Ethiopia is the birthplace of the coffee plant. Today, some of the most ancient and surprisingly unique coffees in the world are still produced in Ethiopia. The irregular, small beans yield one of the most sought-after cups of single origin specialty coffee. Piquant with distinct pungent and wild acidity.

Roasting changes the chemistry and physical characteristics of the green coffee bean. The beans shrink about 20% by weight and acquire the deep dark hue and aroma of coffee.

Is a beverage additive typically found in New England. It is similar in composition to chocolate syrup; however, it has a coffee flavor. It is the primary ingredient in coffee milk and coffee cabinets.

A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant. In the United States, it does not emphasize alcoholic beverages; typically, it does not offer alcoholic beverages at all, focusing instead on coffee and perhaps tea and hot chocolate. Other food may range from baked goods to soups and sandwiches, other casual meals, and light desserts that complement their caffeine-centric fare.

A brewing method where the ground coffee is soaked in a proportionally small amount of cold water for ten to twenty hours and then separated by the drip method. The resulting very strong coffee is stored and mixed with hot water as needed.

Coffee from Colombia. Usually excellent with full body, complex acidity, and rich flavor. The finest, Medellin supremo grade, is as good as Jamaica Blue Mountain but with a bit stronger acidity.

Prepackaged, often preground, and, in the case of instant coffee, even prebrewed, these coffees found in vacuum cans in the grocery store. They are made with lesser beans, immature beans, and overripe beans, which imparts a bitterness to the coffee.

A professional tasting term for coffees that exhibit depth and resonance of flavors.

The best coffees from Costa Rica are from San Marcos de Tarrazu, Tres Rios, Heredia, and Alajuela. The robust, rich quality of these coffees makes them among the best in Central America.

The pale brown foam that covers the surface of a well-brewed cup of espresso and helps to retain the coffee's intensity.

A Colombian-grown coffee that is usually shipped through Maracaibo, Venezuela.

Characteristics include oily beans with a distinctive bittersweet tang; low acid.

A general term describing any roast of coffee darker than American Roast.

Decaffeination is the process of removing most of the caffeine that naturally occurs in coffee. There are three methods of decaffeination: the solvent-water method, the Swiss water process method, and the carbon dioxide method. While chemicals are used to decaffeinate most coffee, the Swiss Water Process uses only water. Water decaffeination results in great tasting coffee. The use of chemicals could distort the true coffee flavor.

A coffee from Ethiopia. When washed, it is an excellent low-acid coffee. The dry-processed version imparts a less appealing, medicinal flavor.

High-grown Barahona, considered the best of the Dominican coffees, is both rich and acidic, comparable to premium Jamaican coffees. Other Dominican coffees, such as Bani and Ocoa, are softer and mellower, like the better known Haitian coffees.

A spring-loaded device on specialized espresso grinders that dispenses single servings of ground coffee.

Drip brew is a method for brewing coffee which involves pouring water over coffee contained in a paper filter. Water seeps through the coffee solely under gravity, absorbing its oils and essences, and then passes through the bottom of the filter. The used coffee grounds are retained in the filter with the liquid falling (dripping) into a collecting vessel such as a carafe or pot. Drip brewing is the most popular method of coffee brewing, owing to the overwhelming popularity of the automatic drip brewing coffee machine. There are, however, several manual drip-brewing devices on the market, offering a little more control over brewing parameters than automatic machines.

A coffee processing method that involves removing the husk or fruit after the coffee berries have been dried. Also known as the Natural method. The result is often inferior to washed coffee or coffee that is wet-processed.

One of several terms, also including gaminess and wildness, refering to the off taste caused by carelessly processed natural coffee.