A Quick Lesson on Terminology

A Quick Lesson on Terminology

Anyone looking at a menu in a coffee shop can easily get overwhelmed by all the different names, especially someone just being introduced to coffee. Even those who frequent their local coffee spot may only know the basics. So to make yours and your friendly neighborhood barista’s life a little easier, lets walk through everything you’ll find at a typical coffee shop.

The traditional brewing method where a coffee brewer continuously pours hot water onto the grounds, passing through a coffee filter, and into the carafe below.

Similar to drip coffee in concept, but the hot water is poured by hand. This allows more control and is ideally done slowly with many pauses. Doing it this way will extract more flavor and give the coffee a more well rounded taste.

An Americano is simply shot of espresso diluted with water. Since espresso is being used, it will still have strong flavor but far less intense than a shot on its own.

This is drip coffee with a shot of espresso. The red eye has many names, such as Hammerhead, Shot in the Dark, or Oil spill, and at Black Turtle Coffee, we call ours a Hammershell.

Different from regular iced coffee, Cold Brew is brewed without any heat by steeping the grounds in cold water for 20–24 hours in the fridge. This process gives it a lighter taste and higher caffeine content.

Cold brew infused with Nitrous Oxide, which gives it a slighter lighter and sweeter taste. In addition, it gives the cold brew a head like a beer on tap.

A shot of espresso with steamed milk and a bit of foam. At Black Turtle Coffee, our single origin drip coffee is best enjoyed black, so if you prefer a lot of cream in your coffee, consider trying a Caffè Latte.

A shot of espresso with steamed milk and significantly more foam than a latte.

A shot of espresso with steamed milk and no foam at all.

It’s a tea latte, meaning that it is milk based instead of water based. Usually made by adding a chai powder or chai liquid to milk and steaming it like a latte.

A Chai Latte with a shot of espresso.

A Caffè Latte with chocolate powder or chocolate syrup.

A shot of espresso with a small amount of steamed milk and a dollop of foam on top. This is the traditional method of making a macchiato done in craft coffee shops, but many places do their own version which is nearly identical to a latte.

A shot of espresso with an equal amount of steamed milk and no foam.

A scoop of vanilla ice-cream with a shot of espresso poured over top. The perfect summer treat.

Congratulations! You are now an expert in terminology. To learn more and to order freshly roasted beans, visit our website at www.blackturtlecoffee.com and don’t forget to follow us on instagram @blackturtlecoffee

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