In order to help coffee-lovers truly
enjoy the experience of a great cup, we have assembled a "Coffee
101" library of information on the history, science and art
of specialty coffee.
Please feel free to browse the online library and don't hesitate
to
contact us
if you have more questions!
•
Preparing the Perfect Cup
• Glossary of Coffee Terms
• Coffee Tasting Terminology
Preparing the "Perfect Cup"
While preparing the "perfect cup"
of coffee is unique to your personal tastes and environment, we
recommend following these steps to brew a better cup.
The Water
Start with fresh, cold water. Filtered water is preferred, as
this will remove the taste and odor of the chlorine and fluoride
that are used in municipal water systems.
If your tap water does not have good flavor, we
suggest bottled spring water. Since brewed coffee is 98% water,
any off flavors in the water will ruin the flavor of your coffee.
Make sure the temperature of your brewing water is at least (195o
F to 205o F) for a full, flavorful extraction.
The Coffee
Use the freshest coffee. Once roasted, coffee is a perishable
food product which begins to stale from contact with oxygen and
moisture in the air. This causes its complex flavors and aromas
to break down, and become flat and stale tasting.
To maintain the freshness of your coffee: Store
coffee in an air-tight container and place it in a dark, dry,
cool location. We do not recommend the use of your refrigerator
or freezer for coffee storage.
Once your package of roaster fresh Espresso-N-Ice
Coffee has been opened, we recommend that you enjoy it within
14 days for optimal flavor and freshness.
The Grind Size
The proper grind size for your brewing method:
• A slightly sandy texture with flat-bottomed or cone-shaped
filters.
• A coarse grind with a French press or percolator.
• If your grind is too fine, it will produce a bitter brew;
if it is too coarse it will produce a weak, watery brew.
We strongly recommend that you use a burr type grinder or order
your coffee ground.
• This will produce much better results than a blade type
coffee "grinder" because the burr grinder produces a
more consistent particle size. This allows for a more even flavor
extraction during the brewing of the coffee.
• Properly pre-ground coffee (used within 14 days) will
produce a better cup of coffee than coffee ground with a blade
grinder just before brewing every time... we know this from our
own experience with both kinds of grinders! We have never been
able to achieve the same cup quality with a blade grinder at home
as we can get with burr ground coffee.
The Quantity of Coffee
Use one-standard coffee measure (two level tablespoons) for every
six ounce cup of coffee you are brewing. This will produce a cup
that has the delectable flavors inherent in the coffee beans.
Remember that using too little ground coffee will produce bitterness
that only detracts from these flavors.
Once your coffee has been brewed, do not let it sit on a warming
element for any extended amount of time (20 minutes or longer).
Instead, we suggest that you pour it immediately into a carafe
or thermos in order to maintain its heat and true flavors.
[Top]
Glossary of Coffee Term
| Acidity
|
The first flavor impression of a coffee. Also,
coffee's pleasant sharpness or snap. See 'Brightness'. |
| American
roast |
The lightest roast of commercial-grade coffees;
the flavor is sharp, light-bodied and shallow. Also 'Cinnamon
roast'. |
| Arabica
|
Common name for Coffea arabica, one of the
two principal commercial species of coffee. Arabica accounts
for approximately 70% of world coffee production. Also see
Robusta. |
| Aroma
|
The fragrance or odor of coffee, either as
roasted beans or brewed. |
| Baked
(Bakey) |
Taster's term for a flavor defect where coffee
is dull from lack of acidity, usually from roasting too long. |
| Blending
|
The art of combining two or more coffees,
usually to achieve a consistent flavor profile. |
| Body
|
Taster's perception of the volume and intensity
of a coffee's flavor. |
| Brightness
|
Taster's term for coffee's crisp first flavor
impression. Also 'acidity'. |
| Café
au Lait |
A beverage made with equal portions of brewed
coffee and hot milk. |
| Café
Latte |
Espresso combined with steamed milk and a
small amount of foam. |
| Caffeine
|
An odorless, white, crystalline, bitter alkaloid
that stimulates the central nervous system. Caffeine occurs
naturally in coffee, tea and chocolate. |
| Cappuccino |
A coffee beverage made from espresso and steamed
milk topped with milk foam. Espresso-N-Ice is two parts milk
and foam, and one part espresso. |
| Carbon
dioxide (CO2) |
