A to Z of Coffee

Do you know your latte from your espresso, your flat white from your pour over?

With more people practicing their barista skills at home – you’re not just standing at a counter and pointing at the menu anymore – it’s time to back up your skills and really talk the talk.

To start with are you talking about brewing methods or drinks? With terms like cold brew, latte, pour over, and flat white being thrown around, do you really know your stuff? For those times when you’re just not quite sure, worry not – we’re here to help with our handy coffee glossary.

Here’s the A-Z of Coffee as we see it.

Where possible we’ll link to useful guides and products, so feel free to use this page as your start point, index and general guide to all things coffee!

[Edit: we’re going to keep coming back to this one – so bookmark the page for future reference!]

A is for:

Americano [drink] – also called a long black. A shot or double shot of espresso topped up with hot water
Arabica – is the type of coffee you’re most likely buying. Arabica, or Arabian coffee is believed to have been the first variety of coffee to be cultivated and currently makes up approximately 60% of all coffee production.
Aeropress [brewing equipment] – a one cup coffee maker, ideal for on-the-go coffee making. Your own, personal filter coffee machine. Powered by you, and producing your perfect cup in just 30 seconds.
Antigua – a variety of Guatemalan coffee.
Affogato – vanilla ice cream topped with a shot of espresso. Perfection in dessert form.

B is for:

Barista – simply someone who makes coffee – so if you’re making yourself a cup, you too are worthy of the title Barista.
Brew Method – how you make your coffee – be it drip, espresso or cold brew .. everything has its merits.
Beans – the base of all coffee. We’ve got a guide for that too …
Breve [drink] – a cappuccino made with cream
Burr Grinder [brewing equipment] – a coffee bean grinder with two grinding discs or burrs.

C is for:

Coffee – sorry, had to be done.
Cafetière [brewing equipment] – also called a French Press. A brewing method using ground coffee
Caffeine – what keeps you coming back and can help you focus … or induce the shakes depending on how much you’re having!
Cappuccino [drink] – a shot of espresso, topped up with steamed milk and finished with frothed milk. Ratio should be equal parts coffee / steamed milk / frothed milk
Cold Brew [brewing method] – a brewing method that doesn’t use any heat. Coffee that’s made from grounds that have been steeped in cold water for several hours.
Colombian – a variety of coffee, from Colombia.
Costa Rican – a variety of coffee from Costa Rica.
Cleaning – it’s not sexy but it needs to be done if your coffee machine is going to keep making your coffee tasting how it should
Crema – the foam that forms on the top of your perfectly brewed espresso.
Chemex [brewing equipment] – a stylish, glass tool for pour over coffee, which imparts no additional flavour to your drink.
Cortado [drink] – equal parts espresso and steamed milk

D is for:

Decaffeinated / Decaf – what we drink in the afternoon. Technically decaffeination removes a minimum of 97% of the caffeine content – so if you’re looking to cute caffeine but not miss out on coffee, decaf is a great option.
Descaling – much like cleaning, it’s not the most exciting but if your coffee is going to taste right you need all your coffee machine parts to be squeaky clean and free from gunk.
Doppio – a double shot of espresso
Drip Method [brewing method] – also known as filter method, where water passes through ground coffee.
Demitasse – a small, or half cup, commonly used for espresso

E is for:

Espresso [drink] – a once ounce shot of strong, black coffee. Served immediately after brewing.
Espresso Machine [brewing equipment] – a machine to make Espresso
Espresso Martini [drink] – vodka, coffee liqueur, espresso and sugar syrup – shaken over ice and served in a martini glass. The ideal way to keep your evening going. Pretty much the opposite effect of decaf … on me anyway!
Ethiopian – a variety of coffee from Ethiopia.

F is for:

French Press [brewing equipment] – also called a cafetière – a brewing method using a plunger and ground coffee.
French Roast – a type of blend, typically bittersweet taste.
Filter Coffee Machine [brewing equipment] – also known as drip method.
Foam or froth – milk that has been aerated using steam and becomes thick and foamy.
Flat White [drink] – espresso with microfoam – in very basic terms think of a latte but without the steamed milk, just the foam.

G is for:

Grinder [brewing equipment] – machine to transform your coffee beans into ground coffee. Often with ability to adjust the coarseness of the grind depending on the brewing method.
Guatemalan – a variety of coffee from Guatamala
Green Coffee – un-roasted coffee beans

H is for:

Hawaiian – a variety of coffee from Hawaii
Hario V60 [brewing equipment] – an individual coffee dripper for filter / pour-over coffee

I is for:

Italian Roast – a dark variety of blend, usually bittersweet in flavour
Irish Coffee [drink] – just add whiskey and cream to your coffee to make it Irish.

J is for:

Java – a variety of Indonesian coffee

K is for:

Kenyan – a variety of coffee from Kenya
Kona – a variety of Hawaiian coffee

L is for:

Latte [drink] – a shot of espresso poured over a cup of hot, steamed milk. Topped off with foam.

M is for:

Macchiato [drink] – an espresso with a spot of steamed milk.
Mocha [drink] – a generic term for a coffee drink flavoured with chocolate. Often a variation of a latte with chocolate syrup added.
Moka Pot [brewing equipment] – a stove top kettle which makes coffee by passing boiling water pressurised by steam through ground coffee.

N is for:

Nitro [drink] – more specifically Nitro Cold Brew. Made by infusing cold brew with nitrogen, resulting in a velvety coffee with a cascading crema.
Nespresso – a very popular brand of coffee pods and coffee pod machines.

O is for:

Organic coffee – coffee that has been certified to have been produced without the use of artificial pesticides and chemicals.

P is for:

Portafilter [brewing equipment] – the cupped handle you twist into place in your espresso machine. This holds the ground coffee ready for the water to filter through.
Pour Over [brewing method][brewing equipment] – a method of brewing coffee by manually pouring hot water through a filter filled with ground coffee.
Peruvian – a variety of coffee from Peru.

Q is for:

Quad shot [drink] – a drink made of four (yes .. four) shots of espresso.

R is for:

Ristretto [drink] – the strongest type of espresso around. Made with half the quantity of water and the normal amount of coffee. Is thick, strong and concentrated.
Robusta – type of coffee which originates in Africa. Typically a stronger, harsher, more bitter taste when compared with Arabica.

S is for:

Solo [drink] – a single shot of espresso
Single Origin – unblended coffee from a single country or region.

T is for:

Tamper [brewing equipment] – the tool used to apply pressure to and compress ground coffee in a portafilter

U is for:

Ugandan – coffee variety from Uganda

V is for:

Variety – a name to describe a type of coffee blend
Vietnamese Coffee [drink] – traditionally a dark roast coffee, dripped through a metal filter, mixed with condensed milk.

W is for:

Whole Bean – coffee still in its pure form, before being ground
White Coffee – not coffee with milk, but a type coffee where the beans are under-roasted and white in colour.

X is for:

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Y is for:

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Z is for:

Zambian – variety of coffee from Zambia