The coffeecoffee dictionary.

Tetsu Kasuya's competition-winning V60 recipe.

5-pour V60 at 1:15 ratio. First two pours (40% of water) control acidity — smaller pours = sweeter, bigger = brighter. Last three pours (60%) control strength — fewer pours = stronger, more pours = lighter body. Won the 2016 World Brewers Cup.

See also: pulse pour, ratio

Any stirring, swirling, or turbulence during brewing.

Speeds up extraction by exposing more bean surface to water. Tools include the Rao Spin (aggressive bloom swirl), pulse pouring, and post-bloom stirs. More agitation = higher extraction yield at the same grind.

See also: extraction yield, rao spin

The first pour that lets CO₂ escape before main extraction.

Fresh coffee traps CO₂ from roasting. The first 30–60 seconds of brewing, with 2–3× the coffee's weight in water, lets that gas vent so subsequent water can actually extract evenly. Old beans don't bloom much — it's a freshness signal.

See also: degassing, freshness window

Two-axis map of strength × extraction.

Originally drawn by Earl Lockhart (MIT, 1957). X-axis is extraction yield, Y-axis is TDS. The Golden Cup box sits in the middle. Outer quadrants tell you what your cup tastes like and which lever to adjust — sour/weak goes northwest, bitter/strong goes southeast.

See also: golden cup, extraction yield

Diluting a concentrated brew with water after.

Brew strong, then add hot water at the end to hit your target strength. Lets you fully extract a small dose without over-strong beverage. Used in competition pour-overs and cold-brew dilution (1:1 with water or milk).

Water finding shortcuts through the coffee bed.

Happens when grounds aren't evenly distributed. Some particles get over-extracted, others barely touched. Results in a cup that's simultaneously bitter and sour. Fix with better distribution: swirl on bloom, stir after each pour, use a flat-bottom brewer.

See also: rao spin, agitation

CO₂ outgassing from roasted beans over time.

Roasting traps CO₂ in the bean's cell structure. It vents over the next 2–4 weeks. Fresh coffee blooms vigorously because of this gas; old coffee barely blooms. One-way valve bags let CO₂ escape without letting oxygen in.

See also: bloom, freshness window

Beverage out ÷ dose in.

1:1.5 (ristretto) — short, sweet, intense. 1:2 (normale) — modern baseline, 18g in to 36g out. 1:3 (lungo) — longer, often used to dilute or pull more sugars. Standard shot timing 25–32 seconds at 9 bar, ~93°C water.

See also: ratio

The % of bean mass that ended up in the cup.

Calculated as (TDS × beverage weight) ÷ coffee dose. SCA target for filter is 18–22%. Below 18% = under-extracted (sour, salty). Above 22% = over-extracted (bitter, dry). Controlled mostly by grind, temperature, time, and agitation.

See also: tds, golden cup, brewing control chart

Days post-roast when the coffee tastes how the roaster intended.

Our take: well-stored bags hold the peak window through about 4 weeks post-roast. Day 0–4: too gassy, bloom blows out. Day 5–28: peak aromatics. Day 29+: aromatics fade, body and chocolate hold up longer. Past 6 weeks: switch to cold brew or milk drinks where flatness hides.

See also: bloom, degassing

SCA's reference target for filter coffee.

Extraction yield 18–22% × TDS 1.15–1.35% × ratio around 55 g/L (≈ 1:18). Derived from Lockhart's 1957 brewing studies at MIT and still the industry baseline. The 'box' on the Brewing Control Chart corresponds to this target.

See also: tds, extraction yield, brewing control chart

Pouring in distinct, separated stages instead of continuously.

Used in V60 / Kalita / Origami brewing. Each pulse fully drains before the next pour starts. Lets you control extraction across the brew, especially in Tetsu Kasuya's 4:6 method where the first 40% controls acidity and the remaining 60% controls strength.

See also: kasuya 46

Aggressive swirl during the bloom to prevent channeling.

Named after Scott Rao. Swirl the dripper or kettle once water hits the grounds so every particle is wet and the bed lies flat. Reduces channeling, raises extraction yield by 0.5–1%, and works on V60, Origami, Kalita.

See also: channeling, agitation

Coffee dose to water weight, e.g. 1:16.

Controls strength, not extraction. 1:15 is on the strong end for filter; 1:17 is on the weaker, lighter-bodied end. Hoffmann's V60 reference is 1:16.67. Espresso ratios are tighter — 1:1.5 (ristretto) to 1:3 (lungo).

See also: tds, espresso ratio

Total Dissolved Solids — the strength of your brew.

The percentage of soluble coffee mass dissolved in the brewed liquid. Measured with a refractometer. SCA Golden Cup target for filter is 1.15–1.35%; espresso runs 8–12%. Strength feels like density on the tongue — it's not the same as extraction.

See also: extraction yield, golden cup, refractometer

Numerical measurement of roast color.

Lower number = darker roast. SCA reference: 95 = very light, 75 = medium, 55 = medium-dark, 35 = dark. Published by precision roasters (Onyx, Square Mile) to communicate roast development objectively.

