Coffee Dictionary
Macchiato? Ristretto? Gibraltar? The coffee world comes with its vocabulary that most people don’t think about when ordering a drink at their local coffee shop. Understanding the language of coffee can enhance each sip, so we decided to compile a list of common words we often use in our day-to-day that might help you navigate menus, talk shop, and deepen your appreciation for the craft. Consider this your go-to guide for deciding on coffee, one word at a time!
Aeropress: a sleek, handheld coffee maker that uses air pressure to brew coffee, known for its portability; creates about 8 oz of coffee
Acidity: refers to the bright and tangy tartness of the coffee, often carrying the main flavor notes within a coffee
Anaerobic/aerobic: different ways to process/ferment coffee, which plays a big role in the overall flavors of the coffee; anaerobic fermentation lacks oxygen while aerobic fermentation has oxygen present
Arabica: The earliest species of cultivated coffee trees (Coffee arabica); it represents about 60% of the global coffee production
Blend: a mix of different types of beans; includes 2 or more single-origin beans
Cafe au lait: about equal parts of brewed coffee and steamed milk, without much foam, like a latte
Cappuccino: (6 oz) an espresso-based drink comprised of 2 oz espresso, 2 oz steamed milk, and 2 oz foam; we serve the traditional 6 oz size which sometimes can cause some confusion
Chemex: hourglass-shaped pour-over coffee brewer that results in about two coffee servings
Crema: Thick, caramel-colored foam on the surface of an espresso shot
Cortado: (4 oz) Equal parts espresso and steamed milk; in our cafes, we call it a Gibraltar, based on the glass it is traditionally served in
Doppio: a double shot of espresso
Drip: hot water flows through a bed of coffee, settling into a pot at the bottom; what most people think of when they think “a cup of coffee”
Espresso: (2 oz) A way to brew coffee that forces water through a tamped bed of finely ground coffee via high pressure
Extraction: Using hot water to draw the flavors out of ground coffee; when under-extracted, the coffee can taste weak, and when over-extracted, it can taste bitter
Flat white: (5-6 oz) Often attributed to either Australia or New Zealand, they are often smaller than cappuccinos and lattes
Gibraltar: (4 oz) reference Cortado; the name originated in 2005 in San Francisco at the Blue Bottle coffee company, the owner started experimenting using the smaller Gibraltar glass, as opposed to a traditional glass
Grind size: The coarseness or fineness of the ground coffee, and the method of brewing, determines the grind
Kalita: A brand that produces coffee brewing equipment; we use the Kalita Wave for making our pour-overs
Latte: (8-16 oz) an espresso shot with almost 2-3 times as much steamed milk
Macchiato: (3 oz) a shot of espresso “marked” with a small amount of hot, frothed milk
Natural Process: a way to process the beans by removing the fruit/husk after the coffee fruit has dried; can often result in a more fruity flavor
Portafilter: the metal object with the plastic handle that holds the coffee to make an espresso shot; it clamps to the grouphead
Pourover: A manual method for brewing a cup of coffee by pouring hot water over a bed of grinds; used often with single-origin beans to taste the flavor notes
Pull: how espresso shots are made; the term comes from the machines being only lever-operated, hence “pulling a shot”
Ristretto: when an espresso shot pulls short, containing less water, leading to a more concentrated drink
Single origin: coffee beans from one farm in one single region
Specialty Coffee: a distinguished form of coffee where the whole bean is graded at least an 80 out of 100 by a certified coffee taster; beans are graded based on sensory attributes such as aroma, flavor, acidity, body, etc.
Spro: slang for the word espresso. A shortened, informal way to refer to a shot of espresso
Tamp: used when making espresso, compresses espresso grinds to create a flat, uniform layer of coffee for an even puck in a portafilter
Maya Johnson
Meet Maya, a Wisconsin-native who studied biochemistry/molecular biology and neuroscience at Lake Forest College. She is A friendly face behind the bar at Highwood, known for striking up conversations about truly anything. Outside of pulling espresso shots, Maya is currently in the process of applying to Physician Assistant schools.