There is a belief that coffee first appeared in the 15th century, and various phrases have been coined to describe this delightful caffeinating beverage and the equipment we use to brew it along the way.
We’ve put together this list of handy coffee synonyms, coffee lingo, and essential words for coffee lovers to help you blend in at the local coffee store. Make yourself a cup, and let’s discover together!
Important Words For Coffee Lovers To Know
So, if you’re going to own a coffee franchise, what vocabularies should you acquire? When buying brewing presents for a friend, how can you make an informed decision?
These are some of the most crucial coffee words to learn. We’ve organized them into categories, such as coffee gifts or coffee types and drinks, to make it simple to find the proper phrase.
So, as you continue to enjoy the powerful flavor of this famous drink, stay tuned to enhance your coffee terminology!
Coffee Presents
French Press
A French press makes coffee by soaking ground brew in hot water before dipping the mixture to press the grounds out. For a higher-quality coffee, this extracts more flavor from the coffee bean grounds.
Grinder
Before coffee is made, this gadget grinds the beans.
Blade Grinder
It is a gadget that “grinds” coffee beans by chopping them into tiny chunks for brewing.
Burr Grinder
This type of coffee grinder crushes and grinds coffee beans for brewing using porcelain or steel burrs.
Roaster
A roaster is a machine for roasting brew beans. As customers can achieve the perfect roast they desire from the raw beans, household coffee roasters become fantastic gifts for coffee enthusiasts.
Pump Machine
Every brewing machine that utilizes a water pump to transfer or push water into contact with the brew grounds is a pump machine. It typically refers to an espresso device that uses a pump to generate the necessary force level for boiling.
Coffee Beans And Plants
Arabica
Arabica is the coffee plant that supplies roughly 70% of the brew worldwide, and it has a fuller flavor than the other two major coffee species.
Read more: Arabica coffee brands
Blends
Blends are made up of coffee beans from several origins that are combined to make one brew.
Coffee Beans
Coffee is manufactured from beans. Before being marketed as coffee, beans need to go through a roasting and grinding process. To get the finest quality, some coffee consumers prefer to crush their beans just before brewing.
Green Coffee
Green coffee beans are unroasted brew beans that have a green tint.
Read more: How long do green coffee beans last
Robusta coffee
This coffee is derived from the robusta plant, which is native to Sub-Saharan Africa. This coffee is regarded as the lower grade one.
Single Origin
These coffee beans come from a single nation of origin.
Read more: Coffee blend vs single origin
Coffee Drinks
Affogato
Espresso is poured over ice cream to make this treat.
Americano
An Americano is a gourmet drink produced by mixing hot water with a shot of espresso. It may appear basic, but it packs a punch in terms of flavor.
Read more: How to make an Americano
Café Au Lait
One-third of espresso or coffee and two-thirds of foamed milk make up this blended coffee drink.
Cappuccino
Espresso, heated milk, and milk foam are blended in equal quantities to create a cappuccino.
Cold Brew
A cold coffee beverage created by seasoning coarse-ground coffee in tepid water for six to twelve hours for a strong drink.
Decaf
Coffee that has had the caffeine removed is called decaf.
Doppio
Doppio is an Italian phrase for a double espresso shot.
Espresso
Steam is forced through brew grounds to create a robust black coffee drink.
Flat White
A flat white is a coffee that is quite similar to a cappuccino but has more milk.
Iced Coffee
This cold brew beverage is often sweet and served over ice.
Macchiato
A blended coffee with an espresso shot and a smidgeon of milk.
Mocha
A mixed coffee drink with milk, espresso, and chocolate.
Coffee Roasts
French Roast
A brownish roast that leaves the coffee bean with an oily top.
Full-City Roast
A fairly dark brew roast.
Italian Roast
An extremely dark roast coffee with an almost black appearance.
Coffee Characteristics
Acidity
This term is a straightforward one: the acidity of the coffee, which is also known as brightness or tartness. It can carry fruity aromas in coffee.
Read more:
Balance
Balance is a tasting term that refers to how effectively acidity, bitterness, and other flavors complement and elevate.
Body
The body is a term used in the coffee industry to describe how the coffee tastes in your tongue. Coffee can be thick or thin. Mouthfeel is another phrase for it.
Chaff
The papery skin of the ground brew, which should be removed before roasting, is called chaff. As a result, the resulting coffee has a bitter, unpleasant flavor.
Complexity
Complexity is a term used to indicate the breadth and sophistication of a coffee’s flavor nuances. The more unique flavors that can be detected, the more complicated the drink is.
Crema
Crema refers to a creamy emulsified oil that forms on the surface of a shot or cup of coffee — generally espresso — after brewing it.
Finish
This phrase stands for the flavors linked with the finish of a coffee sip after drinking it.
