Coffee Terminology
"Waves" of Coffee
The coffee industry has split its history into three commonly accepted "waves", with us currently being in the Third Wave. Although the criteria for when each wave beings and ends is fuzzy, they essentially refer to the slow increase of the importance of coffee quality through preparation, flavour, presentation and service.
First wave coffee is loosely defined as coffee without focus. Prior to the latter half of the 20th century coffee was often treated solely as a beverage. It could be good or bad, but it didn’t receive the same sort of care and attention it does today. First wave coffee could be summarized as diner or restaurant coffee.
Second wave coffee is the rise of the modern coffee shop. Although many cultures already had coffee shops prior to the second wave, these cafes are more akin to the Central Perk cafe from Friends: a shop dedicated to coffee and tea beverages, including richly flavored lattes, frothy cappuccinos, and so on. Often these are places with space built out for lingering over a book or a laptop, sometimes they act as venues for music or poetry. The concept of the "third place," a place outside of the home and work where a person might spend much of their time, heavily influenced the rise of the second wave coffee shop.
Third wave coffee is where coffee is meant to be elevated to the culinary level of appreciation, like fine wine or craft beer. It recognizes that coffee is a complex beverage which requires care and attention to execute on a high level, and can provide a rich and complex experience beyond adding flavoured syrups or mix-ins. Third wave coffee is concerned with specialty coffee only, and extends its focus to the entire process from the farm to the cup. Farm and farmers are sometimes highlighted for transparency purposes, as well as the results in the final cup. Third wave roasters often roast and develop their coffees rather lightly, with the intention of maintaining acidity, sweetness, florality, fruitiness, and the innate complexity of the coffee at the forefront, rather than flavours created by the roasting process.
Acidity Not the esophagus eroding stuff, but rather a pleasant tartness, snap, or twist akin to the snap of a fresh apple or a dry white wine. Other terms used to describe acidity are brightness, crispness, high notes, dry, and vibrant. East African coffees tend to excel in acidity, while lower grown Sumatrans and Sulawesi tend to be lower in acidity.
Aroma Basically the smell of brewed coffee in the cup. Different from fragrance which is the smell of freshly ground coffee that hasn't been brewed.
Body The physical sense of coffee in the mouth. Heaviness, richness, and thickness or texture may be felt on the back of the tongue.
Finish describes the aftertaste that lingers after the coffee is swallowed. Heavier bodied coffees may have a longer finish. A good, fresh coffee should not have a bitter aftertaste. Score based on intensity, length, and lasting impression.
Fragrance, an essential part of the coffee, a lot of what you actually "taste" is done through smell. As explained above, fragrance is the smell of dry, freshly ground coffee before brewing. It offers another hint at what may be expected in the cup. Earthy, spicy, floral, smoky, deep, rich, and sharp are all terms used in describing fragrance.
Taste Flavour. Obviously a coffee taste, but perhaps hints of fruit, flowers, chocolate and smoke may also be present. Taste tends to change as coffee cools in the cup. Very dependent on the roast profile. We score by intensity and depth.
Clean Without off-flavor or obscured taste. Generally a desirable trait, but some of the more exotic coffees may often not be described as "clean".
Complexity A shifting of flavors and sensations in the cup. As a complex coffee cools, the flavor and some times the mouth-feel of the coffee change. Very much influenced by the roast profile.
Twisty Usually a negative term, meaning a coffee that shows different characteristics in a single cup or from cup to cup.
Varietal A set of flavours or characteristics that distinguish a coffee from others. Basically, it's identity. A description of the regional traits that mark a coffee as being from a certain area. Sumatran Mandheling, Guatemalan Antigua, and Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, and Mexican Chiapas all have distinctly different attributes that set them apart from each other. Among cuppers, each varietal has a set of characteristics they look for in the cupping session, and basically score the coffee against these criteria.
Baked A taste or odor that gives coffee a flat taste. May be caused by the coffee being roasted at too low a temperature for too long a time.
Chaff The papery stuff that comes off the coffee during roasting. It is actually the innermost skin, or silverskin, of the coffee bean that remains attached to the bean after processing.
First Crack is a distinctly audible "popping" or cracking sound the beans make during the roasting process. It is generally accepted as the point where pyrolysis begins (around 465 degrees internal bean temperature) and due to chemical changes inside the coffee bean, they begin to emit their own heat, thus raising the temperature inside the roasting chamber.
Second Crack This is the stage during the roasting process where your coffee enters the "dark roast" realm. After the First Crack noise subsides, a few moments pass. The Second Crack is a major reference point for roasters. Roasters often speak of roasting "just short of the second crack; just into the second crack, well into the second crack, etc.
Quakers Unripe, blighted or underdeveloped coffee beans. These beans sometimes "refuse" to be roasted equally with other beans in the roast batch.
Certified Organic Coffee Coffee that carries the "organic" label has been tested and certified to have been grown, processed, shipped and packaged without exposure to agricultural or other chemicals. It is as "natural" as it can be. The certification process is lengthy and expensive. Due to the time and expense, many farmers can't afford to have their coffee certified. In fact, most coffee is grown with little or no chemicals if for no other reason than that the farmer can't afford them, yet they are also not certified for the same reason.
SHG and SHB Coffee Beans These abbreviations stand for "Strictly High Grown" and "Strictly Hard Bean" respectively. The terms are used primarily with Central and South American coffees to describe the growing conditions and quality of the bean. As you'd imagine, Strictly High Grown coffee is grown at higher altitudes, normally above 3,500 feet above sea level. Strictly Hard Bean is really only another descriptor for high grown coffee. Since the bean grows more slowly at higher altitudes, it tends to be denser, or harder. Slower growth allows more acidity to develop, and the flavours to be more intensified.
