The pleasant tartness of a fine coffee, often referred to as brightness or liveliness that carries the high notes of flavor in a coffee.

A device for brewing coffee. Coffee is steeped for 10–50 seconds (depending on grind and preferred strength) and then forced through a filter by pressing the plunger through the tube.

Ice cream (traditionally vanilla) “drowned” with a shot of espresso.


Refers to coffee currently in transit (en route from the producer to the roaster or buyer) by sea. Roasters track afloat coffee shipments to anticipate inventory arrival and plan roasting schedules accordingly.

Coffee that is held in warehouses for several years, sometimes deliberately, sometimes inadvertently. Such aging reduces acidity and increases body.

A spectrophotometer that’s used to measure roast degree using infrared light. The scale goes from 55 (lightest roast) to 25 (darkest roast).

How high above sea level (measured in meters or “MASL”) a coffee plant is grown. Altitude impacts coffee bean shape and flavor with Robusta beans typically grown at lower altitudes (600-2,400 MASL) and Arabica beans grown at higher altitudes (1,800-6,300 MASL).

Less strict than European Prep (EP), American Prep or AP is a coffee sorting standard that allows for a maximum of 20 defects per 300 grams (unlimited screen size).

Also known as a “City Roast,” coffee beans are medium brown and offer full flavor, acidity, and varietal character; the roast style traditionally preferred in the U.S. 

A fermentation process in which coffee cherries are fermented in sealed environments without oxygen, resulting in unique, sometimes intense flavors.