Roasting & Coffee Terminology

 

Roast:

The Specialty Coffee Association of America and Muddy Waters Coffee Company recognizes these colors and their general descriptions:

Cinnamon Roast ¾ Light cinnamon brown color; pronounced nut-like flavor and the highest point of coffee acidity.

American Roast ¾ Even chestnut brown; has a pronounced caramel-like flavor, with no trace of dark roast flavor.

Full City Roast ¾ Dark brown with no traces of oil on the surface; full development of coffee flavor (caramel to chocolate-like with some hints of dark roast flavor) and some loss of coffee acidity.

Vienna Roast ¾ Dark brown with small amounts of oil on the beans’ surface; a bitter taste and pungent aromatics dominate flavor. Also known as New Orleans Roast.

Italian Roast ¾ Black color with large amounts of oil on the beans’ surface; pronounced burnt flavor that is pungent (strong) and bitter.

Shade Grown:

Shade coverage provides high levels of biodiversity and good bird habitat. Coffee thrives in this shaded environment. Muddy Waters Coffee Company chooses coffees grown in levels of at least multi-species and forest-like shade.

Organic:

Organic is said to be part health movement, part environmental movement, and, on occasion, part grass-roots social improvement movement. To be certified organic this means that the crop’s soil and plants must be inspected by an independent organic certifying body, to be free of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and other potentially harmful chemicals for at least three years time. Muddy Waters Coffee Company maintains a large inventory of organic coffees.

Acidity:

Acidity is a desirable characteristic in coffee. The role acidity plays in coffee is not unlike its role as related to the flavor of wine. It provides a sharp, bright, vibrant quality. Acidity is characteristic of high-grown coffees.

Aroma:

Aroma is the fragrance or odor perceived by the nose. It is a sensation which is difficult to separate from flavor. The aroma contributes to the flavors we discern on our palates. In coffee, aroma refers mainly to volatile components released from brewed coffee.

Body:

Body is the feeling that the coffee has in your mouth. It is the physical properties of the coffee beverage as perceived in the mouth during and after ingestion. Your perception of the body of coffee is related to the oils and solids extracted during brewing.

Flavor:

Flavor is the overall perception of the coffee in your mouth. Acidity, aroma, and body are all components of flavor. It is the balance and homogenization of these senses that create your overall perception of flavor.

Blend:

A mixture of two or more straight, or varietal coffees.

Varietal Coffee:

An unblended coffee from a single country, region, and crop.

Arabica, Coffea Arabica:

The earliest cultivated species of coffee tree and still the most widely grown. It typically grows between 1,500 and 6,000 feet, depending on location. All fine, specialty, and fancy coffees come from Coffea arabica trees. Muddy Waters Coffee Company offers arabica coffee varietals and blends.