Coffee Terms & Definitions From the

Specialty Coffee Association of America

www.scaa.org

What is
Specialty coffee: The term "specialty coffee" refers to the highest-quality
green coffee beans roasted to their greatest flavor potential by true
craftspeople and then properly brewed to well-established SCAA
developed standards. Specialty coffee in the green bean state can be
defined as a coffee that has no defects and has a distinctive character in
the cup, with a score of 80 or above when graded according to SCAA
Standards.
Green coffee: Unroasted coffee.

Types of Brews
Drip Brewing: The most common form of brewing. Found in most coffee shops and homes,
this method uses warm water, gravity, and a paper filter to extract a clear, light-bodied coffee
that is free of sediment. This method does take away from coffees true oils and essences,
which get trapped in the filter.
Pour Over: A pour-over is a form of drip brewing that requires a cup, a (preferably) cloth filter,
water heated to about 192F to 204F (92C to 97C), and freshly roasted coffee beans. In this
method, hot water is manually poured into a filter filled with freshly ground beans filtered little by
little until the desired amount of coffee is made.
Siphon: A vacuum coffee maker, also known as a vac pot, that uses specific amounts of heat,
coffee, and water to create what many believe to have the cleanliness of a filtered coffee while
maintaining a crisp flavor.
French Press: A brewing method in which coffee grinds are left at the bottom of the pot and
left to extract. Following thereafter, the press gets pushed down to prevent the grinds from
entering the drinking cup.

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General Terms
Q Grader: At the backbone of the Q Grading System are Licensed
Q Graders, professional cuppers accredited by the SCAA and
Coffee Quality Institute (The charitable trust of the SCAA). These Q
Graders must pass a rigorous three-day exam to earn their
certification, comprising 22 sections on coffee related subjects,
such as green grading, roast identification, coffee cupping, sensory
skills and sensory triangulation. There are currently 872 Licensed
Q Graders worldwide. Along with providing grading services, Q Graders will support the
arbitration process of the Green Coffee Association (GCA).
Cupping: Cupping is a systematic method of evaluating the aroma and
taste of coffee. Growers, buyers, and roasters use it to analyze the
quality and flavor profile of the coffee. To properly gauge the taste of
the hot beverage, the judges swish and swirl a soupspoon-sized portion
evenly over their palate, then spit out the sample without swallowing. By
saturating as many sensory nerves as possible, cupping participants
are better able to evaluate a coffee sample.
Defects: Under SCAA standards, green coffee beans cannot have any
primary defects and a maximum of 5 secondary defects as defined by
the SCAA Defect Handbook.
Barista: A barista is much like a bartender or sommelier, a person who has the experience and
ability to deliver coffee and espresso based beverages to customers at a coffeehouse,
restaurant, coffee cart or other establishment.
Cappuccino: A classic blend of coffee and steamed milk named after the
brown robes of the Capuchin monks.
Espresso: A dark, rich, full-bodied coffee made when finely ground Italian or
dark-roasted coffee is processed with a special machine that forces a small
amount of water at high pressure through a filter. Contact time between coffee
and water is only about 25 seconds.
Organic coffee: Certified by independent agencies as organically grown, processed, stored
and roasted. This means that no synthetic chemical pesticides, fertilizers, cleaners, etc. have
come into contact with the coffee trees or beans.
Caffeine: A natural stimulant found in coffee. The darker the roast is, the less caffeine the
coffee will contain. The caffeine burns off during the roasting process.

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About SCAA
The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) is the worlds coffee authority and largest
coffee trade association with nearly 5,000 members including member companies and their
employees. SCAA members are located in more than 40 countries and represent every
segment of the specialty coffee industry, including producers, roasters, importers/exporters,
retailers, manufacturers, baristas and coffee enthusiasts. SCAA is dedicated to creating a
vibrant specialty coffee community, recognizing, developing and promoting specialty coffee by
setting and maintaining quality standards for the industry; conducting research on coffee,
equipment and perfection of craft; and providing education, training, resources and business
services for its members. Visit www.scaa.org.

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