Coffee Glossary

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Acidity – this term carries a positive character and is used to

describe the level of flavor in a cup of coffee. All those pleasant
qualities that refer to spiciness, pungency and bright flavor are
united under this notion. Each coffee has a certain degree of
acidity, however its quantity varies depending on the roast level.
The lighter the coffee bean’s roast, the less acidity it has. Without
it, coffee is plain, flat and is unable to bring satisfaction to a coffee
drinker.

Acrid - unpleasantly sharp bitter flavor or taste, especially in a

coffee that remains on the stovetop for too long period of time. is
the best coffee bean known for its high qualities;

Arabica - its flavor is more elegant as in comparison to Robusta beans and is usually prepared
solely, without blending. The Arabica trees are very delicate and are more sensitive to different
unfavorable climate changes.

Aroma – the perfume of already prepared coffee that can be chocolaty, floral, fruity, candy-like
and many more. A green bean has a faint fragrance; the aroma that we perceive is the result of the
roast process. Thus, the darker the roast level, the more intense is the coffee fragrance that
possesses smoky and charcoal nuances.
Barista – a professional coffee maker that knows everything about coffee from A to Z.

Bitter – a perception that we feel at the back of our tongue. The darker the coffee roast, the more
bitterness it possesses which is purposely made. However, this bitter characteristic is of a
negative nature that brings an unpleasant feeling to our gustatory senses.

Blend – usually a compound of two or more types of coffee created with a purpose to combine
opposite gustatory features; to create a high quality Arabica coffee on the basis of cheaper
Robusta coffee, etc.

Body – the coffee consistence felt in one’s mouth. It varies from light to medium and heavy; from
buttery to syrupy.

Bouquet – the odor that comes from the coffee

grounds.

Caffeine - a white crystalline bitter alkaloid

responsible for the stimulant action of tea, coffee,
and cocoa: a constituent of many tonics and
analgesics.

Cappuccino – is a coffee drink prepared from one

or two doses of espresso crown with equal parts of steamed milk and steamed milk froth, also
often topped with chocolate chips.

Crema – the caramel colored layer that appears on the top of an espresso. If you receive your part
of crema on the top, then your coffee is properly prepared.

Cupping – a term used to describe the process of sampling coffee. More detailed description of
coffee tasting can be found here.

Decaffeinated – coffee that is almost free of caffeine. However, it

is not the same as free of caffeine. A study showed that drinking
10 cups of decaf coffee is almost the same as consuming a cup or
two of caffeinated coffee.

Espresso - an Italian drink prepared by forcing boiling water

through finely roasted coffee grounds at high pressure. An ideal
espresso occupies the half of a cup with crema on the top.

Flavor - refers both to taste and aroma which create the overall coffee sensation.

Finish (Aftertaste) – the remaining sensation after the coffee beverage is swallowed. This may be
as follows: sweet, spicy, smoky, long lasting, etc.
Joe or Cup of Joe – the name goes back to the mid 1840’s when the Secretary of the Navy,
Josephus Daniels prohibited alcohol consumption on ships. Instead he ordered that coffee should
be obligatory served to mariners. Thus, a cup of coffee began to be called “a cup of Joe”.
However, it is still an open question because there is a version that the famous phrase has been
put in practice much earlier than this event.

Irish coffee – is made up from Irish whiskey (though there are also non-alcoholic receipts) and
brown sugar with strong hot coffee with beaten cream.

Kona – this coffee is harvested in Hawaii only and is known for its medium body, aromatic
nuances, sweet flavor and light acidity level.

Robusta – is the second (after Arabica) sought after coffee due to its low cost and capability to
blend with other coffees. Robusta trees are more resistant to frost and other weather conditions; it
is easy to maintain and gives harvest all year round. However, Robusta bean have plainer, flat
taste and aroma as in comparison to Arabica beans; still it is able to blend with anything not
harming more precious Arabica sorts, at lesser price.

Rich – such coffee possesses a lot of flavors, is full bodied and brings a whole lot of pleasure.

Tone – the color of a coffee, its appearance.

