Coffee terminology
Brush up on your coffee lingo
Brush up on your coffee lingo
Coffee cupping, or coffee tasting, is the practice of observing the tastes and aromas of brewed coffee. It is a professional practice but can be done informally by anyone or by professionals known as “Q Graders”.
Acidity and body are the most used qualities when assessing a coffee. Each of these terms are then broken down into three grades; low or weak, medium, good or strong.
Tasting (liquoring/cupping) can be fun to try at home but instead of the normal ten or more samples per session, limit to four or five samples.
We have included a collection of terms that are used to describe coffee liquors. These terms are used by all areas of the coffee industry from growers to brokers, roasters and coffee outlets. By describing particular characteristics or attributes using these terms all sectors of the industry talk the same coffee language that can be recognised the world over.