A gas formed and exuded by coffee beans as
a byproduct of the roasting process. Espresso-N-Ice uses this
excellent natural barrier to protect the freshness of fresh-packed
coffee. |
| Cherry |
The whole ripe fruit of the coffee tree. |
| Chocolatey
|
Taster's term for flavor notes reminiscent
of the richness and sweetness of chocolate. |
| Cinnamon
roast |
A light brown roast color with beans showing
no oil development. Cinnamon roast coffee's flavor is thin,
acidy and shallow. See 'American Roast'. |
| Decaffeinated
Coffee |
Coffee beans with at least 97% of the caffeine
removed. |
| Dry
Process |
The original method of processing ripe coffee
cherries. Whole cherries dry on the tree; or picked cherries
are spread out to dry on mats or patios. Once dry, hulls are
removed by hand or mechanically. Dry process coffees have
more diverse, earthy flavors and heavier body than beans processed
by the Wet method. |
| Earthy
|
Tasting term for a flavor note reminiscent
of clean, fresh-turned earth. |
| Espresso |
A coffee beverage created by pressurized water
and steam extraction through finely ground coffee. So named
because it is made expressly for the customer. |
| Estate |
A farm where coffee is both grown and milled,
so the operator fully manages quality. Also, the highest grade
of beans from a mill that serves an entire region of growers. |
| Finish
|
Aftertaste; flavor notes remaining after coffee
has been swallowed. |
| Flavor
Compounds |
Organic and inorganic chemicals that create
coffee's flavor characteristics, either by evaporating (aroma)
or dissolving (liquid). |
| French
Roast |
Roast color that is very dark brown with a
fully oily surface. French roast's flavor and aroma are pungent,
bittersweet and smoky. |
| Freshness |
Flavor attributes of beans used promptly after
roasting. Also, in reference to proper packaging and storage,
retention of fresh flavor attributes. |
| Fruity |
Coffee whose aroma or flavor reminiscent of
fruit, typically cherries, brambles and berries; generally
a positive attribute. |
| Full
City Roast |
Roast color that is dark brown with patchy
oil development. Espresso-N-Ice Full City roast features the
ideal balance of flavor, body, aroma and brightness. |
| Grading |
Coffee beans are graded to establish levels
of desirability in the marketplace. Each producing country
has its own grading system. Most systems grade by appearance
- a combination of bean size, uniformity, and percentage of
foreign matter. Some countries add grading standards related
to cup quality, such as growing altitude, bean density and
sun drying. |
| Green |
A taster's term for coffee that tastes sharp
or grassy. Usually from under-ripe beans, sometimes from under-roasting. |
High
Grown (HG) |
A grading term for coffees grown at elevations
of 2000 to 4000 feet above sea level. Also see 'SHG'. |
| Indirect
decaffeination |
A decaffeination method where solvents do
not come in contact with coffee beans; the most favored for
Specialty coffees. Hot water soaking leaches the caffeine
from coffee beans. The water is drawn off and decaffeinated,
then the solvent and caffeine are removed from the water,
which is then remixed with the beans to restore vital flavor
compounds. |
| Italian
(Vienna) Roast |
A roast color designation that varies by geographic
area. Lighter than French Roast on the US West coast, it's
the darkest roast on the East coast. |
| Lifeless |
Lacking in acidity due to under brewing or
staleness. |
| Methylene
Chloride |
The decaffeination chemical most used for
specialty-grade coffees. |
| Mellow |
Taster's term for coffee with smooth, well-rounded
flavor and low to moderately bright. |
| Milling |
The process of converting coffee from harvested
cherry to roaster-ready green beans. Milling includes removal
of fruit pulp and other soft outer layers by wet or dry methods;
then cleaning, drying, grading and packaging for export. |
| Monsooned
coffee |
Green beans that are stored and seasoned by
exposure to the humid monsoon winds of the Indian Ocean. The
beans absorb moisture, swell, and change to a light brown
color. Monsooned coffee is very heavy-bodied and syrupy textured,
with a nutty flavor. |
| Mouthfeel |
Taster's term for the tactile impressions
of weight and 'fullness' made by a coffee on the palate. Related
to 'Body'. |
| Natural
Process |
See 'Dry Process'. |
| Nutty |
Taster's term for coffee with aroma or flavor
reminiscent of roasted nuts. |
| Origin |
A coffee from a single country. |
| Pergamino
(Parchment) |
Coffee beans stored inside their papery inner
capsule after wet milling and drying, but before dry milling.
