A degree of dark roast that has the sugars present in coffee heavily carmelized (read: burned) and the wood structure of the bean is carbonized and ashy.

In some coffee taster’s lexicon, “fruity” means the coffee is tainted with fruit, and “fruited” means a coffee is graced by positive fruit notes. We don’t exactly see the difference in terms of these two words, but the question of fruit flavors emerging in a coffee context is critical.

FTO is shorthand for a coffee that is certified as both Fair Trade and Organic.

A roast slightly darker than Full City. At Full City+, the roast is terminated after the first few snaps of second crack.

In Sumatra, the term in Bahasa Indonesian for coffee that is barely dried after pulping and fermenting (or not), and ready to sell to a collector.

A home drum roaster with an 8oz capacity and adjustable temperature.

The Gerstel-Twister allows analysis of organic compounds from aqueous matrices by Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE)

Golden beans are found in Yemen and Ethiopia dry-process coffees, and sometimes in other origins. They are pale yellow and slightly translucent

A multi-layer plastic bag with a gas barrier. The bags have been shown to extend the flavor life of the coffee significantly over storage in jute or burlap bags.

Greenish flavor in the cup, usually indicating early crop, unrested coffee.

Green coffee generally remains unchanged in flavor for about a year after processing. Unroasted coffee is best stored in a cool dry place in a breathable container (i.e. burlap, cotton, paper).

A tropical fruit with distinct sweet flavor of strawberry-pineapple as well as a tart citrus accent, found in some coffees

Guatemalan coffee is revered as one of the most flavorful and nuanced cups in the world. Due to our proximity to Guatemala, some of the finest coffees from this origin come to the United States.

The Spanish term for Guava, a tropical fruit flavor found in some coffees, fruited Colombia types for example.

A grade of coffee commonly used in Brazil. Denotes an atringent mouth feel.

A company that makes several of the home air roasters we have stocked: : the Precision (now discontinued), the iRoast (no longer in stock), and the iRoast2 (our current model).

An aroma or flavor descriptor in coffee reminicent of herbs, usually meaning aromatic, savory, leafy dried herbs.

Hibrido de Timor is a cross between Robusta and Timor Arabica

High Grown, or HG, is a coffee designation that can mean different things in different countries.

In coffee, honey-like sweetness is often found ... but there are many forms of honey flavor...

Hulling is the step at the dry mill where the green coffee bean is removed from the parchment shell.

Icatu is a cultivar developed in Brazil, has high production and good disease resistance. It has robusta inputs though.

Indian coffees are under-represented in the coffee market: they are good balanced, mild coffees. You will find the pronounced body, low acidity and subtle spicy notes pleasing, and the Mysore coffees work well under a wide range of roasts.

We have a simple scale to rate intensity in our coffee reviews, from Mild to Bold. Low intensity does not mean low quality!

A Bourbon cultivar variant from Rwanda and Burundi.

Jamaica coffee can be excellent mild, lush coffee... sometimes. Like Kona and Puerto Rican coffee, it is soft, mild, clean and well balanced when it is good.

Java is a clean cup for an Indonesian, a fully wet-processed coffee that has the Indonesian body and thickness in the cup without earthy or dirty flavors.

JBM is short for Jamaica Blue Mountain, which is both a trade name for certain Jamaica coffee, and a Typica cultivar

A coffee writer and taster, he wrote the book on Home Coffee Roasting, literally, as well as other coffee subjects.

Kenya is the East African powerhouse of the coffee world. Both in the cup, and the way they run their trade, everything is topnotch.

Kona coffee comes from farms along the Kona Coast on the Big Island of Hawaii

Pumpkin coffee. The term for the soft swollen coffee bean after it is wet-hulled out of parchment in Sumatra.

Lasuna is a coffee variety I have encountered in Sumatra

Laurina or Bourbon Pointu is a cultivar with low caffeine content

A euphemistic term we use often to describe acidity in coffee. A lively coffee has more high, acidic notes.

A simple espresso drink: a shot of espresso with a small dollop of foamed milk on top.

An acid that adds to favorable perceptions of cup quality; malic acid often adds apple-like flavors

A burr grinder powered by hand-turning a crank.

As the name indicates cross between large-bean Maragogype and Caturra cultivars.

Meters Above Sea Level ... altitude that is...

A coffee dryer used as an alternative to patio drying of wet process coffees.

A blend containing a coffee that has been roasted to a different levels (or steps) - light to dark.

A solvent-based method for washing the caffeine out of coffee. Called MC decaf for short

A Bourbon cultivar variant from Rwanda and Burundi.

Small independent mills that produced finished coffee, ready for export, usually right on the farm.

A coffee mill might mean a coffee grinder, but we usually use the term to refer to a coffee processing facility, either a Wet-Mill or a Dry Mill.

A flavor hint of mint found in coffee, which could indicate a clean and brisk mint hint, or a more rustic dried mint.

The Yemeni type of coffee, both in terms of the family of cultivars planted there, and the general trade name.

Indicating the fruity layer of the coffee cherry, between the outer skin and the pachment layer that surrounds the seed.