It’s coffee…what else is there to know?

I wanted to put together a list of terms and explanations for the new coffee enthusiast. These are terms that I think matter, or that I’ve heard others show some confusion about. As a teacher, there are no stupid questions, just opportunities to learn. If you don’t belong on this page, feel free to move on through. For those of you wanting to know more, keep reading.

AMERICANO
This is a shot of espresso that has been diluted with hot water. It generally tastes a bit different than drip coffee, but it tastes similar depending on how much hot water is added

BLOOMING
Coffee beans go through a process called” degassing” where they let off CO2, and after they are roasted, and even more after they are ground, the degassing continues to happen.  When hot water and ground coffee mix, the degassing process speeds up and that is why if you use a method like pour over, the grounds puff up and form small bubbles. It’s a beautiful thing and that’s what makes coffee smell so good!

CAPPUCCINO
Cappuccino is a blend of 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk, and 1/3 milk foam. Many people get these flavored and they are very popular. These are often confused with lattes. 

COLD BREW
I get frustrated with this one, because many coffee shops use “cold brew” interchangeably with “iced coffee”. They are NOT the same. Cold brew is made by pouring cold or room temperature water over coffee grounds and extracted on the counter or in the fridge for hours or even days. More on iced coffee in a minute…

CHAFF

During the roasting process, green coffee beans will shed a thin skin that is on the outside of the bean, called chaff. Most chaff comes off during the roasting or bean cooling process. However, occasionally you will see small specks of a thin, papery material that is light brown in color sticking to or mixed in with your beans–that’s chaff!

ESPRESSO
Espresso isn’t a type of roast or just a part of a blended coffee drink. Espresso is a type of prepared coffee drink. It is prepared by using finely ground beans that have high-pressure water forced through in an espresso machine. It is then referred to as a “shot”, made in 1 oz liquid portions. As a stand alone drink it is served in small demitasse cups (served with cream and sugar as the consumer prefers.) When not a stand alone drink, it is added to blended drinks like cappuccinos or lattes.

FIRST CRACK
First crack, which can be described as sounding like popcorn popping, is the stage of the roasting process when coffee is most commonly drinkable. When roasted, the coffee bean heats internally and when the moisture escapes the bean, it makes an audible sound. Coffee goes through two “cracks” when roasting, and light to medium roasts stop at or around first crack.

ICED COFFEE
Back to iced coffee. Iced coffee is usually made with espresso, sometimes blended with flavored syrups, and then finished with water or milk, and ice. Unfortunately, I have had it prepared as hot coffee that has ice dumped into it–a big no no for a great iced coffee experience.

LATTE
The latte is a blended drink containing a shot of espresso blended with steamed milk and then topped with milk foam. Many latte drinkers request more than one shot of espresso based on their personal preference. The difference between the latte and the cappuccino is in the ratio of ingredients (see cappuccino above). They both use espresso, steamed milk, and milk foam, but the latte is heavier on the steamed milk.

MACCHIATO
I hate to make this sound simpler than it seems, but the macchiato is simply an espresso with a layer of foamed milk on top, making a max 2-3 oz drink. However, major coffee houses like to mix this with copious amounts of caramel or chocolate and then top it with whipped cream. That’s super delicious too, but far more complicated than the pure form macchiato.

MOCHA
My husband’s personal favorite, this is similar to a latte, with the biggest difference being that mocha has added chocolate (usually a syrup or powder). A mocha is an espresso with milk foam on top, to which chocolate is added. I’ve also seen coffee shops use straight chocolate milk for iced mochas, which always weirds me out.

RED EYE
I hate admitting this, but these are secretly my favorite coffee drinks. This is the caffeine lovers dream come true. The red eye is a cup of regular coffee to which espresso is added. The real rebel goes for two, even three, shots!

ROAST

Roasting is the process that turns green coffee beans into beautiful, aromatic brown beans. There are an array of roast levels including light, medium, dark, French, and Italian. Most everyone has a preference, whether they know it or not. I get even more in depth here.

SECOND CRACK

When roasting, after first crack, the coffee bean continues to heat internally and oils begin to rise the surface to be released from the bean. This is called second crack, and it sounds similar to rice krispies popping.  At this stage when the oils come to the surface, the beans take on an oily sheen. Often times, whole beans leave an oily residue in the bag or container they are stored in. This is normal, but for me signals that these beans should be consumed within the next 2-3 weeks to avoid becoming rancid.

SINGLE ORIGIN

Probably the most important term on this page is single origin. Single origin coffee means that the beans come from a single producer, crop, or area/region in one country.  Because single-origin coffees are from a specific area, they generally have a specific, distinct flavor that is unique to that region. The flavor is influenced by growing and processing conditions, as well as coffee species type, soil type, weather patterns, and even growing altitude.  I prefer to roast single origin beans no more than a medium roast in order to experience these specific flavors instead of the flavor influence that comes with darker roasting.