Coffee Glossary: A Glossary Of The Different Coffee Types

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An iodine aroma or flavor caused by a bacteria that attacks the coffee. It used to be prevalent in coffees from Brazil, hence the descriptor.

ROASTING & ROASTS:

The application of heat applied to green coffee beans for the purpose of developing certain flavor characteristics: the darker the roast, the heavier the flavor. In order, the degree of roasts recognized by the National Coffee Association, are:

• Light Roasts: Light City, Half City, Cinnamon, New England
  Light brown in color, these varieties have not been roasted long enough for the oils to break through to the surface
• Medium Roasts: City, American, Breakfast
  Medium brown in color and stronger flavor than Light Roasts, these beans also have a non-oily surface. This is the roast preferred in the United States.
• Medium/Dark Roast: Full City
  Darker in color than medium roasts and richer in flavor, these beans have some oil on the surface and create a brew with a slight, bittersweet aftertaste.
• Dark Roasts: High, Continental, New Orleans, European, Espresso,
  Viennese, Italian, French
  These slightly-dark to charred-black beans have a shiny, oily surface and create coffee—the darker the roast, the oilier the bean (long roasting brings the internal oils to the surface). They produce coffee with a pronounced bitterness, but the darker the roast, the less acidity it has.

ROASTY:
A bittersweet smoky flavor emitted by a dark roast.
 

RUBBERY:
The aroma and flavor of hot rubber tires or rubber bands, a characteristic of bad robusta coffee.
 

SHADE-GROWN COFFEE:
Coffee grown under shady tree canopies, in the rainforest. Coffee has traditionally been grown this way. More recently, large producers have been eliminating rainforest trees, growing coffee under the full sun. Shade-grown coffee implies organic or other ecologically-sensitive growing conditions.

SMOOTH:
Coffee that is low in acidity with smooth edges and a pleasant mouthfeel.

SOFT:
Low-acid, mild-flavored coffee.

SOFT BEAN:
Beans grown at relatively low altitudes mature more quickly and produce a lighter, more porous, less dense bean.
 

SPICY:
An aromatic and taste perception reminiscent of either wood-spice (cinnamon) or wood-seed (clove). Aged coffees are often spicy.

STALE:
Coffee that is flat with a cardboard taste due to being exposed to oxygen for too long. See Flat.

STRAW:
A negative quality, generally before the coffee turns woody. See also past crop and woody.

STEWED:
The flavor of reheated coffee.

STRENGTH:
The ratio of ground coffee to water.

SUPREMO:
The highest grade of coffee. The second best grade is Extra.

SWEET:
A coffee which is smooth and tasty and free from harshness.

SYRUPY:
A thick-bodied coffee with a substantial aftertaste.

TANGY:
Lingering acidity.

THIN:
No acidity, a lifeless flavor due to underbrewing.

TONE :
The appearance or color of coffee.

VARIETAL:
A single or straight coffee from one region or country of origin.
 

A roast slightly darker than an American Roast. Some of the chestnut-colored beans have oil on the surface, some are dry. The sugar in the beans are caramelized, and the flavor is balanced in terms of acidity, aroma, body and varietal flavor characteristics.
 

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