Coffee Taster's Glossary

Acidity: High acid (or acidy) coffees have a sharp, pleasing, piquante quality that points uptheir flavor and gives them snap, verve, liveliness in the cup. Acidity may be high,medium, light, low, or lacking altogether in coffees, in which case the coffee tastesflat and dull. Acidity is characteristic of high-grown coffees. See sour.

Aroma: Refers to the odor of the prepared coffee beverage. It may be lacking, faint,delicate, moderate, strong, or fragrant (also called aromatic), and distinctive as tocharacter.

Baked: A taste description given to under roasted coffee, or coffee roasted too slowly at toolow a temperature, so that the flavor is underdeveloped. See green.

Bitter: A harsh, unpleasant taste detected on the back of the tongue. Found inOver extracted brews as well as in over roasted coffees and those with various tastedefects.

Body: Is the tactile impression of weight and texture in the mouth. Coffees may be watery,thin, slight, light, medium, full, heavy, thick or even syrupy in body, as well asbuttery, oily, rich, smooth, chewy, etc., in texture. Easiest to detect in full-strengthcoffee.

Burnt: Is a bitter, burnt flavor characteristic of dark-roasted coffees.

Buttery: Denotes full flavor and rich

Cinnamon: Underlying spice accent sometimes detected in the aroma of fine coffee, a flavornuance. Not a common description. (This is also, a term describing a very light roast).

Clean: This term is opposite of dirty. This is characteristic of all fine coffees. Does not necessarily implyclarity of flavor impression (see natural coffee and wild). Associated with washedcoffees.

Cocoa: Characteristic sweetish smell of completely stale roasted coffee. See stale.

Dirty: An undesirable unclean small and taste, slight to pronounce. Dirty implies adefect, such as sourness, earthiness, or mustiness. See natural coffee and wild.

Earthy: A highly undesirable dirt odor and flavor taint picked up by coffee when dried onthe ground; also called groundy. See musty.

Flat: A dull lifeless quality due to lack of acidity.

Flavor: (a) The total impression of aroma, acidity, and body; if the impression is strong,fine, and pleasant, the coffee is described as flavory or flavorful or ranked on ascale from poor, fair, good, to fine-flavored.(b) Specific taste flavors may suggest, spices, chocolate, nuts, or something lesscomplimentary - straw, grass, earth, rubber etc.

Fresh: Opposite of stale. Applies to roasted coffees.

Fruity: A flavor taint said to come from overripe fruit pulp.

Grassy: A flavor taint from use of swamp water for washing, or from improper drying. Alsoused as synonym for green and past-croppish.

Green: (a) A flavor taint found in coffee harvested before fully ripe.(b) Characteristic taste of underroasted coffee; pasty.

Hard: Opposite of sweet or mild; harsh. Description of Brazils between soft and Rio-y.

Harsh: Crude raw taste; used to describe certain Brazils and robustas.

Hidy: Smell of hides or leather from improper storage.

Light: Used to qualify aroma, acidity, or body; a light coffee would be delicate in flavor.

Mellow: Full, well-balance, satisfying coffee; implies low or medium acidity. See winy.

Musty: A smell and taste taint caused by mildew; similar to earthy.

Natural coffee: Aroma and flavor characteristics of coffees processed by the dry method. They areoften blander than washed coffees and may lack clarity of flavor and pointedacidity; some may have intense complex flavors and full, thick body. See wild.

Neutra: lA characterless, flavorless coffee, inoffensive to insipid; without virtue (safe foreconomical blending) but without defect. A desirable character in robusta andotherwise undistinguished Brazils.

Nutty: (a) Said of coffees that lack coffee flavor; also peanutty.(b) A specific flavor nuance, suggesting almonds, and so on.

Past-croppish: Not to be confused with stale. Said of coffees that have deteriorated in the greenstate before roasting and thus taste as if from a past crop. See strawy and woody.

Rancid: Extremely sour and very unpleasant.

Rich: Indicates depth and complexity of flavor and full, buttery body; overused.

Rio-y: A harsh, heavy medicinal or iodine flavor typical of the poorest grades of Brazilsbut encountered in other coffees as well. Said to be caused by allowing berries todry on the tree.

Rubbery: Burnt-rubber odor characteristic of robusta.

Soft: Low-acid coffees are described as soft, mellow, sweet.

Sour: Not to be confused with acidity. A distinctly sour, rank, or rancid taste is a defect,often due to improper processing. See wild.

Spicy: Said of fine aroma or flavor suggestive of spices.

Stale: Roasted coffee that has faded in quality after excessive exposure to air. Aroma ofstale coffee changes from flat to rancid and finally to cocoalike; the flavor of stalecoffee changes from bitter to rancid and tastes cardboardy. Not to be confused withpast-croppish.

Strawy: Characteristic scent of past-croppish coffees; hay-like. See woody.

Strong: Term used to indicate intensity of either defects or virtues (as in "a strong, sourtaste" or "a strong, fine aroma"). A strong-flavored coffee is therefore notnecessarily a fine-flavored coffee.

Sweet: Said of a smooth, palatable coffee, free from taints or harshness. Also soft.

Thin: Said of coffees with watery body and lack of flavor; typical if low-grown coffee.

Wild: Coffees with extreme flavor characteristics, or odd racy, tangy nuances in aromaand taste. Usually applied to natural coffees. These characteristics may beintriguing or undesirable. See dirty.

Winy: Sometimes used to indicate thick body and mellow quality, but also used to denote asappy, vinous acidity. Characteristic of certain fine coffees.

Woody: A flavor taint caused by overlengthy storage in warm wood sheds; alsocharacteristic scent and taste of old, past-croppish coffees.Source: