Coffee Glossary – K L M N O

Kalossi.  A growing region in the southeastern highlands of Sulawesi. At best, distinguished by full body, expansive flavor, and a low-toned, vibrant acidity. At worst, many display unpleasant hard or musty defects. Some display an earthiness which many coffee lovers enjoy and others avoid.

Kenya.  Kenya coffees are celebrated for their deep, winy acidity, resonant cup presence, and complex fruit and berry tones. Of the world’s great coffees, Kenyan probably is the most consistent in quality and most widely available.

Kilimanjaro.  Coffee from the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

Kona, Hawaii Kona.  Single-origin coffee from the Kona coast of the Island of Hawaii. The best Kona coffee displays classic balance, with medium body, good acidity, and rich, complex aroma and flavor.

Kopi Luwak.  Coffee from Sumatra, Indonesia, distinguished not by origin, but by the uniquely intimate way it is processed. A mammal called a luwak, or civet, eats ripe coffee cherries, digests the fruit, and excretes the seeds, after which the seeds or beans are gathered from its dry droppings. Kopi luwak is one of the most expensive coffees in the world owing to obvious limitations on its production. Authorities differ on how much of the kopi luwak that arrives at coffee dealers is authentic and how much is ordinary coffee that has been “treated” in luwak manure, but samples certainly look authentic, smell authentic, and are pleasantly earthy, sweet and full in the cup.

La Minita, La Minita Farm.  Well-publicized estate in the Tarrazu district of Costa Rica that produces an excellent, meticulously prepared coffee.

Latte, Caffè Latte.  A serving of espresso combined with about three times as much hot milk topped with froth.

Lavado Fino.  Best grade of Venezuela coffee.

Light Espresso Roast, Light French Roast, Vienna Roast, City Roast, Full-City Roast, High Roast.  Terms for coffee brought to degrees of roast somewhat darker than the traditional American norm, but lighter than the classic dark roast variously called espresso, French, or Italian. In the cup, full-city and associated roast styles are less acidy and smoother than the traditional American “medium” roast, but may display fewer of the distinctive taste characteristics of the original coffee. Among many newer American specialty roasters, roast styles once called full-city, Viennese, etc. may constitute the typical, “regular” roast of coffee.

Light Roast, Cinnamon Roast, New England Roast.  Coffee brought to a degree of roast of coffee lighter than the traditional American norm, and grainlike in taste, with a sharp, almost sour acidity. This roast style is not a factor in specialty coffee.

Limu.  Market name for a respected fragrant, floral- and fruit-toned wet-processed coffee from south-central Ethiopia.

Lintong, Mandheling Lintong.  Market name for the most admired coffee of Sumatra, Indonesia. From the Lake Toba area toward the northern end of the island.

Luwak, Kopi Luwak.  Coffee from Sumatra, Indonesia, distinguished not by origin, but by the uniquely intimate way it is processed. A mammal called a luwak, or civet, eats ripe coffee cherries, digests the fruit, and excretes the seeds, after which the seeds or beans are gathered from its dry droppings. Kopi luwak is one of the most expensive coffees in the world owing to obvious limitations on its production. Authorities differ on how much of the kopi luwak that arrives at coffee dealers is authentic and how much is ordinary coffee that has been “treated” in luwak manure, but samples certainly look authentic, smell authentic, and are pleasantly earthy, sweet and full in the cup.

Mérida.  Market name for one of the most respected and most characteristic Venezuela coffees, delicate and sweet in the cup.

Macchiato.  Either a serving of espresso “stained” or marked with a small quantity of hot frothed milk (espresso macchiato), or a moderately tall (about eight ounces) glass of hot frothed milk “stained” with espresso (latte macchiato). In North America, the term macchiato is more likely to describe the former (espresso stained with milk) than the latter (milk stained with espresso).

Macchinetta.  , Flip-Drip, Neapolitan Macchinetta. A style of drip method brewer in which the ground coffee is secured in a two-sided strainer at the waist of the pot between two closed compartments. The brewing water is heated in one compartment, then the pot is flipped over, and the hot water drips through the coffee into the opposite compartment.