Coffee History
An Old African Legend

Coffee plant has been discovered much earlier than the civilized world got to know it. This
memorable event occurred approximately in the 800 A.D. According to an African legend, Kaldi,
the goat shepherd, had been grazing his flock when suddenly he noticed that the goats began
dancing around coffee bushes growing nearby. This seemed strange to their herdsman who
decided to taste these magic berries that agitated his cattle so much. Soon he has also been
caught in the general hilarity.

The Arabic Coffee Empire

After just a couple of centuries (circa 1000 and till 1600 A.D.), coffee moved to Arabic countries.
Namely there it took its modern shape - the beans were first roasted and brewed for drinking but
before this popular method came into life, the beans were pressed with animal fat and milk and
rolled into balls. The Arabs took these beads with them while traveling as some kind of energetic
remedy. Only after a couple of centuries the Muslims discovered that the beans could be drank
and prepared but this beverage is still far from the modern drink.
 The Arabic population also used the plant as a kind of holy water in their
everyday life: dervishes were falling into a trance with its help, growing
in wisdom and finding the right way to wander; the religious people had
to have more energy and strength to stay awake while praying and doing
their business and the coffee beans were right there for them giving the
energy they needed. Thus, coffee has been everywhere in Muslims life
and was the integral part of their culture. And anywhere the Arabs spread
their culture and religion, they brought with them coffee beans as well.
However, not until that in the 1600s the outer world got the possibility to
drink coffee – the beans were constantly exported but in such a way (roasted or boiled) that no
European or other nations except Africa or Arabic regions had the access to the plant itself.

Coffee and a Piece of Smuggling

According to an old legend, a half wanderer and the other half contrabandist of an Indian origin
named Baba Budan left Mecca – the cradle of Islamic religion, a shrine for pilgrimage- with the
fruitful coffee seeds under his clothes. Thus coffee reached India.

Europe: The Thirst for Money

At the beginning of the 17th century (in 1615) an Italian trader showed the world the coffee
beverage brought from Turkey. But the product in its final shape wasn’t worth a brass farthing in
the judgment of the merchants who were eager for profit. Thus, the rush for the coffee seeds
started.

The Dutch at the Head of the Line

The Dutch dealers left behind the whole Europe bringing in the coffee
plant for the first time in 1616 and later, in 1696 they even established the
first coffee property located on Java colony (Indonesian territory now)
possessed by Europeans. Hereby, the coffee growing gave the Dutch a
lucky chance to gain a lot of money and omnipotence in the whole
Europe. But every story has its own ending. The biggest mistake was
presenting coffee trees to the European aristocrats and forgetting that this might lead to spreading
the coffee plant outside Europe.

The Way the Coffee Plant reached Martinique

In circa 1714 Louis XIV received a coffee tree as a gift from the Dutch – for the Royal Botanical
Garden in Paris. Some time later a naval officer Gabriel Mathieu de Clieu turned out to visit
Paris on his voyage to Martinique. He was so eager to get some coffee tree clippings (but was not
allowed) that even took the liberty to sneak into the Garden and steal a coffee branch. While on
officer’s travel to Martinique, a passenger impatient for capturing the coffee seedling broke down
a stick from the cherished plant; the French ship was grappled by pirates, then the storm came
down to them. All in all, the young mariner gave up a half of his fortune because of this magic
tree.
However, the shoot took its root deep into the Martinique soil and brought forth over 18 millions
of trees in circa 50 years. Its offspring later will contribute to its popularization into Latin
America’s mass market.

All Roads Lead to…Brazil

This event might never happen if it were not for the desire of the Brazilian
government in the 1727 to enter the coffee market. Naturally there was no
legal way to do that and Lt. Col. Francisco de Melo Palheta enters the
scene. His mission was to obtain coffee seedlings by any means and he did
it but not without the help of a woman. Being dispatched to French Guiana,
the brave colonel starts his coffee mission and goes easy choosing the least
resistance – the governor’s spouse. The officer’s sweetheart falls into net of
the charming Brazilian and convinced by him that several coffee branches
will remind Pahleta of her, gives the artful man the coffee seedlings hidden
in a bouquet of flowers. From this moment rises the glorious Brazilian coffee empire – the
absolute coffee leader that introduces coffee to the mass market. The curtain falls, the auditorium
burst into ovations.

