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Increase your coffee vocabulary with Aurora's Coffee Dictionary of Terms.
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Acidity - is a pleasing tartness, not to be confused with sour. Without it the coffee would be flat and boring.
Aroma - is coffee's nuance. It plays subtly into the overall impression of the coffee.
Bitter - perceived mostly at the back of the tongue. Some coffees have a pleasing bitter-sweet flavor like very dark chocolate. Unpleasant bitterness can be caused by over extraction or leaving coffee on a heating element too long.
Body - refers to a coffee's mouthfeel and richness.
Briny - salty taste caused by excessive heat after brewing (truck stop coffee has this familiar taste).
Buttery - rich and oily in flavor and texture, characteristic of some Indonesian varietals (for example, Sulawesi).
Coffeol - is the fragrant, volatile oil that readily dissolves in water and gives brewed coffee it's flavor.
Crema - is the thick golden layer of coffeol created by the perfect espresso extraction.
Earthy - the herbal, musty, mushroom-like range of flavors characteristic of Indonesian varietals.
Exotic - unusual aromatic and flavor notes, such as a floral, berry and sweet spice.
Flat - lack of strong taste and aroma, a.k.a. dead or stale.
Flavor - is the over-all impression of acidity, body and aroma.
Mellow - well-balanced coffee of low to medium acidity.
Mild - denotes a coffee with harmonious, delicate flavors. For example, the high-grown Central American coffees are often described as mild.
Soft - low acid coffees, for example: Indonesians.
Sour - a sharp, biting flavor, often caused by under roasting.
Spicy - an aroma or flavor that recalls a particular spice: For instance black pepper, cardamon, cedar.
Strong - refers to degree of various taste attributes, or to the proportion of coffee solubles to water in a brew.
Sweet - a general term that refers to coffees which are smooth and palatable.
Tangy - is a darting, fruit-like sourness, occurring often in high-grown Latin American coffees.
Wild - coffee with extreme flavor characteristics. Ethiopia Mocha Harrar is an example.
Winy - a desirable flavor reminiscent of fine red wine. Kenya is a classic example.