Machine Drying.  Coffee must be dried, either directly after picking (in the dry method) or after fruit removal (in the wet method). Sun drying is often replaced or supplemented by drying with machines, either in large, rotating drums or in cascading silos. Machine drying can be superior or inferior to sun drying in terms of promoting cup quality, depending on weather conditions, drying temperature, and other factors.

Malawi.  Most Malawi (a small country west of Mozambique, Africa) coffee to reach the United States is grown on larger estates and distinguished by a rather soft, round profile.

MAM.  Acronym for Medellín, Armenia, and Manizales, three of the most famous and best coffees of Colombia. To simplify large-scale coffee contracts, coffees from these three regions are sold together as MAMs.

Mandheling.  The most famous coffee of Sumatra, Indonesia. From the Lake Toba area toward the northern end of the island.

Maracaibo.  A class of coffees from Venezuela, including many of the most characteristic and distinguished coffees of that country.

Maragogipe (MAH-rah-goh-SHZEE-peh), Elephant Bean.  A variety of Coffea arabica distinguished by extremely large, porous beans. It first appeared in Maragogipe, Brazil, and has since been planted elsewhere in Latin America, particularly in Mexico and Central America. It is currently falling out of favor owing to thinnish cup character and low-bearing trees.

Matagalpa.  Market name for a respected coffee of Nicaragua.

Mattari, Matari.  Market name for one of the most admired coffees of Yemen. From the Bani Mattar area west of the capital city of Sana’a. Usually a winier, sharper version of the Yemen style.

Mature Coffee.  Coffee held in warehouses for two to three years. Mature coffee has been held longer than old crop coffee, but not as long as aged or vintage coffee.

Mbeya, Pare.  Market names for coffee from the south of Tanzania.

Medium Roast, Medium-High Roast.  Also known as American Roast. Coffee roasted to traditional American taste: medium brown.

Mexico.  The best Mexico coffees (Oaxaca Pluma, Coatepec, Chiapas) are distinguished by a light body and a delicate, pleasant acidity. Highland Chiapas coffees can be bigger and more richly acidy.

Microwave Brewers.  Brewing apparatus designed to take advantage of the unique properties of the microwave oven. Over the years microwave brewers have incorporated a variety of technical means, ranging from open-pot through various approaches to filter-drip. At this writing, none have made an impression on the market.

Middle Eastern Coffee, Turkish Coffee.  Coffee ground to a powder, sweetened (usually), brought to a boil, and served grounds and all.

Mild.  A trade term for high-quality arabica coffees. Often contrasted with hard, or inferior, coffees.

Milling.  Mechanical removal of the dry parchment skin from wet-processed coffee beans, or the entire dried fruit husk from dry-processed beans.

Mocha, Moka, Mocca, Moca.  Single-origin coffee from Yemen; also a drink combining chocolate and (usually espresso) coffee. The coffee, also called Arabian Mocha, Yemen, or Yemen Mocha, takes its name from the ancient port of Mocha. It is the world’s oldest cultivated coffee, distinguished by its distinctively rich, winy acidity and intriguing nuance. Coffee from the Harrar region of Ethiopia, which resembles Yemen coffee in cup-character, is also sometimes called Mocha.

Mocha-Java, Moka-Java, Mocca-Java.  Traditionally, a blend of Yemen Mocha and Java Arabica coffees, usually one part Yemen Mocha and two parts Java Arabica. All commercial Mocha-Java blends and many specialty versions no longer follow this recipe. Commercial blends may combine any of a variety of round, full coffees in place of the Java, and any of a variety of bright, acidy coffees in place of the Mocha, while changing proportions to maintain a uniform taste. Versions offered by specialty roasters may blend a true Java with a true Yemen Mocha, or may substitute another (often better) Indonesia coffee for the Java, or an Ethiopia Harrar for the Yemen. Most specialty coffee variations probably do represent the classic blend accurately. In its traditional form, Mocha-Java is the world’s oldest coffee blend.

Monsooned Coffee, Monsooned Malabar.  Dry-processed single-origin coffee from south India deliberately exposed to monsoon winds in open warehouses, with the aim of increasing body and reducing acidity.