Coffee Harvesting
The phase following growing is called harvesting, i.e. when the ripen coffee beans are selected
by pickers or special mechanisms. As it has been mentioned before, the coffee tree needs
approximately 9 months for its fruit to mellow. However the process of reaping carries a certain
character - the coffee berries mature unevenly throughout the cluster, thus the pickers have to be
constantly engaged in the process of harvesting. They gather the first batch of the yield, than
comes the time for the second lot, and so and so forth (Except Brazil where all coffee beans ripen
simultaneously and are picked in one step).

3 ways of selecting coffee berries

There are 3 types of coffee selecting or picking. The first one is the picking or the selective
picking method. This way of collecting coffee is considered to be the most effective one as it
allows a careful harvesting - only the fully ripen and the best fruit are selected by this way so that
green beans can be selected later on.

Stripping is another picking technique that is widely used namely in Brazil

as the coffee berries grow there evenly and don’t need a thorough and
repeated selecting as they do in other coffee growing countries. The method
consists in picking the whole cluster when it is ripen for the most part,
instead of waiting for each bean. Thus, the coffee harvesting here is much
easier and usually finishes much more rapidly which allows Brazilian
farmers be a little ahead their competitors.
And, finally, the mechanical coffee harvesting is being
considered as a very successful method. It functions very
carefully and faster than the previous picking methods, is a
modern way of selecting coffee and needs less people for
controlling the process.

However, as it has been said before the selective picking is still

considered the best as each berry is given individual attention at
a lesser damage.

Coffee Processing
And the final step finishing the preparation for the coffee roasting is
called processing. There are two major methods of coffee processing –
dry and wet milling.
a) Dry milling – is usually practiced in the countries where the conditions
for coffee growing are not ideal and the coffee berries are of a poorer
quality. The process occurs in the following manner: after the harvesting
coffee beans are dried under the direct sunlight or by special drying
machines until they gain the appropriate humidity level which is 10-12%.
Thus they are already prepared for the roasting.
b) Wet milling – is a more complex method as in comparison with the
previous one, still it is the preferred way of drying and provides the higher
quality coffee beans.

Harvest is still in process but the drying already begins. When the
first crop is gathered, it is shifted to a special pulping machine
that separates the peeling from the berry and after that the bean is
allowed to dry out or is sent to a particular fermentation reservoir
where it stays for a while for fermentation. The next step is to
carefully wash the beans so that any unnecessary remnants are
fully taken off. Only than the beans are dried under the sun or in
the special drying machines. In result, we have the green coffee
bean that is still not the final product – it still needs roasting to be
grinded for the coffee beverage itself.Wrapped in vellum, the coffee beans are stored in special
ventilated dry warehouses and waiting for their turn to be roasted and grinded for the people’s
beloved beverage – coffee drink, espresso and many others.

Coffee Growing
Some General Information about Coffee

Coffee beans or more correct would be to say coffee berries of

red color grow on a tree that reaches circa 13 feet and looks like
an evergreen bush. In fact a coffee plant can reach up to 16 and
even 40 feet tall if left untouched but it is usually kept up to 10-13
feet for an easier cropping and a richer harvest.

A coffee tree is considered to be a long-liver as it produces coffee

beans for over a period of 60 years and can live even longer up to
100 years.

In its first two years of life the coffee plant blossoms with white
jasmine-like flowers that emit an unforgettable sweet-scented odor. But the tree gives its first
harvest only after 3-6 years of living – red berries much like cherries that need almost 9 months
to mature. One tree gives only sufficient harvest of berries to make a half a kilogram of roasted
coffee. Thus the farmers need to grow thousands of trees on their plantation to earn real money.

Growing

As it has been mentioned before, the coffee plant has the tendency to
grow tall. If let it grow wild, the tree will not only be difficult for picking
up the berries but will also give a slender harvest. It should be noted that
there are hundreds of various coffee plants in the universe and only two
species – Arabica and Robusta – can be used for coffee producing.