Minutes between first crack and bean drop.

Usually 1.5–3 minutes for light-medium roasts. Longer development = more body, more chocolate, less acidity. Shorter = more brightness, more nuance, more risk of under-development (grassy, baked).

The audible crack at ~196°C — beans start expanding.

Like popcorn. Marks the transition from drying to actual roasting. City roast is just past first crack; City+ is a bit further; Full City brings you near second crack. Light roasts are dropped before any darker development.

How fast bean temperature is climbing per minute.

Tracked on a roast curve. Should decline steadily through the roast — a flat or rising RoR after first crack indicates baking, which produces dull cups. The roaster's job is to control RoR via airflow and heat.

Bean cell structure breaks at ~225°C.

Oils start surfacing. Full City+, Vienna, and French roasts cross this threshold. Past second crack, origin character disappears and roast flavor dominates — common in cafe espresso blends, less common in single-origin specialty.

The 'good' coffee species — most of specialty.

Coffea arabica. Grown at altitude, slower to mature, more nuanced flavor, lower caffeine. ~60% of world production. Most varieties (Typica, Bourbon, SL28, Gesha) descend from this species.

See also: robusta

Coffee-growing region in the Eastern Ghats of India.

Misty highlands in Andhra Pradesh, India. Smallholder families grow shade-grown coffee under native forest canopy. GI-tagged origin. Cup is typically chocolate-jaggery-citrus. Chemical-free by tradition.

See also: garden style

Altitude where the coffee is grown — usually correlated with cup quality.

Measured in meters above sea level (masl). Higher elevation = slower cherry maturation = denser beans = more nuanced sugars. Specialty filter typically grown 1,500–2,200 masl. Below 1,000m yields more commodity-grade beans.

Catch-all for the thousands of wild and landrace varieties of Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is the birthplace of arabica. Many growing regions still use mixed plots of indigenous varieties whose individual genetics aren't tracked. The cup quality is regional rather than varietal — Yirgacheffe, Guji, Sidama, Limu each have characteristic profiles.

See also: sidama zone

'Free On Board' — the green coffee price at port of export.

What the farmer/cooperative gets paid before freight, import, customs, roasting, or retail markup. Specialty FOB prices typically run 2–5× the commodity C-market price. Sey and Onyx publish FOB on each lot as a transparency signal.

See also: farm gate

Smallholder coffee planted around the home, interspersed with food crops.

Traditional Ethiopian and Indian smallholder pattern. Coffee trees grow under native shade canopy alongside subsistence crops. Low density, low intervention, organic by tradition rather than certification. Distinct from plantation farming.

See also: sidama zone

The hardier, higher-caffeine species.

Coffea canephora. Grows at lower altitudes, more disease-resistant, higher caffeine (~2× arabica), heavier body, more bitter. ~40% of world production. Specialty robusta exists (washed AA from Tamil Nadu / Vietnam) but most goes into commodity espresso blends and instant.

See also: arabica

Southern Ethiopian growing region — natural-process berry bombs.

One of the original cradles of coffee. Garden-style growing on smallholder plots. The Sidama Coffee Farmers' Cooperative Union (SCFCU) represents ~86,000 families. Natural-process Sidama is the classic blueberry-cocoa flavor profile.

See also: ethiopian heirloom, natural process, garden style

The specific cultivar of the coffee plant.

Like grape varieties for wine. Bourbon and Typica are old-world classics. SL28 is the Kenyan benchmark. Gesha (or Geisha) is the floral darling. Caturra, Catuai, Pacas, Mundo Novo are common Latin American varieties. Heirloom is a catch-all for thousands of mixed Ethiopian cultivars.

Cherries sealed in a no-oxygen environment before processing.

Experimental processing technique. Closed tanks without air promote different microbial activity than open-air fermentation, producing more unusual flavor notes — tropical fruit, wine, fermented sweetness. Common in award-winning Colombian lots.

Direct purchase from the farm or washing station — bypasses middlemen.

Coffee sourced at the farm gate is bought directly from the producer at a transparent price. Cuts out commodity-market middlemen. Often used in marketing to signal trade transparency and price-above-commodity for the farmer.

Cherry pulp removed but mucilage left on during drying.

A middle path between washed and natural. The sticky mucilage stays on the bean during drying, partially imparting fruit character. Subtypes (white, yellow, red, black honey) describe how much mucilage was left and how long it took to dry. Common in Costa Rica.

See also: washed process, natural process

Whole cherry dried before the bean is extracted. Fruit-forward.

Also called dry process. Cherries spread on raised beds and sun-dried for 2–3 weeks, then hulled to remove the dried fruit. Sugars and berry character concentrate INTO the bean. Tastes jammy, fermented, intense — the blueberry-cocoa profile of Sidama / Guji naturals.

See also: washed process, honey process

Fruit removed before drying. Clean, structured, origin-forward.

Cherry is depulped, then fermented in water tanks to break down the mucilage, then washed off, then dried. The bean dries without the fruit's sugars seeping in. Tastes clean and lets the bean's intrinsic character lead — common for Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, Colombian, washed Kenyan.

