Here’s the perfect guide to coffee and coffee-related terms for any current or aspiring coffee connoisseurs. What coffee drinks consist of, the words to describe taste and aroma in correct coffee terminology, and facts about growing and roasting coffee consists of are all written here in an easy guide.

Acidity: particular to many Arabica coffees, refers to fruity, tangy or wine-like flavors. The darker the coffee, the less acidity it has.

Aged coffee: usually coffee that has been stored for several years, either purposely or unknowingly. Aged coffee is older than old crop coffee.
Alajuela: a popular coffee brand name from Costa Rica

Alkaline: a taste perception felt mainly at the back of the tongue, dry, slightly bitter though not abrasive. Common in many dark roasts.

Altura: means “heights” in Spanish and is often used to describe coffee means that are grown in the mountains

American Roast: coffee roasted to the typical tastes of Americans which is medium brown

Aroma: the smell manufactured by freshly made coffee. One of four categories in sensory evaluation of a coffee, along with body, acidity and flavor

Bag: the burlap sack that stores and transports coffee.

Baked: a flavor and smell that makes the coffee taste flat and is a result of roasting that had too little heat and for too long a time.

Baggy: May be used to identify mildewy taste of light roasts. Also a taste common to coffee that has been kept too long in its burlap sack, inducing a straw type flavor.

Balance: coffee that has tastes that present equally across the tongue. Not inevitably a positive characteristic for those who like powerful taste qualities.

Barista: a person who specialized in making coffee drinks as work.

Bitter: rough, acrid flavor felt mainly on the back of the tongue. Particular to coffees which are defective, overly processed or sometimes very dark roasts.

Bland: a pale taste that is common to robust, low grown coffees. The taste can also be produced by under extracting the coffee.