Coffee Glossary
- Acidity
- The bright and dry taste that adds life to a coffee.
- Aftertaste
- The sensation of coffee taste that lingers and changes after the coffee has been swallowed.
- Arabica coffee
- The higher quality species of the coffee plant grown at high altitude
- Aroma
- The intensity of the coffee flavor as sensed by the nose.
- Blind filter
- A filter basket without holes used for cleaning an espresso machine.
- Body
- The weight of the coffee that can best be sensed by allowing the coffee to rest on the tongue and by rubbing the tongue against the roof of the mouth.
- Coffee biscuit
- The coffee cake left in the espresso machine’s portafilter basket after extraction.
- Crema
- The flavoursome and aromatic foam or emulsion on top of an espresso.
- Cupping
- A coffee tasting technique used to evaluate the aroma and the flavour profile of a coffee.
- Ethical coffee
- Coffee cultivation developed and implement by standards that are socially and environmentally responsible, as well as economically viable. We stock Rainforest Alliance Certified coffees.
- Extraction
- the delivery of coffee and its unique flavours.
- Hopper
- The container that holds whole coffee beans in a grinder.
- Organic coffee
- Coffee that has been grown certified free of pesticides and chemicals
- Over-extraction
- An espresso that has taken too long to pass through the coffee grounds
- Portafilter basket
- The handle that holds the portafilter basket (see above). Ground coffee is dosed into the portafilter handle.
- Portafilter handle
- The handle that holds the filter basket (see above) that you dose ground coffee into and then fits into the group head.
- Robusta coffee
- Coffee with a naturally higher caffeine content and grown at lower altitudes
- Shower screen
- Part of an espresso machine that distributes water onto the coffee grounds.
- Single Origin or Estate
- Coffee beans that have not been mixed with any other beans, even beans from the same country.
- Steaming wand
- Part of the espresso machine that produces steam to texture milk.
- Tamper
- A tool that presses coffee into the portafilter basket
