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Glossary

The words you’ll meet across Good Cup, in plain language.

Acidity

The perception of acid in the cup, which can be experienced as brightness or sourness. Source: WCC Brewers Cup rules

Anaerobic

Fermentation under oxygen-limited conditions. Read the producer's description for how those conditions were created. Source: SCA fermentation

Continue: Processing

Body / mouthfeel

The tactile weight, thickness and texture of coffee in the mouth. Source: WCC Brewers Cup rules

Cooperative

An organization through which member producers can organize their coffee business together. Source: SCA East African quality

Cultivar

A cultivated plant variety within a species. Source: WCR catalogue

Explore: Varieties

Cupping

A structured way to prepare and taste coffee samples for comparison and assessment. Source: SCA standards

Continue: Cupping & scores

Direct trade

A sourcing relationship between a buyer and a producer; businesses use the term in different ways. Source: SCA on direct trade

An importer may still handle the practical work of moving the coffee, including coffee bought directly from a farmer. Source: Penstock's own importing explanation

Extraction

The transfer of soluble material from ground coffee into brewing water. Source: SCA Coffee Decoded 6

Fermentation

Microbial activity that changes material in the coffee cherry during processing. Source: SCA fermentation

Gesha (Geisha)

A name used for genetically different coffee types. The Geisha (Panama) profile concerns the T2722 line specifically. Source: WCR Geisha

Explore: Varieties

Honey process

Coffee dried in parchment with some or all of its mucilage still attached after the outer fruit has been removed. Source: SCA on honey processing

Continue: Processing

Landrace

A locally adapted population shaped by its environment and a history of cultivation. Source: WCR history

Lot

An identified batch handled as a unit; keeping lots separate can support traceability. Source: SCA East African quality

masl

Metres above sea level: a unit used to state elevation. Source: FAO altitude terminology

Mucilage

The sticky fruit material surrounding the parchment-covered coffee seed. Source: SCA Coffee Decoded 6

Natural

Coffee dried inside the whole coffee cherry before the dried fruit is removed. Source: SCA Water Security

Continue: Processing

Parchment

The protective covering around the coffee seed, removed during hulling. Source: SCA Coffee Decoded 6

Q Grader

A licensed coffee assessor trained in the SCA's Coffee Value Assessment. Source: SCA Q Grader

Continue: Q grading

Roast

Coffee's transformation through applied heat before brewing. Source: SCA Coffee Decoded 6

Single origin

Coffee sold under one named origin. That origin can include several farms within a region. Source: Broadcast's own coffee description

Explore: Origins

Specialty coffee

Coffee valued for distinctive attributes. Source: SCA definition

Continue: Standards & grading

Species

A botanical level above cultivated varieties; Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora are different species. Source: WCR catalogue

Explore: Varieties

Sweetness

An impression of sweet taste or aroma. Source: WCC Brewers Cup rules

Terroir

The connection between a coffee's place, its environment and its sensory identity. Source: SCA terroir

Traceability

Records that connect a coffee lot with its origin and the steps it passed through. Source: SCA East African quality

Washed

Coffee dried in parchment after the outer fruit and mucilage have been removed; mucilage removal can use fermentation and washing, mechanical removal, or a combination. Source: SCA on mucilage removal

Continue: Processing

Washing station

A facility that receives and processes coffee cherries. Source: SCA East African quality