in the roaster as steam and gas break their structure. It marks the start of the development phase.
- Development time
- Roasting time after first crack. Too little leaves grassy notes; too much flattens the origin.
- Natural process
- The coffee cherry dries whole, pulp and all, before it is hulled. It usually gives more sweetness, body and fruit notes.
- Washed process
- The pulp is removed and the bean ferments and is washed before drying. The cup tends to be cleaner, with clearer acidity.
- Pulped natural (honey)
- The skin comes off but some of the sweet mucilage stays on the bean while it dries. It sits between natural and washed.
- SCA score
- A 0 to 100 score given by cuppers using the Specialty Coffee Association protocol. From 80 points up, a coffee counts as specialty.
- Specialty coffee
- Coffee scoring 80 or more on the SCA scale, traceable to the farm or lot, with no major defects.
- Variety
- The coffee plant, such as Catuaí, Bourbon or Mundo Novo. Each variety has its own sweetness, acidity and yield.
- Altitude
- Higher, cooler farms ripen the cherry slowly so it builds more sugar, which usually brings acidity and complexity.
- Body
- The weight and texture in your mouth. A French press and cloth filter give more body; paper gives less.
- Acidity
- The brightness of a cup, like that of fruit. It isn't sourness: in balance, it keeps the coffee lively.
- Crema
- The caramel-coloured foam on an espresso, made of gas and oils under pressure. Lots of crema means fresh coffee, not necessarily tasty coffee.
- Resting (degassing)
- The days after roasting while coffee releases gas. For filter, 3 to 7 days is usually ideal; for espresso, a little longer.
- Whole bean or ground
- Whole bean keeps its aroma for weeks; ground coffee loses much of it within days. Without a grinder, buy it ground for your method, in smaller bags.