In the coffee world, terms are often used that the average person might not understand. Below is an overview of frequently used words or terms. A coffee dictionary!

 

A         Boiling: A practice of our ancestors that involved boiling coffee in water. Still used for preparing Turkish coffee.

           Aroma: There are many coffee aromas, and they are often complex. They are only released by heat. They are very volatile and sensitive to air and light.

 

B         Parchment: A fine yellow membrane surrounding the coffee beans; it is also called 'endocarp'.

 

C         Complete: A coffee that is simultaneously aromatic, strong, and smooth.

 

D         Dry method: After stripping, the berries are tossed up with a type of sieve, and the wind blows away twigs, leaves, and dirt. Then, a selection in water takes place, and finally, they are dried in the sun or in a drying machine. The other method is the dry method.

 

E         Balanced: Said of a coffee that possesses essential taste qualities without any one dominating.

 

G         Washed: Said of a coffee that has undergone processing according to the wet method to loosen the coffee beans from their second shell and remove the pulp.

           Grassy: Said of a coffee when the green beans, due to too rapid processing, impart a grassy taste to the coffee.

           Green coffee: All unprocessed coffee beans that have been removed from the fruit of the coffee plant after harvesting. This coffee is so named because of its green, golden sheen.

 

K         Kaldi: Is an ancient legend about a goat herder from Ethiopia, and Kaldi is therefore not just coffee, but a coffee with a story.

           Coffee bean: Name given to the bean of the coffee plant.

           Coffeeology: Everything related to coffee in terms of aromas and flavours.

 

M        Grounds: Ground coffee; the fineness of the grind will determine the final result of the drink.

           Maillard: During coffee roasting, a chemical reaction occurs, causing the coffee beans to caramelize and release their aromas.

           Monsoon coffee: This is the name given to coffee from India, which is deliberately left outdoors during the monsoon so that the coffee can absorb its scent and humidity.

            Mocha: Formerly Mokka, the historic port city of Yemen that supplied Europe with coffee in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is also the name given to the coffee variety originating from Ethiopia.

 

N         Natural: Opposite of 'washed' coffee. It is said of beans treated according to the dry method: the pulp dries naturally in the sun.

           Wet method: In channels with flowing water, the unripe berries float to the surface and are thus removed. In a machine with a rotating cylinder or disk, they are pulped. The pulp is removed to allow faster drying. The other method is the dry method.

 

O         Hulling: In the wet method, it is the last step in which the beans are separated from the parchment in which they are enclosed.

           Pulping: The most important step that separates the skin of the coffee fruit from the coffee beans.

 

P         Mucilage: Essential substance composed of pectin, located in the core of the coffee fruit.

           Pulp: Fruit flesh containing mucilage, consisting of 70% water and 30% pectin. Also called 'mesocarp'.

 

S          Astringent: Said when you experience an acidic taste in the pharynx, which is characteristic of quality coffee.

           Smit & Dorlas: For over 190 years, Smit & Dorlas has artisanally roasted the best blends in-house. Roasts coffee for Kaldi.

 

T         Steeping: Consists of pouring hot water over coffee grounds that have been placed in a filter beforehand.

 

V         Blend: A mixture by coffee roasters of various coffee types from different origins to meet the diverse wishes of the consumer.