Coffee Lexicon
Specialty coffee is developing at breakneck speed - and yet for many it is still so new that many terms are not understandable, or are even used in the wrong context. When is something flavour and when is it aroma? In our coffee lexicon, we go into all the new terms and explain to you exactly what they mean. This is how you can easily become a specialty coffee expert.
Laurina | Coffee varieties
Laurina is a very special and rare variety of coffee that has become something of a cult favourite over the past couple of years. It's prized for a slightly counter-intuitive...
Caffeine
We all (presumably) love coffee. And we love it, if not for its flavour, for the effect it has on us. Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive drug in...
Sidra | Coffee varieties
Sidra is a hybrid variety, the crossing of two of the biggest varieties in the coffee industry, Red Bourbon and Typica. The idea is to cherry-pick the best parts of...
Crema
What is Crema? Where does it come from? What if there isn't any on my espresso? Find out everything about that elusive foam here. Crema is what sets espresso apart...
Raised African Beds
African beds are wooden structures built up off the ground in which coffee cherries or beans can be dried with good air circulation. This is important to prevent mould. For...
Freezing coffee
Until now, freezing coffee was considered something that should not be done: coffee should not be stored in the freezer, but in a dark, dry and temperature stable environment. This...
Espresso - a definition
Do you know the difference between espresso and coffee? Many people believe that espresso is a type of coffee. Actually, it is simply a special way of preparing coffee: Espresso...
To bloom, or not to bloom?
To bloom, or not to bloom? That is, for us coffee nerds anyway, the question. Blooming is one of the pieces of received wisdom that we’re all told to do...
Barrel-Aging
Specialty coffee has become a hotly contested industry, where farmers, roasters and cafés are always trying new things to find their competitive edge. We’ve seen a lot of interesting processing...
74110 Variety
If you have a browse of our coffee shelves, you’ll see lots of evocative varieties like Red Bourbon, Catuaí, Caturra, and of course Geisha. Not all varieties are blessed with...
Cuscatleco | Coffee varieties
Cuscatleco is a selection of the breeding strain of T5296, also called Sarchimor. Sarchimor is not an independent variety, it is rather a group of many different varieties with similar...
Wolisho | Coffee varieties
Wolisho is a regional variety from Ethiopia. The term "heirloom" is often used as a catch-all for Ethiopian coffees, but in reality there are countless varieties under that term, know...
Dega | Coffee varieties
Dega is a regional variety from Ethiopia. The term "heirloom" is often used as a catch-all for Ethiopian coffees, but in reality there are countless varieties under that term, know...
Waves of coffee
Coffee is almost as old as man himself and has undergone a fascinating development. In summary, we can speak of three waves. First wave of coffee offers coffee to a...
Water
Can I use tap water / What kind of water should I use? Yes, you can, but it is not ideal. Tap water contains many minerals and organic substances that...
Congo
Arabica coffee is grown in Congo only very sporadically in the south and east of the country, in the high mountains. The highest quality coffee is grown in Kivu and...
H-17 | Coffee varieties
The H17 variety is a cross between the Caturra and Geisha varieties. The path to this hybrid began in 2011, when the first Caturra plants were planted on the CGLE...
Specialty Coffee
A coffee is considered a specialty coffee if it scores 80 or more points on a 100-point scale according to the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) rating. The points refer to...
Coffee dosing
For a harmonious and balanced coffee, it's all about the right dosage. Similar to baking, you get the best result by working precisely! Coffee has a different density depending on...
Taste
The actual "taste" of coffee can be described in terms of familiar foods. We all know coffee, which reminds us of the taste of nuts, chocolate or fruit, depending on...