The Lingo of Coffee

     Writing about Coffee is kind of tough when the terms differ from the actual definition most people would assume it mean.  For example, when using acidity to describe coffee, it has nothing to do with pH balance.  Mild is another example.  It does refer to the taste but not in the sense of strong or light taste.  With these different terms and meaning, reading a coffee review might be a bit confusing.  Here I list some of the more common terms and the meaning in coffee lingo.  For coffee reviews go to www.infohut.net.

Acidity:
Refers to the liveliness of coffee flavor, not the acid or pH level.  With out it coffee will be a bit dull.

Bitter:
This actually means bitter as in one of the 4 basic taste (ex: sweet, sour, salty, bitter).  A little bitterness in coffee is actually good, it brings out the flavor.  Dark roast usually is more bitter than their medium roast counterpart.  Though I do find the Hawaiian Isles Kona Sunrise to be a uniquely flavored dark roasted coffee when compared to other dark roasted coffee because it has a strong tangy aftertaste in the end.

Body:
 Refers to the thickness of the coffee when it is in your mouth.  Is it thin like water?  Is it thick like whole milk?  Kona coffee, to me, is medium bodied, somewhere between water and whole milk.

Complex:
Refers to the taste or the aroma of a coffee that has many aspects.

Mild:
A coffee that is balanced and sometimes has an acidity or sweetness to it.

Thanks for reading.  Want to see some coffee reviews?  Go to www.infohut.net.