Moshi.  Market name for coffee from the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

Mysore, India Mysore.  Mysore is a market name for certain high-quality wet-processed India coffees grown in the south of the country. The best is low-key, with moderate body and acidity and occasional intriguing nuance; at worst it is bland.

Nariño.  Department in southern Colombia that produces certain particularly admired specialty coffees.

Natural Coffee, Dry-Processed Coffee, Dry Method Coffee.  Coffee processed by removing the husk or fruit after the coffee fruit has been dried. When only ripe fruit is utilized and the drying is done carefully dry-processed coffee can be complex, fruity, and deeply-dimensioned. When the picking and drying are performed carelessly, as is the case with cheaper dry-processed coffees, the result is off-tasting, harsh coffee. The best and most celebrated dry-processed coffees are Yemen coffees, the Harrar coffees of Ethiopia, and the finest traditional Brazil coffees.

Neapolitan Macchinetta, Macchinetta, Flip-Drip.  A style of drip method brewer in which the ground coffee is secured in a two-sided strainer at the waist of the pot between two closed compartments. The brewing water is heated in one compartment, then the pot is flipped over, and the hot water drips through the coffee into the opposite compartment.

Neapolitan Roast.  Term for coffee brought to a degree of roast darker than the typical espresso roast, but not quite black.

New Crop.  Coffee delivered for roasting soon after harvesting and processing. Coffees are at their brightest (or rawest) and most acidy in this state. Also see Old Crop.

New England Roast, Light Roast, Cinnamon Roast.  Coffee brought to a degree of roast of coffee lighter than the traditional American norm, and grainlike in taste, with a sharp, almost sour acidity. This roast style is not a factor in specialty coffee.

New Guinea.  Single-origin coffee from Papua New Guinea. The best-known New Guinea coffees are produced on very large, state of the art estates that produce a very well-prepared, clean, fragrant, deeply dimensioned, moderately acidy coffee. Other organically grown New Guinea coffees are produced on small farms and processed by the farmers using technically simple means, producing quirky, full, complex coffees at best, off-tasting coffees at worst.

New Orleans Coffee.  Traditionally, dark-roast coffee blended with up to forty percent roasted and ground chicory root. Most New Orleans blends sold in specialty stores today contain no chicory, however. They are essentially dark-roast blends, heavy on dry-processed Brazil coffees.

Nicaragua.  Nicaragua coffees (usually market names Jinotega and Matagalpa,) are excellent but usually not distinguished coffees in the classic Central-American style: medium-bodied, straightforwardly acidy, and flavorful.

Oaxaca (Wah-HAH-kuh), Oaxaca Pluma.  Market name for coffee from the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca.

Ocoa.  Market name for one of the better-respected coffees of the Dominican Republic.

Old Arabicas.  Botanical varieties or cultivars of the Coffea arabica species that were developed by selection relatively early in the history of coffee, such as var. bourbon and var. typica, as opposed to hybrid varieties that have been developed more recently in deliberate efforts to increase disease resistance and production. Many experts contend that the modern varieties of Coffea arabica produce coffee that is inferior in cup quality and interest to the coffee produced by the more traditional old arabica varieties.

Old Crop.  Coffee that has been held in warehouses before shipping. Old crop differs from aged or vintage and mature coffees in two ways: First, it has not been held for as long a period, and second, it may not have been handled with as much deliberateness. Depending on the characteristics of the original coffee and the quality of the handling, old crop may or may not be considered superior in cup characteristics to a new crop version of the same coffee. See also New Crop.

Old Java, Old Government, Old Brown.  Arabica coffee from Java that, like mature coffee, has been deliberately held in warehouses in port cities to reduce acidity and increase body. The purpose is to mimic the flavor characteristics of the original Java coffee, which was inadvertently aged in the holds of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century sailing ships during their passage to Europe.

Old Tavern Coffee Estate.  A small, highly regarded producer of certified Jamaica Blue Mountain™ coffee using traditional wet processing methods.

Open-Pot Method.  Brewing method in which the ground coffee is steeped (not boiled) in an open pot, and separated from the brewed coffee by settling or straining.

Organic Coffee, Certified Organic Coffee.  Coffee that has been certified by a third-party agency as having been grown and processed without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or similar chemicals.