The world of coffee can be a daunting place for someone new to drinking coffee let alone speciality coffee. I remember ordering my first Macchiato expecting a regular cup of coffee, only to receive a coffee so small I was too stupefied to ask if they made a mistake. Terminology can sometimes get thrown about and come across condescending when it really shouldn’t be as we all had to start somewhere. So whether you want to lay the smack down on a snob or just learn the ropes I’ve listed a ton of key coffee terms to get you on your way. Good luck and god speed!
Americano: A shot of Espresso with hot water
Barista: The person who prepares coffee at a coffee shops.
Cappucino: Double shot of Espresso mixed with hot milk and topped with foamed milk.
Coffee beans: Seeds of a stone fruit berry used to make coffee.
Cold brew: Coffee beverage extracted by brewing over long periods using cold to room temperature water.
Cortado: A shot of Espresso topped with steamed milk.
Cupping: Sensory method used by coffee professionals to grade the quality of coffee beans.
Crema: Rich caramel emulsified oils that sit at the top of Espresso shots.
Direct Trade: When coffee roaster buy from the farms to purchase beans rather than through middle men and stock brokers.
Drip coffee: Coffee made by using a filter where coffee is extracted through contact with hot water as opposed to pressure. e.g. V60, Clever, French Press.
Espresso: Concentrated small coffee produced when hot water is pushing through fine coffee grounds. Provides the base for many coffee drinks.
Extraction: Process to get the flavor from coffee grounds. Coffee can be under extracted and taste sour or over extracted and taste bitter.
Flat white: Espresso with flat steamed milk
Green beans: Coffee beans before they are roasted.
Latte: Espresso shot mixed with steamed milk.
Latte Art: Designs created through milk control at the top of Espresso based drinks.
Long black: Double Espresso.
Macchiato: Espresso topped with foamed milk.
Micro lot: Coffee from a specific farm.
Mocha: Espresso mixed with chocolcate and steamed milk.
Puck: Coffee grounds after after they have been used with an Espresso machine.
Pull: Process used to create an Espresso shot via a Espresso machine.
Ristretto: A small Espresso shot created with less water for a concentrated taste.
Roast: Process to cook green coffee beans.
Single origin: One type for bean from a particular farm of region.
Speciality coffee: Best quality coffee available scoring over 85 points using a sensory cupping examination.
Short black: Single Espresso shot.
Tamper: Tool used to pack espresso grounds into a metal basket ready for ideal extraction via espresso machine.
