Don't think we don't notice your faces when we talk about coffee. We know there are many technical terms that can confuse you, so we've put together this list of the most common ones you might hear out there.
Sorry in advance for not putting them in alphabetical order:
Methods: We refer to the instruments, machines or devices that we use to extract coffee.
Organoleptic Property: These are all the physical characteristics that matter has in general, as perceived by the senses, such as its flavor, texture, smell, color or temperature.
Percolation: The flow of water or another liquid through the pores of a permeable layer. Methods such as V60 and home coffee makers use filters to percolate the coffee.
Body: Simple, how heavy the coffee feels in your mouth, how “watery” or not “watery” it is.
Ratio: Coffee/water ratio. This is the recipe that tells you how much coffee you'll use based on how much water. For filtering, the common ratio is 1:15, meaning for every gram of coffee you'll use 15 grams or ml of water.
Varieties or Varietals: Not to be confused with species, there are two main ones: Arabica and Robusta. Redundancy aside, coffee varieties refer to the variety of plant to which the bean belongs. There are many varieties of Arabica and many of Robusta.
Tasting notes: Flavors that the acidity of our coffee reminds us of. They can be floral, fruity, sweet, chocolatey, among others.
Acidity: This is the level and type of fruity sensation your coffee has.
Fragrance: Smell of freshly ground dry coffee.
Aroma: Smell of coffee in contact with hot water.
Bitterness: Relate it to the aftertaste that comes from eating burnt toast.
Aftertaste: The sensation of the flavor, acidity, and texture left in the mouth by coffee after drinking it. It can last for seconds or even hours.
SCA: Specialty Coffee Association. Organization that researches and regulates the world of specialty coffee.
Ristretto: This is a “short espresso.” It is made with the same amount of coffee but is extracted in less time (15 to 20 seconds) and results in a drink with higher acidity.
Lungo: This is a “long espresso.” It's made with the same amount of coffee, but it takes longer to extract coffee than usual, resulting in a more bitter beverage.
Cup of Excellence: A competition in which the top 20 micro-lots of coffee produced each year are ranked and then auctioned off. It takes place in most coffee-producing countries around the world.
What's the score in coffee? What's 80 points? 85 points? 90+ points?It's the score given to coffee by professional coffee tasters. It requires a lot of practice, calibration, and training. A long and detailed protocol is followed to objectively grade coffee. 80+ is considered specialty. For reference: Ecuador's top 10 Cup of Excellence coffees usually score between 89 and 91 points. No coffee has yet scored 100 points. The record for this score is held by a Panamanian coffee with 97 points that sold for over $1,000 per pound.
