Acidy A pleasing sharpness.

Aftertaste The sensation of brewed coffee vapors in the mouth (ranging from carbony to chocolatey, spicy to turpeny) released after swallowing.

American Roast An even chestnut brown; pronounced caramel-like flavor with no trace of dark roast (carbony) flavor.

Arabica One of the two basic botanical varieties of coffee, (Coffee Arabica) approximately 75% of the world coffee production.

Aroma The sensation of gases (ranging from fruity to herby) released from brewed coffee that are inhaled through the nose.

Audit Trail A formal map.

Basic Tastes Sweet, sour, salt and bitter, respectively characterized by sucrose, tartaric acid, sodium chloride and quinine.

Biodiversity Many species or types.

Bland A primary coffee taste sensation created as sugars in the coffee combine with salts to reduce the overall saltiness of the brew.

Blending Combining different coffees to achieve a desired price level or to maintain flavor consistency.

Body The physical properties of coffee as perceived in the mouth during and after ingestion.

Boston Tea Party A 1773 revolt against king George’s tax on tea. It marked the beginning of coffee’s role as the United States’ favorite beverage, replacing tea and symbolizing support for the American Revolution.

Bouquet The total aromatic profile of a coffee brew, created by the sensations of gases and vapors on the olfactory membranes.

Brazilian & Arabicas The ICO classification for dry-other processed Arabicas, primarily from Brazil and Ethiopia, representing about 35% of world production.

Cappuccino A coffee beverage made from espresso coffee and topped with steamed milk.

Caramelization Occurs when simple sugars combine to give the characteristic caramel color and taste.

Certified Organic Grown and processed using sustainable agricultural techniques without synthetic fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides and certified as such by a third party agency.

Chaff The silver skin on the green coffee bean that peels off during roasting.

Cherries The fruit of the coffee tree, inside of which lay the seeds (coffee beans).

Cinnamon Roast A light cinnamon brown color; has a pronounced nut-like flavor. The highest point of coffee acidity; sometimes called New England Roast.

Coffee Cantata Written in 1732 by Johann Sebastian Bach, a musical piece lampooning the controversial phenomenon of coffee in Germany of the time.

Coffee Congress Sustainable agriculture in coffee.

Colombian Milds The ICO classification for wet-processed arabica coffees from Colombia, Kenya and Tanzania. Represents about 15% of the world's production.

Conventionally Coffee grown using modern agricultural techniques and methods, including Grown Coffee synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides.

Cooperative A group of farmers bound together to achieve a common goal in coffee picking.

Degassing The escape of trapped gases, mostly carbon dioxide, from freshly roasted coffee.

Dilution Adding water to coffee flavoring material during the brewing process to adjust the strength to an acceptable intensity.

Dry Process A method of processing coffee cherries into green coffee. First the coffee cherries dry fully in the sun on large patios or in a mechanical dryer. Then the dried cherries are husked by passing them through large rollers that remove the dried pulp and pergamino.

Espresso A highly concentrated coffee beverage created by pressurized extraction from dark roasted and finely ground coffee.

Estate A type of farm, but often associated with wealth and land.

Extraction The removal of coffee flavoring material from roasted and ground coffee through contact with water.

Filter Drip method A brewing method in which hot water is poured over, and flows through, a bed of roasted and ground coffee contained in a paper, cloth or gold filter.

Finca Farm in Latin.

First Sustainable 1996, hosted by the Smithsonian Institute. Promoting and investigating

Flavor The simultaneous sensation of aromatic compounds and taste compounds experienced on the palate.

Fragrance The sensation of gases released from roasted, ground coffee beans as aromatic compounds are inhaled through the nose.

French/New Orleans Very dark brown color with large roast amounts of oil on the surface; dark roast taste and pungent aromatics dominate flavor.

Full City Roast Dark brown color with no traces of oil on bean surface; provides full coffee flavor development with some loss of coffee acidity.

Grading Classifying coffees according to eight criteria: altitude, botanical variety, processing method, density, size of bean, cup quality, color and bean imperfections. Each country sets its own standards.

Grinding The process of physically breaking down the coffee bean into small particles of uniform size to facilitate extraction of flavor components during brewing.

ICO Classifications The four basic groupings of coffee established by the ICO. Groupings are based on country of origin, botanical variety, method of processing and altitude of growth.

Infusion A coffee brewing method in which coffee grounds steep in water for a predetermined length of time.

Italian/Espresso Roast Black color with large amounts of oil on the surface; has a pronounced carbony flavor that is pungent (strong) and bitter.

Monoculture Of a single species or type.

Mouthfeel The sensory evaluation of the tactile sensations on the palate.

Nitrogen Flushing A method of packaging coffee in which inert nitrogen gas is flushed over the coffee to displace oxygen in the package.