The coffee industry has split its history into three commonly accepted "waves", with us currently being in the Third Wave. Although the criteria for when each wave beings and ends is fuzzy, they essentially refer to the slow increase of the importance of coffee quality through preparation, flavour, presentation and service.
First wave coffee is loosely defined as coffee without focus. Prior to the latter half of the 20th century coffee was often treated solely as a beverage. It could be good or bad, but it didn’t receive the same sort of care and attention it does today. First wave coffee could be summarized as diner or restaurant coffee.
Second wave coffee is the rise of the modern coffee shop. Although many cultures already had coffee shops prior to the second wave, these cafes are more akin to the Central Perk cafe from Friends: a shop dedicated to coffee and tea beverages, including richly flavored lattes, frothy cappuccinos, and so on. Often these are places with space built out for lingering over a book or a laptop, sometimes they act as venues for music or poetry. The concept of the "third place," a place outside of the home and work where a person might spend much of their time, heavily influenced the rise of the second wave coffee shop.
Third wave coffee is where coffee is meant to be elevated to the culinary level of appreciation, like fine wine or craft beer. It recognizes that coffee is a complex beverage which requires care and attention to execute on a high level, and can provide a rich and complex experience beyond adding flavoured syrups or mix-ins. Third wave coffee is concerned with specialty coffee only, and extends its focus to the entire process from the farm to the cup. Farm and farmers are sometimes highlighted for transparency purposes, as well as the results in the final cup. Third wave roasters often roast and develop their coffees rather lightly, with the intention of maintaining acidity, sweetness, florality, fruitiness, and the innate complexity of the coffee at the forefront, rather than flavours created by the roasting process.
Acidity Not the esophagus eroding stuff, but rather a pleasant tartness, snap, or twist akin to the snap of a fresh apple or a dry white wine. Other terms used to describe acidity are brightness, crispness, high notes, dry, and vibrant. East African coffees tend to excel in acidity, while lower grown Sumatrans and Sulawesi tend to be lower in acidity.
Aroma Basically the smell of brewed coffee in the cup. Different from fragrance which is the smell of freshly ground coffee that hasn't been brewed.
Body The physical sense of coffee in the mouth. Heaviness, richness, and thickness or texture may be felt on the back of the tongue.
Finish describes the aftertaste that lingers after the coffee is swallowed. Heavier bodied coffees may have a longer finish. A good, fresh coffee should not have a bitter aftertaste. Score based on intensity, length, and lasting impression.
Fragrance, an essential part of the coffee, a lot of what you actually "taste" is done through smell. As explained above, fragrance is the smell of dry, freshly ground coffee before brewing. It offers another hint at what may be expected in the cup. Earthy, spicy, floral, smoky, deep, rich, and sharp are all terms used in describing fragrance.
Taste Flavour. Obviously a coffee taste, but perhaps hints of fruit, flowers, chocolate and smoke may also be present. Taste tends to change as coffee cools in the cup. Very dependent on the roast profile. We score by intensity and depth.
Clean Without off-flavor or obscured taste. Generally a desirable trait, but some of the more exotic coffees may often not be described as "clean".
Complexity A shifting of flavors and sensations in the cup. As a complex coffee cools, the flavor and some times the mouth-feel of the coffee change. Very much influenced by the roast profile.
Twisty Usually a negative term, meaning a coffee that shows different characteristics in a single cup or from cup to cup.
Varietal A set of flavours or characteristics that distinguish a coffee from others. Basically, it's identity. A description of the regional traits that mark a coffee as being from a certain area. Sumatran Mandheling, Guatemalan Antigua, and Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, and Mexican Chiapas all have distinctly different attributes that set them apart from each other. Among cuppers, each varietal has a set of characteristics they look for in the cupping session, and basically score the coffee against these criteria.
Baked A taste or odor that gives coffee a flat taste. May be caused by the coffee being roasted at too low a temperature for too long a time.
Chaff The papery stuff that comes off the coffee during roasting. It is actually the innermost skin, or silverskin, of the coffee bean that remains attached to the bean after processing.
First Crack is a distinctly audible "popping" or cracking sound the beans make during the roasting process. It is generally accepted as the point where pyrolysis begins (around 465 degrees internal bean temperature) and due to chemical changes inside the coffee bean, they begin to emit their own heat, thus raising the temperature inside the roasting chamber.
Second Crack This is the stage during the roasting process where your coffee enters the "dark roast" realm. After the First Crack noise subsides, a few moments pass. The Second Crack is a major reference point for roasters. Roasters often speak of roasting "just short of the second crack; just into the second crack, well into the second crack, etc.
Quakers Unripe, blighted or underdeveloped coffee beans. These beans sometimes "refuse" to be roasted equally with other beans in the roast batch.
Certified Organic Coffee Coffee that carries the "organic" label has been tested and certified to have been grown, processed, shipped and packaged without exposure to agricultural or other chemicals. It is as "natural" as it can be. The certification process is lengthy and expensive. Due to the time and expense, many farmers can't afford to have their coffee certified. In fact, most coffee is grown with little or no chemicals if for no other reason than that the farmer can't afford them, yet they are also not certified for the same reason.
SHG and SHB Coffee Beans These abbreviations stand for "Strictly High Grown" and "Strictly Hard Bean" respectively. The terms are used primarily with Central and South American coffees to describe the growing conditions and quality of the bean. As you'd imagine, Strictly High Grown coffee is grown at higher altitudes, normally above 3,500 feet above sea level. Strictly Hard Bean is really only another descriptor for high grown coffee. Since the bean grows more slowly at higher altitudes, it tends to be denser, or harder. Slower growth allows more acidity to develop, and the flavours to be more intensified.
