Coffee Terms

Acidity- A word that describes a characteristic in tasting coffee.  It refers to a bright, snappy feeling on the tongue.  Acidity in coffees vary between different coffees and how they are roasted.  Acidity is primarily the reason coffee may be upsetting to ones stomach.  There are ways of reducing the acidity in coffee.

Americano- shots of espresso with hot water added to make a full cup of coffee
(This term came about when American soldiers couldn't handle the fullness of straight espresso shots and they would ask for hot water to be added to their espresso)

Aroma- A word referring to how coffee is tasted. The aroma (smell) of a coffee is directly linked to how it is perceived on the tongue

Barista- a person who has been trained in the area of pulling shots of espresso and assembling espresso specialty drinks

Body- A word the describes a characteristic in tasting coffee.  It refers to the weight of the coffee on your tongue. Full-bodied coffees taste heavier and fuller in the mouth than medium or weak bodied coffees.

Breve- a drink made using half and half

Brew- Referring to the making of coffee. There are many different ways of brewing coffee that originate from all over the world.  The most common way of brewing in America is using an auto drip coffee maker

Cafe Au Lait (Sometimes called a "misto")- a way to serve coffee from France, coffee with steamed milk and a small amount of foam added

Cappuccino- a shot or shots of espresso filled to the top with frothed milk (foam) and a small amount of steamed milk

Crema- the tan colored foam that forms on top of an espresso shot during the brewing process, it protects the espresso from the air which can turn a shot bitter

Demitasse- a small cup for serving shots of espresso

Flavor- A word referring to how coffee is tasted.  Favor encompasses many characteristics of coffee.  To read more about the characteristics of coffee flavors see How to Taste Coffee

Foam- the froth that results from steaming milk, it is used in the making of many specialty espresso drinks

Latte- a shot or shots of espresso filled with steamed milk and about an inch of frothed milk (foam) at the top

Macchiato- a word meaning "marked" in Italian.  As a drink, it is a shot or shots of espresso with just a little bit of frothed milk (foam) on top.

Mocha- a latte with chocolate added

Red Eye- A cup of coffee with a shot, or shots of espresso added to it

Ristretto- a shot of espresso pulled with the same amount of coffee but for a shorter time resulting in a concentrated bolder, fuller flavored shot