Organic
Organic coffee has been cultivated without using herbicides, pesticides, or other potentially dangerous agents.
Coffee Apparatus
Chemex
Chemex is a brewing method that involves pouring hot water over coffee grinds in a thick filter. It makes an excellent cup of coffee.
Aeropress
Aeropress is a single-serving brewing device that uses a piston to pump hot water through nicely-ground coffee, giving it a taste comparable to espresso.
Clever Coffee Dripper
It is a brewing device similar to a pour-over or drip apparatus with a stopper at the filter base to give more steeping for a stronger cup of coffee.
Moka Pour
The Moka Pour is espresso-producing equipment that pours boiling hot water above a puck of coarsely ground coffee on the stovetop.
The Procedure For Preparing Coffee
Cupping
Cupping is a technique that coffee specialists use to try and compare various coffees or different roast variations of the same coffee. It entails producing tiny batches by directly pouring hot water over the grounds and tasting.
Dry Process
The dry process, also known as the natural process, refers to ground coffee that has been separated from the dried fruit.
Extraction
This eliminates caffeine and taste from beans by boiling them with steam or hot water.
Hulling
Hulling is getting rid of the shell from a coffee bean as it is being processed.
French Press
French Press is a technique of producing and brewing apparatus that includes steeping coffee beans in heated water and then pressing the spent grounds out from the completed coffee by using a plunger with a metal mesh on the base.
First Crack
As their core temperature increases, the audible breaking of coffee beans marks its first split in the roasting process.
Second Crack
The second crack is the second wave of audible cracking of coffee grounds, and it is a breakthrough accomplished in the frying procedure for darker roasted products.
Patio Drying
This is a method of drying coffee beans that entails letting them out in the direct sunlight naturally.
Pulping
The step of extracting the outer layer of a coffee cherry during preparation is known as pulping.
Roasting
Roasting is the process of heating bitter green coffee grounds to produce more pleasant coffee flavors.
Sorting
Sorting is a stage in the coffee-making approach that includes classifying coffee beans by size, thickness, or other characteristics.
Tamping
For appropriate extraction during brewing, the procedure of compressing coffee into a puck is tamed.
Coffee Slang
Coffeeholic
A term used to characterize a coffee drinker or addict.
Cup of Joe
A slang word refers to a coffee cup.
Java
A coffee-growing island in Indonesia. The term java has become synonymous with a cup of coffee.
Read more: Why is coffee called Java
Black Eye
A coffee drink including a cup of ordinary coffee and two espresso shots.
Quaker
Quaker is a word used to describe faulty ground coffee that does not roast correctly and stays pale throughout the roasting process.
Red Eye
A kind of coffee made with one shot of espresso and a cup of plain coffee.
Wet Process
Coffee beans harvested from the coffee fruit before the cherry has dried are referred to as the wet process.
Bean Juice
This coffee is created by combining ground coffee with water, which is known as bean juice.
Brain Juice
Caffeine’s mind-stimulating and mind-clearing impacts are called “brain juice.”
Cuppa
Cuppa is a contraction of the term “cup of.” It is presumably derived from the same word used to define a cup of tea.
Dirt
The word describes muddy coffee, has a heavy texture, and isn’t very flavorful.
Go Juice
The energizing effects of coffee are referred to as “Go Juice.”
High Octane
High Octane is a term for coffee that is really powerful or has a lot of caffeine.
Jitter Juice
Jitter Juice is a term used to describe the stimulating impacts, which can cause jitteriness when eaten in big amounts.
Leaded
Regular, caffeinated coffee is known as “leaded,” contrasted with “unleaded,” which means decaf.
Mud
Coffee with a thick mouthfeel or that hasn’t been filtered (Turkish one, for example).
Rocket Fuel
A really powerful cup of coffee.
Wakey Juice
Caffeine typically brings a sense of wakefulness, which is termed Wakey Juice.
Other Coffee Terms
Barista
In a coffee house or café, a barista prepares specialty coffees. Several baristas consider their job to be an art form.
Read more: How to become a barista
Caffe
The word “coffee” is in Italian.
Instant Coffee
Instant Coffee contains powdered brewed coffee bean grains that may be made into a nice mug of coffee in seconds by adding hot milk or water.
Conclusion
The coffee world can be overwhelming to enter, especially considering the vast amount of information and vocabulary that most coffee enthusiasts are familiar with and use regularly. When you add slang to the mix, you have a deluge of new words! So, what’s a coffee fan to do?
Hopefully, these common words for coffee lovers could help you get more acquainted with the vocabulary and feel more at ease discussing this delicious beverage. Coffee ought to be enjoyable, not perplexing!
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Almost 20 years already spent committed to coffee and more than 3 years of experience as a barista at Starbucks. Madelyn Doyle graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nutritional Science from the University of California and finished the Coffee Skills Program at the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA).