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Coffee GlossaryGlossary.

Clear explanations of the specialty-coffee terms you’ll encounter — for beginners and beyond.

Varieties Quality Origin Trade Processing Roasting Brewing Flavor Culture Other

Varieties

Arabicaアラビカ種: One of coffee’s two major species, about 60% of all production. Grown at 1,000–2,000m, it is known for delicate aromatics and complex flavor, with about half the caffeine of Robusta.
Robusta / Canephoraロブスタ種: About 40% of all production. It grows even at low altitude, resists pests and yields heavily. High in caffeine and great for espresso crema; the main base for instant coffee.
Geisha / Geshaゲイシャ（ゲシャ）: An Arabica variety originally from Ethiopia that stunned the world at a 2004 Panama auction. Known for complex floral aromatics like jasmine, bergamot and peach. Rare and expensive.
Bourbonブルボン: A classic traditional Arabica derived from Typica, found on Réunion (formerly Bourbon) Island. Sweet and balanced, widely grown in Central and South America.
Typicaティピカ: A traditional variety closest to the original Arabica. Clean, delicate flavor but low yield and disease-prone. The main variety of Jamaica Blue Mountain and Hawaii Kona.
Caturraカトゥーラ: A Bourbon mutation from Brazil. Short in stature, allowing dense planting and high productivity. Widely grown in Colombia and Central America.
Catuaiカトゥアイ: A cross of Mundo Novo and Caturra. Productive and resistant to wind and rain. A mainstay in Brazil and Central America.
SL28SL28: A variety developed by Kenya’s Scott Laboratories. Known for intense, complex acidity like blackcurrant and fruity flavor. Drought-resistant.
Pacamaraパカマラ: A cross of Pacas (a Bourbon type) and Maragogipe, from El Salvador. Large beans, complex flavor, a regular at the top of Cup of Excellence.

Quality

Specialty Coffeeスペシャルティコーヒー: By the SCA definition, coffee scoring 80+ points in cupping. Quality is supported by care at every step — farm, processing, roasting and brewing. About 5–10% of production.
Cuppingカッピング: The standard tasting method for evaluating quality. Hot water is poured over coarse grounds; after 4 minutes you skim with a spoon to assess aroma and flavor. Scored 0–100 per the SCA protocol.
Specialty Gradeスペシャルティグレード: An SCAA grade for beans scoring 80+ in cupping with extremely few defects — a far higher bar than commodity grade.

Origin

Terroirテロワール: A concept borrowed from wine: how local environment — soil, altitude, climate, native varieties — shapes flavor. It is why the same variety tastes completely different by origin.
Single Originシングルオリジン: Coffee sourced from a single farm, region or country, letting you enjoy origin-specific character. Contrasted with blends; finer tiers include “single farm” and “micro lot.”
Micro Lotマイクロロット: Coffee managed in very small lots — a specific plot, variety or harvest day within one farm. High traceability, uniform quality and high rarity.
Coffee Beltコーヒーベルト: The tropical/subtropical zone between 25°N and 25°S, with the temperature, rainfall and sunlight suited to coffee. Includes Ethiopia, Brazil, Colombia and Indonesia.
Microclimateマイクロクライメット: A distinctive climate formed within a limited area. Altitude, slope aspect, fog and surrounding vegetation combine, making flavor vary even plot by plot within one farm.
Shade Grownシェードグロウン: Growing coffee under tall shade trees. Cherries ripen slowly, concentrating sugars and organic acids. Also aids bird protection and biodiversity.
Cup of Excellence (COE)カップ・オブ・エクセレンス: An international contest held per producing country. Top lots are chosen through domestic rounds and international judge cupping, then sold at auction.
New Cropニュークロップ: Freshly harvested green beans of the current year. Higher moisture, tending to fresh, bright flavor. Valued in the specialty industry.

Trade

Direct Tradeダイレクトトレード: A model where roasters trade directly with farmers, bypassing trading houses and brokers. It pairs fair farmer income with quality control; it spread during the third wave.
Fair Tradeフェアトレード: An international certification ensuring fair wages and conditions for farmers and workers in developing countries. It guarantees a minimum price and a social premium, often combined with organic certification.
Organicオーガニック: Coffee grown and processed without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. A label is earned by passing review (JAS Organic, EU Organic, etc.). Common in Ethiopia and Peru.
Coffee Auctionコーヒーオークション: Auctions of high-quality coffee held in producing countries. “Best of Panama” and “Cup of Excellence” are famous; winning prices can be tens to hundreds of times market price.
Commodity Coffeeコモディティコーヒー: Ordinary coffee traded on New York/London futures prices. Sources are mixed, traded on price and volume over quality. The bulk of world production.
C PriceC プライス: The Arabica futures price traded on ICE. The global benchmark for commodity coffee; specialty trades at a premium above it.

Processing

Washed / Wet Processウォッシュド（水洗式）: Pulp is removed, then beans are fermented in water tanks before washing and drying. It tends to yield clean, bright acidity and faithfully reflects terroir.
Natural / Dry Processナチュラル（乾燥式）: The oldest process, sun-drying the whole cherry. Fruit sugars seep into the bean, creating wine-like fermentation notes and fruity sweetness. Common in Ethiopia and Brazil.
Honey Processハニープロセス: The pulp is removed but some mucilage is left on during drying. Flavor sits between washed and natural; classified white→black by how much mucilage remains.
Anaerobic Fermentationアナエロビック: Fermenting in a sealed tank with oxygen removed. It creates complex, unique flavors like wine and tropical fruit. Rapidly spreading in specialty in recent years.
Wet-Hulled / Giling Basahスマトラ式（ウェットハルド）: Indonesia’s distinctive process, hulling at a semi-dry stage. Beans turn blue-green and develop heavy, earthy, spicy flavor. Mandheling and Toraja use this method.
Mucilageミューシレージ: The sticky, sugary layer between the cherry’s skin and the parchment. In honey process it is deliberately left on for drying; it strongly affects how fermentation proceeds.
Parchmentパーチメント: The thin inner husk wrapping the green bean. After processing, beans are stored and shipped in parchment and hulled before export to become green beans.
Green Beansグリーンビーンズ: Unroasted green coffee, pale green in color. Grading, export and roasting are basically done in this state.
Pulpingパルピング: Mechanically removing skin and pulp from harvested cherries. The first step of washed and honey processing.
De-pulpingデパルピング: Synonymous with pulping, using a pulp-removal machine (pulper).
Carbonic Macerationカーボニックマセレーション: A process borrowed from winemaking, fermenting whole cherries in a CO2-filled tank. Creates wine-like complex flavor.

Roasting

Light Roastライトロースト: A light roast. It best brings out a bean’s character, terroir and fruity acidity, and became mainstream in the third wave. From cinnamon up to just before medium.
Medium Roastミディアムロースト: A medium roast with a balance of acidity and body, easy to drink. It draws out sweetness and is the most versatile. Around City to Full City.
Dark Roastダークロースト: A deeper roast emphasizing bitterness and body, where roast character takes the front over origin. Espresso and French roast are typical. After second crack.
First Crackファーストクラック: The crackling sound as moisture evaporates and cell walls break during roasting. A marker for light–medium roasts; around here coffee reaches its minimum drinkable point.
Second Crackセカンドクラック: A second, finer cracking sound after roasting advances and oils surface. Occurs around dark, French and Italian roasts.
Maillard Reactionメイラード反応: A reaction during roasting where amino acids and sugars create complex aromatic compounds, driving browning, savoriness and sweetness — the same reaction as baking bread or searing meat.
Cinnamon Roastシナモンロースト: The lightest roast level, taken to a cinnamon color. Strong acidity with lingering grain notes; often too light for general drinking.
City Roastシティロースト: Equivalent to a medium roast — the most standard level in Japanese homes and cafés. Well-balanced and easy to drink.
Full City Roastフルシティロースト: Between medium and dark, taken to just before second crack. Characterized by a balance of body and sweetness.
French Roastフレンチロースト: A dark roast with oils on the surface and strong bitterness and smokiness. Used for espresso and café au lait in France and Italy.
Italian Roastイタリアンロースト: The darkest roast level — glossy black surface, strong bitterness, just short of carbonization.
Development Time (DTR)デベロップメントタイム: The time from first crack to the end of roasting. Profiles are described by its ratio to total time (DTR%). Too long is flat; too short tastes underdeveloped.
Degassingデガッシング: CO2 escaping from beans right after roasting. For 1–3 days post-roast there is too much CO2 for stable extraction; 2–4 weeks is the drink-by window.