Nose The sensation of the vapors released from brewed coffee as they are exhaled during swallowing.

Olfaction The sensory evaluation of volatile organic matter that occurs naturally or is created in the coffee bean by roasting.

Organic "Agricultural methodology" - a term coined by Joe Smillie, QAI.

Origin Country or region from which a coffee originates.

Other Milds The ICO classification for wet-processed arabica coffees, primarily from Central and South America, representing about 25% of world production.

Penny University Another name for the 17th century London coffeehouses which charged a one-cent admission fee and offered visitors the opportunity to discuss and debate current events.

Pergamino A parchment-like covering over the coffee bean which is removed after sun or machine-drying the coffee bean. The term "in pergamino" refers to coffee beans that remain in this covering until ready for export.

Pulp The cherry skin and fruit after they have been removed from the coffee bean during wet processing. Most often used as a component of compost, pulp is sometimes made into a fruit preserve having a delicate jasmine flavor.

Pyrolysis A chemical reaction that occurs during roasting when the bean cell’s temperature approaches 400 degrees F. This leads to the development of most flavor compounds.

QAI Quality Assurance International. An organic certification agency.

Quenching Adding water to the beans at the end of roasting to halt the roasting process.

Roasting Heating green coffee to a temperature sufficient to produce physical and chemical changes in the bean. Roasting creates the flavor compounds of brewed coffee.

Robusta One of the two basic botanical varieties of coffee. Robusta beans account for approximately 25% of coffee production.

Selective Picking Harvesting method in which only ripe cherries are carefully hand-picked. occurs primarily at higher altitudes where cherries do not ripen simultaneously thus requiring selective picking spanning several weeks.

Shade Coffee Older, more traditional varieties of coffee which naturally flourish under shaded forest canopies. Example: Tipica and Bourbon.

Sharp A primary coffee taste sensation created as acids in the coffee combine with salts to increase the brew’s overall saltiness.

Silver Skin The membrane immediately surrounding the coffee bean. Milling before export removes most of the skin; the remainder is removed during roasting in the form of chaff.

Slurping Taking coffee into the mouth so that it spreads evenly over the entire surface of the tongue, releasing any gases suspended in the brew.

Smithsonian Migratory Bird CenterPart of the Smithsonian Museum which studies migratory birds. They play a crucial role in coffee-growing ecosystems.

Bird Center

Sorting Physically separating coffee beans, after hulling or milling, according to size, density, color and imperfections.

Soury A primary coffee taste sensation created as salts in the coffee combine with acids to reduce the brew’s overall sourness.

Staling A flavor change denoted by a reduction in aromatics and a change in taste.

Straight A coffee from a single country, origin or crop.

Strength A quantitative measure of the amount of soluble solids in a coffee brew, usually expressed as a percentage (by weight) of soluble solids to water.

Strip Picking A harvesting method in which all cherries are removed at once by grabbing the lateral branches of the tree and pulling off cherries in a single motion. Occurs in low altitudes where coffee cherries tend to ripen simultaneously.

Sun Coffee Developed in the 1960’s/1970’s. A "variety" of coffee thriving without need of shade trees. High yield coffee type.

Sustainable Coffee which is cultivated, produced and marketed in a manner that respects and preserves the symbiotic balance between ecosystems and cultures." Mark Perkins, Elan.

Synthetic Not genuine, artificial.

Taste The sensation of water-soluble compounds in coffee through encapsulated nerve endings (taste buds) on the tongue.

Thermal Container A container that maintains brewed coffee’s temperature without the addition of heat.

Traditionally Grown Coffee grown using sustainable and traditional agricultural

Varietal A coffee from a specific origin. Sometimes a specific "variety" of a coffee species.

Vienna Roast Dark brown color with small amounts of oil on the bean surface; has a noticeable dark roast flavor but also traces of full city Roast tastes.

Viscosity In coffee evaluation, the resistance of internal flow is the cause of oily material suspended in the fluid.

Water Chlorination Adding chlorine to water to kill disease-bearing pathogens.

Water Filtration The removal of chemical substances from the water by filtration through a bed of activated carbon.

Water Quality The degree to which water contains the desired level of mineral hardness, dissolved oxygen and absence of any chemical contaminants.

Water Softening The substitution of sodium ions for ions of dissolved minerals (hardness) found in water.

Wet Processing method A method of processing coffee cherries into dried pergamino coffee. The method involves removing the cherry pulp through pulpers flushed with water. Involves fermenting the coffee to remove the sloppy mucilage coating around the pergamino and drying the coffee in the sun on patios or in mechanical dryers.

Wetting The absorption of water molecules by the bean fiber which subsequently allows extraction of soluble flavoring materials.

Winey A primary coffee taste sensation created as sugars in the coffee combine with acids to reduce the brew’s overall sourness.