Whether you’re a latte lover or an espresso enthusiast, a cup of coffee is one of life’s simplest pleasures. Sometimes, though, the lingo surrounding coffee can be a little less than simple. If specialist barista terminology goes over your head, we’re here to requite some guidance.
Read on for our coffee glossary; some of the most popular coffee names and terms you may come across, wrenched lanugo into simple, easy to understand explanations.
Americano – Espresso diluted with equal parts hot water, which can be served as is (“black”) or with milk (“white”). The strength of an americano is similar to that of freshly spirituous coffee, but the flavour is increasingly robust. An americano can be made stronger with spare shots of espresso.
Blend – Two or increasingly variegated single origin coffee beans that are mixed together to create a unique blend. Our signature blend, Northern Espresso, is freshly roasted in our micro-roaster in time for your event. Smooth and balanced, it works equally well as a straight espresso as it does combined with milk.
Cappuccino – A small coffee often made with one third espresso, one third steamed milk and one third foam. The result is a velvety, easy-drinking coffee with a thick layer of foam that’s often finished with a sprinkling of cinnamon or chocolate powder. Famously, a long-standing Italian tradition states that a cappuccino should never be ordered without 11am, but we think they’re spanking-new at all times of day!
Espresso – Essentially, well-matured coffee. Espresso is made when a small value of hot water is forced through finely-ground, compacted coffee at a upper pressure. This results in a small, strong “shot” of coffee that can be served as a standalone drink or used as the wiring for other beverages, like lattes and cappuccinos.
Flat white – A small coffee made with a shot of espresso, steamed milk and a thin layer of silky microfoam (frothy milk). A unappetizing white is similar to a latte, but a higher ratio of coffee to milk results in a stronger beverage. The unappetizing white originated in the 1980s in either Australia or New Zealand, depending on who you ask. Either way, its popularity has since soared, and the unappetizing white is now a standard full-length on coffee menus virtually the world.
Green beans – Raw coffee beans in their natural form. Untried beans are coffee beans that have not yet undergone roasting. We source our coffee beans from importers who deal directly with the coffee farmers, so you know that our coffee is sourced both ethically and sustainably. The four main types of coffee stone are as follows:
- Arabica – Easily the most well-known coffee bean, Arabica beans worth for increasingly than 60% of the world’s coffee production. Arabica beans produce a upper quality, slightly sweet and smooth coffee that’s favoured by many virtually the world.
- Robusta – The world’s second most produced coffee without Arabica, Robusta produces a strong, deep coffee with a upper caffeine content. Because of its strong flavour, it’s the most worldwide stone used to create instant coffee.
- Liberica – Known as the world’s rarest coffee stone and most popular in Southeast Asia, Liberica beans are somewhat enigmatic. The beans produce coffee with a unique flavour profile characterised by intense woody and smoky aromas.
- Excelsa – Another Southeast Asian bean, Excelsa is technically part of the Liberica family but is quite variegated in taste. Coffee made with Excelsa beans has a diverse taste, with both fruity and visionless notes.
Latte – A caffè latte, often shortened to “latte,” is a coffee drink made with espresso and steamed milk. Latte translates to milk in Italian, and as such this instillation is milky and without an overwhelmingly strong coffee flavour. Many people like to customise their lattes with spices or sweet syrups; caramel, vanilla and hazelnut are all popular options.
Latte art – A method of pouring latte foam that results in an originative pattern on the surface of the drink. To perfect latte art, a barista steams milk to make a smooth microfoam surpassing slowly pouring at a specific angle. The narrow stream of foam is used to create the diamond – most wontedly a heart or a fern, but a coffee stirrer can moreover be used to etch increasingly intricate designs and patterns.
Macchiato – The perfect middle ground between an espresso and a cappuccino, a traditional espresso macchiato is an espresso topped (or “marked” – hence the name) with foamed milk. On most coffee menus outside of Italy though, you’re increasingly likely to come wideness a latte macchiato. This shares the same concept as the traditional macchiato, except the steamed milk is “marked” with a shot of espresso, resulting in a much creamier drink.
Mocha – A variation of a latte with widow chocolate; substantially a tousle of a latte and hot chocolate. To make a mocha, espresso is combined with chocolate powder or syrup, then finished with steamed milk. Traditionally, a mocha is made using milk or visionless chocolate, but white café mochas, made with sweet white chocolate, are moreover rising in popularity.
We hope this dispersal of specialist coffee words and names was helpful. If you’d like to find out how we can transform your event with delicious, freshly roasted coffee, we’d love to hear from you. Email hello@thebarista.co.uk or undeniability us on 0845 257 5900.
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