Pergamino refers to 'purgatory', the state between Heaven
and Hell. |
| Pulp |
The coffee cherry's skin and fruit after they
have been removed from the coffee bean during wet processing. |
| Pyrolysis |
Roasting term for the series of rapid chemical
reactions triggered by application of heat during the roasting
process. |
| Region |
A notable coffee producing area within an
origin country; such as Harrar in Ethiopia, or Antigua in
Guatemala. |
| Rich |
A coffee with intense aroma, flavor, body;
or a combination of these characteristics. |
| Roasting |
The process of heating green coffee under
controlled conditions of heat and airflow. Roasting initiates
a series of chemical reactions (Pyrolysis), which change the
chemistry of coffee, developing complex chemical compounds
sensed as flavor and aroma. Pyrolysis is dynamic; meaning
that altering the time and/or temperature pattern of a roast
will also change its flavor. |
| Roast
Color (Level) |
Roasting term for the shades of color, from
light to dark brown, of roasted coffee beans. Color matching
of individual batches of the same roasted coffee is a common
quality management tool. |
Roast
Point |
Roasting term for the point within each roast
color where the coffee's optimum flavor balance occurs. Roast
point is a more precise quality management tool then Roast
level. It requires precise control and reading of coffee's
texture and color, while the coffee is in the roaster. Espresso-N-Ice
roast using roast point management. |
| Robusta |
Common name for Coffea canephora, one of two
principal species of coffee. Robusta accounts for approximately
30% of world coffee production. |
| Silver
Skin |
The membrane immediately surrounding the coffee
bean, which usually has a silvery appearance. Dry milling
removes most of the silver skin; the remainder is removed
during roasting as chaff. |
| Spicy |
Taster's term for liveliness of aroma or flavor,
reminiscent of sweet or savory spices. |
| Strictly
High Grown (SHG) |
Grading term for coffees grown at elevations
of 4000+ feet above sea level. Also see 'HG'. |
| Strong |
Coffee made using more than the recommended
amount of grounds. Also applied to coffees that are perceived
as having assertive flavor, such as dark roasted coffees;
or full body, such as Kenya or Sumatra. |
| Sweet
Spot |
Espresso-N-Ice term for our Full City Roast.
It's the optimum balance of brightness, aroma, body and flavor.
See 'Roast Point' |
| Swiss
Water Process™ |
A patented process for decaffeination without
the use of chemical solvents. SWP achieves decaffeination
by use of activated carbon filters, combined with hot water
and high pressure. |
| Unwashed
Process |
See 'Dry Process'. |
| Vienna
(Italian) Roast |
Roasting term for beans with a medium-dark
roast color that varies by location. Typically lighter than
French Roast in the Western U.S., but darker than French roast
in the East. |
| Vienna
Blend |
A blend of light and dark roasted coffees. |
| Washed
(Wet) Process |
A milling method where coffee beans are separated
from fruit pulp by repeated soaking and machine brushing.
Washed coffees are light to medium-bodied, with bright flavors
and citrus, sweet chocolate or floral notes. |
| Wild
|
Taster's term for a coffee that has extreme
fruity flavor notes. |
| Winey |
Taster's term for a
coffee that is full-bodied, with distinctive notes of dry,
tangy acidity reminiscent of a fine red wine. Kenya is the
classic example of a winey coffee. |
[Top]
Coffee Tasting Terminology
The following terms are commonly used for tasting and describing
coffees.
Aroma
Aroma refers to the fragrance or odor of brewed coffee. Aromas
may be:
• Lacking or faint
• Delicate
• Strong
Body
The sensation of fullness in the mouth and how long it lingers
is body. Full-bodied coffee combines long-lasting flavors
with compounds that coat the taste buds, giving the mouth
a sense of fullness. Brewing method also influences body. |
 |
A French press or espresso machine allows more
oils and fine particles into the finished brew, producing heavier-bodied
coffee. Conventional drip machines use paper filters that trap particles
and flavor oils, resulting in lighter-bodied coffees. Some examples
of levels of body:
• Light (most Decaf, Mexican)
• Medium (Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda)
• Medium-full (Ethiopia Harrar, Colombia, Vienna Blends)
• Full (Kenya, Sumatra, French Roasts, Black & Tan)
Brightness (acidity)
Brightness is the crisp first impression of a coffee's flavor sensed
at the tip of the tongue. The brightest coffees have a snappy, palate-cleansing
quality. Coffees with less brightness are soft and smooth, and dark
roasts are less bright than light roasts of the same origin. Examples
of the brightness range of various coffees:
• Low (Sumatra, Celebes, Peru, French roasts)
• Medium (Colombian, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea)
• High (Kenya, Costa Rica, Rwanda, Guatemala)
Flavor
Flavor is the combined impression of a coffee's aroma, brightness,
and body. There are 3 sets of coffee flavors, each perceived in
a different part of the mouth:
• Front - Crisp flavors that form the first
impression of a coffee, often described as citrusy, floral or
winy;
• Mid - Rich, creamy notes that define
a coffee's overall flavor, these flavors register at mid-tongue
and on the upper palate. Descriptive terms abound - plum, berry,
milk or dark chocolate, maple, caramel, malt, etc.
• Back - Deep savory and smoky notes that
form the lingering impression of a coffee's taste, these are perceived
from the base of the tongue into the throat. The flavors added
by dark roasting fall mainly into this category, and include smoky,
earthy, syrupy and bittersweet
|