The tree naturally grows in the shadow but it is intentionally planted under the direct sunshine to
provide more fruit.It needs constant pruning as well – to be strong in order not to bend under the
strain of the fruit; to be in range of the pickers. The excess branches suck the lifeblood out of the
coffee plant not allowing it to give good yield.

Fertilization is another important factor when growing coffee. The soil constantly drains and is
no longer beneficial for the coffee, thus the farmers are constantly applying different fertilizers
so that their trees don’t become impoverished and are able to provide enough strength for their
fruitage.

And of course the watering and the temperature are not the least
important factors when cultivating coffee.It is grown in the warm
climate that Africa, some Arabic countries and Latin America
can provide, therefore it’s not surprising at all that the coffee
plant is cultivated namely on the territory of the mentioned
above countries. The ideal temperature is 65 to 75 degrees
Fahrenheit all year round.

The water amount should also be abundant. In the areas when

coffee grows naturally, there are a lot of rains, such as blossom showers and monsoons which
stimulate the coffee tree blossom. But besides this, there is some artificial flooding that
supplements the natural watering:

Sprinkler irrigation systems are used together with blossom showers; drip irrigation systems help
yielding coffee crops as well as other intercrops. Thus if a farmer puts his trust in the forces of
nature only, he will never have a good harvest and won’t be able to export his coffee worldwide
and thus be a good trader.

Coffee species: Arabica, Robusta, Liberica

There are 2 main species in the coffee world which are better or worse known, I dare to say, by
the whole world. These are Coffea canephora , usually known as Robusta and Coffea Arabica or
simply Arabica. The two types are mixed together to give the world what we know as coffee.
There are some other species which are less popular because there are few places where they
grow in small quantities to be commercially successful. Nonetheless it deserves mentioning it –
this is coffee Liberica.

Coffea arabica

This is the most sought after coffee specie with high quality
tasting characteristics, little acidity and caffeine. Coffea Arabica is originally grown in the
mountains of Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula (hereof its name - arabica) as well as the
southwestern highlands of Ethiopia and southeastern Sudan. However the trees are now almost
all mixed with another planted ones.

Arabica green beans can also be found in Boma Plateau in southeastern Sudan and on Mt
Marsabit in northern Kenya. But it is unclear whether these are native species or naturalized.

Coffea Arabica is a bush which grows 9 to 12 meters tall but the height can be regulated in order
to give more crops. The plant has an open branching system; its leaves are of a lustrous dark
green color, have elongated form (6–12 cm long and 4–8 cm broad), and are opposite to each
other. The blossom is white; the fruit is drupaceous (also called a "berry"), when it ages, its color
ranges from bright red to purple and usually has two seeds (the so-called “coffee bean”).
 It takes up to 7 years for coffee Arabica to start yielding.
Arabica is typically cultivated at a height of 1,300 and 1,500 m but there are species planted at
the sea level and at 2.800 m height. The plant is able to stand low temperatures but not frost. It
needs a little shade to be grown if opposite to Robusta which does very well under direct sun
rays.

During couple of years after planting, coffea Arabica gives yield of small and very fragrant
blossom. When flowers open on a sunny day, they crop great number of small green beans or
berries. This can bring to low quality coffee beans and bad harvest in the following years as the
bush tends to foster berries maturing, thus injuring its health. In order to avoid this, the plants are
usually pruned.

Coffee blossom survives only several days and begin to fade away resulting in green berries.
After awhile, the fruit begins ripening turning from green into yellow, light red and then deep
red. These green coffee beans are called cherries and are ready to be picked now. The berries
often ripen unevenly, thus there’s a need of hand picking to select ready beans of coffee and
leave green berries to mature.

A so-called coffee tree can give from 0.5 kg to 5kg of

dried beans depending on some specific tree features and climate. Each berry typically contains
two locules with 2 beans inside, though it can also contain 3 or 1 bean called peaberry.

Peaberry(also caracoli) is a coffee bean. Usually coffee cherry is a fruit with two sections and 2
or even 3 beans inside it. But there are cases when only one of the two beans gets embryonated
and the other vanishes. This pea-formed bean is called peaberry. Around 5% of all coffee beans
yielded are green peaberry coffee beans.

