malty
An aromatic sensation created by a moderately volatile set of aldehydes and ketones that produces sensations reminiscent of toasted grains.
medicinal
A detrimental coffee taste sensation characterized by a penetrating sour sensation on the posterior sides of the tongue. Caused by alkaloids increasing the sourness of the acids without any taste modulation of sweetness. Read More
light
A moderately low level of solid material suspended in the coffee beverage. Result of fine particles of bean fiber and insoluble proteins present in perceptible amounts.
hard
A secondary coffee taste sensation characterized by a predominantly stinging, sour sensation on the posterior sides of the tongue. Caused by higher-than-normal percentage of sour acids and an insufficient percentage of either sugars or salts. Coffee that strikes the palette by mixed sensation. Bitterness and astringency are not are not enveloped by roundness of body. A hard coffee is poorly balanced. Indicates the quality of the coffee ranking as a matter of degree from strictly soft, soft, softish, softish/hardish, hardish, hard, Rioy. Read More
good cup quality
Coffee with good, positive all-round characteristics.
grady
A background flavor of dirtiness but not qualifying as dirty. Mostly used in the United States. Read More
fermented
A taste fault in the coffee beans producing a highly displeasing sour sensation on the tongue. The result of enzyme activity in the green coffee beans changing the sugars to acids in the drying process during harvesting.
fine cup
Coffee with good, positive characteristics. Read More
earthiness
Earthiness is a flavor defect deriving from careless, primitive processing that in some contexts may be seen as virtues. Some Harrar coffees sold in specialty stores may have a hint of wildness or earthiness to them. Roasters from Italy often like to include some earthy-tasting Brazilian coffees in their espresso blends. If a New Orleans blend is at all authentic it also should have some Brazilian wildness in it. If the earthy taste dominates to the point that the coffee tastes distinctly sour or harsh, this quality becomes a flavor defect; you won’t find such coffees in specialty stores. Your Sumatran sample may have a hint of earthiness or mustiness to it, but it shouldn’t. Read More
dark
Roasting term meaning dark brown beans with a shiny surface; equivalent to espresso or French roast
decaffeination process
Coffees are decaffeinated in their green state. Three principal processes are used today: the traditional or European process, the water-only or Swiss-Water Process, and the CO2/water or Sparkling Water Process. All are consistently successful in removing all but a trace (2% to 3%) of the resident caffeine. Read More
canephora
The coffee species second in importance to “Coffea Arabica,” “Coffea Robusta” is known by botanists as “Coffea Canephora.”
caramelly
An aromatic sensation created by a moderately volatile set of sugar carbonyl compounds found in coffee’s nose that produce sensations reminiscent of either candy or syrup.
caramelized
Corresponds to the taste acquired by roasted beans that have been dipped in sugar, dextrin syrup, or molasses before roasting. Also perceived in spray-dried instant coffees. Read More
baggy
An off-taste often observed in cups from weakly roasted coffees that have been stored for a long time in unsuitable conditions.
baked
A taste and odor taint that gives the coffee brew a flat bouquet and insipid taste. The result of the roasting process proceeding with too little heat over too long a period. Generally unpleasant characteristic of having an over-baked taste in an over-heated coffee. Ranks in the following order of intensity: cooked, baked or burnt.
balanced
This is a difficult term. When tasting coffees for defects, professional tasters use the term to describe a coffee that does not localize at any one point on the palate; in other words, it is not imbalanced in the direction of some one (often undesirable) taste characteristic. As a term of general evaluation, balance appears to mean that no one quality overwhelms all others, but there is enough complexity in the coffee to arouse interest. It is a term that on occasion damns with faint praise. The Mexican sample should be most balanced, but it has less to balance than the other two coffees. If you tasted the Yemen Mocha against a standard Ethiopian Harrar you would probably sense how the Yemen coffee is similar to the Harrar, but much more balanced. A well-balanced coffee contains all the basic characteristics to the right extent.
acerbic
A taste fault in the coffee brew giving an acrid and sour sensation on the tongue. The result of long-chained organic compounds due to excessive heat during the holding process after brewing.
acid
A normal characteristic of arabica coffees, particularly of high-growth varieties. Some strains are sought for this particular taste (Kenya), which is influenced by the degree of roasting and does not seem to be objectively expressed by pH measurement. Experts recognize three types of acidity: 1) natural desirable: acid, 2) natural undesirable: sour, and 3) undesirable: process acidity (sometimes sought as a substitute for natural acidity but generally has a biting, puckery flavor.
