Coffee Terms Made Easy
There’s a whole world of coffee out there to discover. We’ve picked a few of the main technical terms to help you on your way – and to make you look like an expert next time you’re out for dinner!
Arabica – One of the two main types of coffee. Arabica is grown at high altitudes. It’s a superior and more expensive bean than its cousin Robusta, with a lively, intense flavour. At Bewley’s we only use Arabica beans – that means you get only the best coffee!
Barista – An expert in the art of making espresso and espresso-based drinks. At Bewley’s we have our own Training Academy, turning out top class Baristas, trained to the highest international standards.
Blending – The skill of mixing different beans to get a perfectly balanced and consistent aroma, body and taste. It’s a bit like creating a musical chord. Top notes, middle notes and low notes all combine to give each coffee blend its unique character.
Cafetiere – Also known as a ‘French Press’ or ‘Plunger’, the Cafetière is a heat resistant glass container with a metal filter. Water just off the boil is poured onto ground coffee in the glass container. After brewing, the metal filter is then pressed down to force the coffee grounds to the bottom of the container. Click here to view our video.
Coffee Belt – Located between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, this is where the best coffee beans are grown. The rich soil, moist tropical climate and high altitudes create the perfect growing conditions.
Crema – A sure sign of a perfectly prepared espresso is the crema. It’s the dense golden froth that caps the coffee, sealing in the temperature and locking in all those delicious flavours.
Cup of Excellence – A range of the world’s finest and rarest coffee beans selected through a rigorous international competition. Our Master Roaster was responsible for bringing in the very first supply of these prestigious beans to Ireland, and is a regular member of the judging panel.
Cupping – This is how coffee beans are tasted and evaluated. Four main sensations are judged: Fragrance, Aroma, Taste and Aftertaste. The sniffing, slurping and spitting involved may seem a bit rude by normal standards, but this needs to be done to saturate as many nerve endings as possible. Only then can the complex flavour sensations be experienced to judge a great (or not so great) coffee.
Espresso – Espresso is made by forcing highly pressurised hot water through finely ground coffee in a special machine. This little coffee packs a big punch and is the base for milk-based drinks like cappuccinos and lattes.
Extraction – This is what happens when the pressurised hot water is forced through the coffee. It takes about 20-26 seconds of extraction to make the perfect espresso.
Filter coffee – This is made by allowing hot water to seep through a paper filter containing freshly ground coffee. Filter coffee is very common in the US, and is a quintessential part of the all-American diner. Filter coffee is also known as brewed or drip coffee.
Gas flushed packaging – This packaging process uses gases instead of air to ensure favourable packaging conditions.
Instant coffee – Instant coffee is made by wetting coffee granules and then drying them at high temperatures to eliminate the moisture, making them soluble and giving them a long shelf life. As the instant coffee granules dissolve in water, you don’t need to use a filter. It has a very different taste to freshly ground coffee. Why not do a blind taste test and see for yourself?
Latte Art – The art of pouring steamed milk into a cup containing an espresso to create a host of different patterns and designs on the top of the milk. From hearts to kittens to rosettes – the sky’s the limit. Bewley’s was the first to introduce latte art coffee to Ireland and since then our trained Baristas have been winning competitions all over the globe.
Roasting – The art of heating the green coffee bean at precisely the right temperature for precisely the right amount of time. Roasting releases the natural oils of the bean, giving coffee its distinctive aroma and taste. The length of roasting time determines taste too. We roast our beans for filter coffee for 6-8 minutes to seal in their delicate flavours. Espresso needs a longer roast of 18-20 minutes, making it more intense.
Robusta – The second of the two main coffee types. This cheaper bean is grown at much lower altitudes and tends to be used in instant coffee. Robusta has a harsher flavour than Arabica and nearly twice the caffeine content.
Single Origin – A coffee that comes from a specific region for example Kenya or Colombia. Bewley’s Explore range has single origin coffees from across the coffee belt. Try Java for a smooth earthy richness or Kenya for a sublime citrus flavour.
Vacuum packed – The coffee is packed in an air-tight container, from which most of the air is extracted before sealing the pack, to maintain the freshness of the coffee.