Kona coffee is in fact an Arabica coffee variety grown on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa
in the North and South Kona Districts of the Big Island of Hawaii. Solely coffees grown in Kona
regions can be added "Kona" prefix. The peculiar "Kona" climate along with its sunny mornings,
thick clouds or rains in the afternoon, and a rich soil are the perfect conditions for Kona coffee
beans growth.

Coffea canephora (robusta) is the second most sought

after coffee specie in the world after Arabica beans. The plant takes its origins from central and
western subsaharan Africa. It is also grown on the territory of Brazil, Africa and Southeast Asia -
India, Indonesia and Vietnam which surpassed its neighbors and became world's largest Robusta
producer.

As it is already known, canephora is easy to maintain and thus to produce. The beans are
considered of lower grade if compared to Arabica beans and are often mixed with the latter to
make coffee rpoduction cheaper. However it is often included in instant coffee and espresso
blends to form "crema". It has a huge amount of caffeine twice as much as in Arabica coffee.

The Robusta bean wasn't recognized as coffee specie until 19th

century, only 100 years later when same happened to Arabica. The plant has a shallow root
system and grows to about 10 meters tall. It is less susceptible to climate changes, diseases and
pests than Arabica bush. It gives a big crop, though it flowers irregularly and needs almost 10-11
months for cherries to ripen.
Coffea liberica

This coffee specie was first discovered in Liberia, West

Africa. It grows up to 9 meters tall and gives cherries larger than those picked from Arabica
plants. The plant was brought to Indonesia at the end of the 19th century to replace the Arabica
trees killed by the coffee rust disease. It is similar to Robusta beans tasting characteristics and is
still found in parts of Central and East Java nowadays.

There is also a diversity of Liberica coffee called Baraco grown in the

Philippines (provinces of Batangas and Cavite). However many traders pass off Excelsa as
Baracao as its supply is limited and very expensive.

Shade grown coffee

As we already know, coffee is grown in several ways: sun-grown and shade grown. As it comes
from their names, a huge part of coffee plants is grown directly under the sun and others are
protected by shade of a tree gathering.

What are advantages and disadvantages, similarities and differences of both ways of growing?

We all know from history that coffee was first discovered by Kaldi, the Ethiopian goat shepherd,
then spread to the Arabic world, Europe and only several centuries later it reached the American
continents. Trees brought from Europe would die under direct sunlight, thus a shade grown
specie was cultivated.
Sun-grown plant means a plant growing under the sunlight with no protection. These plants
grow much faster if in comparison to the shade-grown ones and, of course, give bigger crop and
are more successful commercially. But in order to maintain such kind of tree and produce rich
harvest, a grower needs to invest a lot to buy various kinds of fertilizers, herbicides and
pesticides. This method proved to be very harmful for the environment, thus shade-grown coffee
regained its past popularity and is “in fashion” again.

Shade grown coffee is a bush (I bet you knew coffee plant is a bush though it can be as tall as a
coffee tree) grown under a shelter of another trees. A shed of different trees in a large quantity is
planted on farms to create favorable conditions for the future coffee bushes. Thus, besides
cultivating only coffee plants, a farmer is growing bearing and common trees which nourish the
soil, act as a shelter for birds (bird friendly trees), animals and insects. This ecologically
beneficial growing is certified by Rainforest Alliance and Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.

There are several types of shade which influence a tree

growth:

Rustic is used only on small farms, usually owed by a family. A coffee tree is planted among an
already existing grove just slightly changing its original structure.

Traditional Polyculture

Farmers themselves decide what kinds of trees to plant in order to create a beneficial
environment for coffee bushes. And if coffee is yielding poorly, they can always feed their
families with harvest form those trees.

Commercial Polyculture

Looks very similar to the traditional one but the canopy for coffee isn’t as thick and some trees
are even cut down in order to provide more light.
 Reduced or Specialized Shade

This means that a single type of pruned trees is used for shade grown coffee. Its shrubs are
planted in a more dense way and thus look more deliberate.

Full-Sun or Unshaded Monoculture

This way implies no additional trees except coffee bushes.