A, AA, AAA Grade indicators, which vary by country, used to describe the largest beans: A in India; AA in Kenya, Tanzania, and New Guinea; AAA in Peru.
Acidity An important category used by professional tasters in judging coffee; a fine coffee should have a pleasant tartness, but not be so acidic as to be bitter.
Aged Coffee Coffee that is maintained in special warehouses for several years in order to reduce acidity and increase body. Aged coffee, also known as vintage coffee, is warehoused longer than old crop or mature coffees.
Alajuela An excellent coffee from Costa Rica.
Altura A Mexican coffee that has been grown at high elevations; a mountain-grown coffee. Somewhat extraneous, as all coffee is mountain-grown.
American Roast Standard American (that is, United States) medium brown roast, as used with the Robusta coffee variety in commercial coffees like Maxwell House.
Ankola An excellent coffee from Sumatra.
Antigua An excellent coffee from Guatemala.
Arabian Mocha Java A blend of Java Arabica and Arabian Mocha—usually two parts Java Arabica to one part Arabian (Yemen) Mocha—said to be the world's oldest coffee blend.
Arabian Mocha Sanani An exotic coffee from Yemen that is especially pungent and complex.
Arabica See Coffea Arabica.
Armenia An excellent coffee from Columbia.
Aroma An important category used by professional tasters in judging coffee; a fine coffee should have a pleasant fragrance when hot and freshly brewed.
Arusha Coffee from the slopes of Mount Meru in Tanzania.
B
Balance This tasting term describes coffees that are complex, but where no one element overshadows the others.
Bandeirante An estate grown Santos coffee from Brazil.
Bani Low-acid coffee from the Dominican Republic.
Barahona Considered the best coffee from the Dominican Republic.
Barista The name given to a person who makes coffee drinks as a profession.
Batch Roaster A roaster that processes a set quantity, or batch, of coffee beans at a time.
