Tips & Trivia...      

All About Roasting

In addition to plant variety and growing method, the method of roasting also contributes to the flavor. Types of roast range from Full City, the lightest, to French roast, the darkest.

FULL CITY
Most Full City roasts are a deep chestnut brown with little or no oil on the bean surface. This roast results in maximum varietal flavor and aroma.

VENNA ROAST
The lightest of the dark roasts, Vienna Roast is a rich brown with natural oils covering the bean surface. Body in the foreground, supported by a firm core of lively acidity.

ESPRESSO
Deep but not dark, the Espresso roast is to Full City what a fine vintage port is to still wine. Plush body in the foreground with just a trace of supporting acidity and varietal nuances still subtly present.

FRENCH ROAST
At the French Roast stage, varietal flavors have been burned off and are replaced with the smokey power of the roasting process. Intense, spicy, yet light in body.

Coffee Jargon

As with wine, there are an array of terms to describe coffee that help to capture the many flavor aspects and characteristics.

The most popular flavor aspects include:

AROMA
Aroma is the fragrance of brewed coffee, often distinctive and complex. Terms used to describe the aroma, or bouquet, include caramel (candy or syrup), carbon (for dark roasts), chocolate, fruit, floral, malt (cereal), rich, round and spicy.

ACIDITY
Acidity refers to the liveliness or sharpness the coffee leaves on your palate.
Because coffee is considered neutral in acid, the term 'acidity' refers to taste rather than a level of acid.

BODY
Body refers to the weight of the coffee on one's tongue. It can be described as the feeling or consistency that coffee leaves in your mouth.

FLAVOR
Flavor refers to the overall taste of coffee. It is the total impression of aroma, acidity and body. Flavor also is used to acknowledge specific characteristics like spice, fruit, nut and chocolate notes.

Character descriptions include: Return to top

BUTTERY/CREAMY
Coffees that are rich and oily in flavor and texture, such as Sulawesi, lending a full smooth taste.

COMPLEX
Coffees that have many characteristics and a variety of depth.

EARTHY
An herbal, musty or mushroom-like range of flavors characteristic of Indonesian coffees.

EXOTIC
Coffees exhibiting unusual & complex flavor, such as East African coffees

FLORAL
A sweet, fragrant aroma or smell characteristic of Ethiopian coffees

NUTTY
A taste that is reminiscent of roasted nuts, often descriptive of Vienna Roasts

RICH/DEEP
Coffee with a very full body taste, flavor and a high degree of aroma

SMOKEY
An aromatic sensation in the coffee's aftertaste with a hint of mesquite-like smoke, used to describe French Roast

SOFT/MILD
Descriptive of low-acid coffees characterized by the absense of any unpleasant or predominant tastes. Soft coffees, also be described as mellow, include Costa Rican and Mexican coffees

SPICY
An aroma or flavor in the coffee's aftertaste that recalls a particular spice. It could be a hint of cinnamon, clove, pepper or a cedar cigar box, often found in Indonesian coffees

WINEY
A desirable flavor quality that has characteristics of fine red wines. (Kenya)

Did you know? Return to top

GEOGRAPHY
Coffee only grows between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer

HARVEST
Allegro coffee beans are hand-picked when they ripen on the tree. Since not all of the beans ripen at the same time, multiple visits per tree per year are required.

ORIGINS
The coffee bean is the seed of the coffee cherry, which resembles the cherries we eat. Each cherry contains two beans.

TRADE
Coffee is the #2 traded commodity in the world...behind oil.