See also: natural process, honey process

The bright, sparkling sensation — not sourness.

In good coffee: lively, juicy, citric or malic. In bad coffee: sharp, sour, biting. High-altitude washed coffees (Kenya, Ethiopia) typically have the highest acidity. Lower-acid coffees come from lower elevations or longer roasts.

How the coffee feels in your mouth — weight, texture, viscosity.

Distinct from flavor. Light body = tea-like, watery. Heavy body = syrupy, oily, full. Espresso has the heaviest body of any brew. Natural-process coffees usually have more body than washed. French press feels heavier than V60 because of suspended fines and oils.

Standardized way to taste and score coffee.

Industry method. Coarse-grind, hot water, 4-min steep, break the crust with a spoon, smell, then slurp. Scored on aroma, flavor, aftertaste, acidity, body, balance, sweetness, uniformity, cleanness, overall. Total possible = 100; specialty = 80+.

See also: sca cupping form

What you taste after swallowing.

Also called aftertaste. Lingering sweetness is good; bitterness, dryness, or papery flavors are bad. Long, sweet, evolving finish = high-quality cup. Short, abrupt, or astringent finish = something's off (often over-extraction or stale beans).

SCA's reference chart of coffee flavor descriptors.

Revised in 2016 with World Coffee Research. 9 broad categories (Floral, Fruity, Sour/Fermented, Green/Vegetative, Other, Roasted, Spices, Nutty/Cocoa, Sweet) that drill into ~85 specific notes. The standard vocabulary for describing cup flavor.

The tactile sensation of the coffee on your tongue.

Encompasses body, smoothness, astringency, oiliness. Silky, creamy, syrupy, juicy, gritty, astringent are all mouthfeel descriptors. Filter paper traps oils so paper-filtered coffee has less mouthfeel weight than French press or espresso.

The 10-attribute scoring sheet used to grade specialty coffee.

Each attribute scored 6.00–10.00 in 0.25 increments. Total 80+ = specialty. 85+ = high specialty. 90+ = exceptional. Cup of Excellence finalists routinely score 88–94. Used by green buyers, roasters, and Q Graders.

See also: cupping

The savory, brothy fifth taste — rare in coffee, prized when present.

Glutamate-driven. Shows up in some Indonesian (Sumatra Mandheling) and Sidama natural coffees as a brothy, almost soy-like depth. When balanced, it adds richness; when dominant, it can taste fermented or off.

Plastic press-brewer invented by the Aerobie frisbee guys.

Half immersion, half pressure. Steeps for ~1 minute then you press through a paper filter. Extremely forgiving — wider temperature window, less affected by grind variance. The World AeroPress Championship has been running since 2008.

Precision scale with built-in timer.

0.1g resolution, water-resistant, with a timer. Acaia Pearl ($165) is the specialty standard. Cheap kitchen scales (1g resolution) work for ratios but lose the timing integration that's essential for percolation brewing.

The single biggest upgrade to home coffee.

Two burrs (conical or flat) grind beans uniformly. Blade grinders chop unevenly and ruin extraction. Quality grinder = tight particle distribution = predictable cup. Comandante C40 ($270) is the gold-standard hand grinder; Niche Zero ($700) and Fellow Ode Gen 2 ($345) are the popular electric upgrades.

See also: fines

Pressurized brewer that forces hot water through fine grounds.

9 bar pressure at ~93°C, 25–32 second shot. Home machines range $100 (Bambino Plus) to $30,000 (La Marzocco Linea Mini). The water pressure is what produces crema (the foam layer) and extracts the higher-molecular-weight compounds you can't get in filter.

Particles too small to extract evenly — they over-extract.

Even the best grinder produces a distribution of particle sizes. The smallest particles ('fines') extract much faster than the bulk grind, dragging bitterness into the cup. Cheap grinders produce more fines. The Ode Gen 2 + SSP burrs are popular specifically because they minimize fines.

Full immersion with a metal mesh filter.

Most retro-grandfather brewer. Steep coarse grounds 4 minutes, plunge. Heavy body, lots of suspended fines and oils. Hoffmann's technique (steep, scoop crust off, wait 5 more min, decant without plunging) gives the cleanest cup possible from this brewer.

Pouring kettle with a long, narrow spout.

Precise stream control for pour-over. Variable-temperature versions (Fellow Stagg EKG, Brewista Artisan) let you dial the water temp exactly — critical for matching recipe specs. ~$100–200 range.

Optical device that measures TDS in a drop of brewed coffee.

Pass light through the sample, measure how it refracts, read TDS%. VST LAB Coffee III ($500) and Atago PAL-COFFEE ($350) are the specialty standards. Pair with a scale and you can calculate extraction yield exactly.

See also: tds, extraction yield

Hario's iconic conical pour-over brewer.

60° cone with spiral ribs and a single large hole. Lets you control extraction by varying pour speed and grind. Forgiving, versatile, ubiquitous in specialty coffee shops. Hoffmann's reference recipe (30g/500g, ~3:30 total) is the modern V60 standard.

See also: kasuya 46