coffee glossary

Since all of this is just meant to basically function as a collection of my personal notes on coffee pods, I thought I should do a little research. I am, after all, on a journey, and admittedly know quite little about coffee!

Here's a glossary of terms I found on Roasty Coffee that I hope comes in handy...

• Acrid – A harsh, sour taste often described as tart or sharp.
• Ashy – A type of coffee aroma usually found in dark roast coffee. This aroma gives off a fragrance that is reminiscent of the smell of an ashtray or fireplace.
• Baggy – Refers to coffee that has been stored too long or light roasted coffees with qualities that remind the taster of mildew.
• Baked – Coffee that is flat, dull and very boring.
• Bitter – A harsh, sour and even unpleasant taste that is noticed mostly in the back of the tongue.
• Bouquet – The aroma of coffee that has been freshly ground.
• Bready – Coffee with a grain-like aroma that reminds one of bread. Usually found in sour tasting coffee or coffee beans that have not been sufficiently roasted.
• Bright – Refers to pleasant tasting coffee with a tangy flavor.
• Briny – A slightly salty taste in coffee that is caused by reheating or by coffee that has been left on a burner for too long.
• Caramelly – A flavor or aroma that resembles candy or syrup such as sugars that have been caramelized.
• Carbony – A flavor or aroma that has the characteristics of burnt food or wood. These flavors usually accompany darker roasted coffees.
• Chicory – An herb used to flavor coffee or even as a coffee substitute.
• Chocolatey – A flavor or aroma that resembles chocolate.
• Citrusy – A flavor or aroma of citrus fruit. This can often be found in coffee as coffee beans come from the cherries of coffee.
• Earthy – An aroma of fresh earth or wet soil. Can be considered both good or bad but sometimes refers to the presence of different types of mold.
• Ferment – A sour or oniony taste from coffee that has been allowed to sit and ferment for longer than is necessary.
• Floral – An aroma of fresh flowers that can often be found in coffees with a fruity or herbal flavor or aroma.
• Fruity – An aroma and taste that resembles different types of fruits.
• Grassy – An aroma that reminds one of mown grass that is usually associated with beans that have been under roasted or damaged by water.
• Herbal – Refers to an aroma of freshly mown grass and herbs and is found in coffee that has not been fully dried when it is processed.
• Hidey – Refers to an aroma or taste that resembles leather. Often found in some east African coffees.
• Malty – An aroma of malt or grain similar to the aromas of freshly baked bread.
• Mellow – A balanced and mild coffee that doesn’t have any strong tastes or aromas.
• Nutty – An aroma resembling fresh nuts. This term is only used when recalling fresh nuts and not bitter or spoiled nuts.
• Oniony – A flavor that reminds one of onions. It is often found when stagnate water is used for processing using the wet method.
• Papery – A taste that results from storing coffee in paper bags or prepared using a low quality filter paper.
• Quakery – A flavor that reminds one of peanuts resulting from using unripe coffee beans.
• Rubbery – An aroma or characteristic found in fresh Robustas that refers to the taste and smell of hot tires or rubber bands.
• Scorched – Coffee that has been roasted until it receives burn marks due to roasting too hot or poor tumbling during the process.
• Sour – A biting and unpleasant flavor found in coffee.
• Spicy – A taste or aroma that resembles cloves, cinnamon or other spices.
• Tobacco – The aroma and flavor of fresh tobacco. Not always negative and can be found in many coffees around the world.
• Winey – A combination of taste, smell and feel in the mouth of coffee that resembles that of wine.
• Woody – A taste and smell of old coffee.

Some of these are wild. Like oniony? And bready? Interesting?

Source: roastycoffee.com

Jess x