Coffee Terms

• Arabica - Botanically speaking, coffee falls within the genus Coffea. There are two species in this genus: Coffea arabica and Coffea robusta. Coffea arabica produces a higher quality, better tasting bean with lower caffeine content. It is generally grown at higher elevations.

• Blend - A mixture of two or more coffees from distinct origins in an effort to create a more complete “cup”.

• Caffeine - An odorless, bitter alkaloid which acts as a stimulant. The average cup of coffee has between 0.07 and 0.1 grams of caffeine, depending on the variety.

• Coffee Cherry - The green coffee bean matures into a fruit called a “cherry.” A ripe cherry turns bright red, thus the name.

• Grade - Coffees are graded within their country of origin, generally by a national coffee authority. In Latin America, the highest grade coffees are produced above 4500 feet in elevation. Grade names vary from country to country. For example, in Guatemala the highest grade is “Strictly Hard Bean” and in El Salvador it is “Strictly High-Grown.”

• Green Beans - Unroasted coffee beans.

• High-grown - The highest quality coffee is grown at high elevations. In Latin America, the highest coffee grades are assigned to coffee grown above 4500 feet. Many coffee experts feel that shadegrown, high elevation coffee produces the most distinctive taste characteristics. See “Grade.”

• Organic Coffee - Organic agriculture treats the farm as a closed system. As much as possible, inputs to organic farms are derived from on-farm sources. Emphasis is placed on recycling, composting, soil health and biological activity in an effort to improve prospects for long-term protection of the farm environment. Synthetic agrochemicals are prohibited.

• Roast - Green coffee beans are roasted over a hot flame or air to draw out the distinctive taste characteristics. Roast intensity varies from light to dark and is determined largely by the length of time the bean is exposed to heat.

  • A range of names have emerged to describe the various roasts including from light to dark:
    • American,
    • Vienna,
    • City,
    • Full-city,
    • French,
    • Italian.
      No absolute standard exists for the intensity of roast and the name associated with it.

• Robusta - Coffea robusta is the coffee species that generally grows at low elevation, produces a lower quality, less costly bean with higher caffeine content (30-40% higher) as compared to Coffea arabica. It is used primarily in low cost blends sold in supermarkets.

• Shade-grown - Coffee is by nature a shade loving species. It has it origins in the rainforests of Eastern Africa, growing under the shade of the forest canopy. In many parts of Latin America, farmers have converted from traditional varieties to “improved” varieties of coffee that grow in full-sun, albeit with high input of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Shade-grown coffee is coffee that grows beneath a canopy of trees. Shaded coffee farms range from “rustic”, with coffee bushes as part of the understory, to highly managed plantations with exotic species serving as shade cover.

• Specialty Coffee Industry - The segment of the coffee market targeting connoisseurs who seek highquality, rare and flavored coffees. It comprises between 15% and 25% of the total US market. The remainder of the coffee market sells primarily low quality blends and is largely controlled by three multinational corporations.

• Technification - Alternately referred to as “modernization.” The process of converting from traditional shaded coffee poly-cultures to full-sun, monoculture coffee cultivation. The change in the coffee industry is analogous to the “Green Revolution” in wheat, corn, and rice farming where new varieties were developed that required higher input of pesticides and fertilizers. In the case of coffee, new varieties were developed that tolerated high levels of sun, resulted in higher yield per unit area, but required higher chemical input to support the greater growth rate.

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