Brewing

Espressoエスプレッソ: Using ~9 bars of pressure to extract a concentrated shot in a short time (25–30s). Rich, with crema. The base for latte, cappuccino, americano and more.
Cremaクレマ: The golden-brown foam on an espresso — an emulsion of coffee oils, CO2 and water. Formed with fresh beans, proper pressure and grind. One indicator of quality.
Pour Overペーパードリップ: Brewing by pouring hot water through a paper filter. Tends to yield clean, bright, delicate flavor. Tools include V60, Chemex and Kalita. Best shows a bean’s character.
Bloomブルーム（蒸らし）: Pouring a little water before drip brewing and waiting 30–45 seconds. It releases CO2 for even extraction. Fresher beans bloom more dramatically (a freshness sign).
Extractionエクストラクション（抽出）: The whole process of dissolving coffee’s compounds with water. Low yield is under (thin, sour); high is over (bitter, harsh). The ideal is 18–22%.
Over-Extractionオーバーエクストラクション: An over-extracted state with strong bitterness, harshness and astringency. Happens when the grind is too fine, water too hot, or brew time too long.
Under-Extractionアンダーエクストラクション: An under-extracted state — thin, sour and lacking complexity. Happens when the grind is too coarse, water too cool, or brew time too short.
4:6 Method4:6 メソッド: A V60 method by Tetsu Kasuya, 2016 World Brewers Cup champion. Water is split into 5 pours — the first 40% adjusts sweetness and acidity, the remaining 60% adjusts strength.
Pour Overプアオーバー: The English term for paper drip. Nearly synonymous with hand drip, often referring to the specialty pour-over style.
V60V60: HARIO’s cone-shaped dripper, known for a 60° angle, one large hole and inner ribs. High freedom in pouring; popular worldwide.
Chemexケメックス: An hourglass-shaped glass dripper invented in 1941. Thick paper filters out fines and oils for an extremely clean result.
AeroPressエアロプレス: An immersion-plus-pressure brewer released in 2005. Brews a clean cup quickly and is popular for travel. Many variations exist, such as the inverted method.
Total Dissolved SolidsTDS: The concentration of dissolved solids, measured with a refractometer. The SCA recommended range is 1.15–1.35%. It lets you gauge strength objectively.
Extraction Yield抽出収率: The weight ratio of compounds dissolved into the liquid relative to the dry grounds. SCA recommends 18–22%; below is under-extracted, above is over-extracted.
Channelingチャネリング: When water rushes through only part of the coffee bed. It causes over- and under-extraction at once, breaking the flavor. Prevent it with even tamping and pouring.
Tampingタンピング: Evenly compressing the grounds in the basket before espresso extraction. Important to prevent pressure unevenness and channeling. Around 15kg of force is a guide.
Immersion浸漬式: Steeping grounds in water for a set time. French press, AeroPress and cold brew apply. Contrasted with percolation (drip).
Percolation透過式: Passing water through a bed of grounds. Paper drip and espresso are typical. Wide adjustment range via pour and grind.

Flavor

Flavor Notesフレーバーノート: Describing aroma and flavor by concrete foods, flowers or fruits — “jasmine,” “blueberry,” “chocolate.” Varies greatly by variety, processing, roast and origin.
Flavor Wheelフレーバーホイール: A flavor classification chart developed by the SCA, organized concentrically from broad to fine categories. A common language for cupping and flavor description worldwide.
Bodyボディ: The weight, thickness and texture felt in the mouth. Expressed as light, medium or full. Influenced by processing, variety and roast level.
Acidityアシディティ（酸味）: A coffee’s acidity. Unlike “sour,” a fresh, bright acidity is highly valued in specialty coffee. Chlorogenic, citric and malic acids are involved.
Aftertaste / Finishアフターテイスト: The lingering finish after swallowing. A long, pleasant aftertaste signals quality; flavors different from while drinking — floral, chocolate, fruity — can emerge.
Clean Cupクリーンカップ: A clear, transparent flavor free of off-notes from defects or over-fermentation, with flavors clearly perceptible. Common in washed-process coffees.
Mouthfeelマウスフィール: The tactile texture felt in the mouth. Beyond weight (body), it includes smoothness, viscosity and astringency.
Sweetnessスイートネス: A coffee’s sweetness. Unlike sugar, it is a natural sweetness from fruit, caramel or chocolate, born from fully ripe cherries.
Balanceバランス: A state where acidity, sweetness, bitterness and body are in harmony. An SCA cupping criterion; not having any one element stand out earns high marks.
Dry / Astringentドライ: An astringent, mouth-drying sensation caused by tannins or over-extraction. Generally a negative evaluation.
Defectデフェクト: Defective flavors — fermented, moldy or chemical off-notes are typical. Removed by sorting at the green-bean stage. The SCA grades quality by defect count.
Tea-likeティーライク: A delicate, transparent flavor like black tea. Seen in light-roast Ethiopia Yirgacheffe and the like — a high-praise descriptor.

Culture

Third Wave Coffeeサードウェーブ（第三波）: A coffee movement from the 2000s emphasizing origin, farm, variety and processing, and tracing coffee like wine. Blue Bottle Coffee is emblematic.
Coffee Ceremonyコーヒーセレモニー: A traditional Ethiopian ritual of serving coffee — roasting, grinding and brewing in front of guests. Central to socializing and hospitality.

Other

Caffeineカフェイン: An alkaloid with stimulant and focus effects. Arabica is ~1.2% by dry weight, Robusta ~2.7%. Blood levels peak ~30 minutes after drinking; half-life is ~5–6 hours.
Decaf / Decaffeinateデカフェ: Coffee with 97%+ of caffeine removed via water, organic solvents or supercritical CO2. For pregnancy, nighttime drinking or caffeine sensitivity. Flavor differs slightly.
Green Bean Storageグリーンビーン保存: Pre-roast storage greatly affects green-bean quality. Ideal is a dark place at 15–20°C and 50–60% humidity. Over ~1 year flavor shifts from “new” to “current” to “past” crop.

Learned the terms? Go explore some origins

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