characteristic of Arabica coffee, particularly those grown at high altitude. Acidity should be natural and pleasant and brings life to coffee as opposed to ripe or mellow coffees. Ranging from bright to nippy, it is only present in fresh crops and diminishes with darker roasts.

catalytic converter connected to the roaster that reduces the particulate and odour output of the roasting process, resulting in mainly moisture being emitted into the atmosphere.   It is expensive to buy, install and operate.

a living glossary of terms we use explaining what we mean by them in an attempt to communicate more effectively with you.  It is never going to be the last word or a world authority, but hopefully a useful tool so you can understand your barista better.

botanical species of coffee grown at higher altitudes, as opposed to Robusta coffee.  Generally, Arabica coffee is more expensive to cultivate and can be divided into two broad categories: wet processed milds from Central and South America and Africa, and natural Brazilians.  The milds are usually further classified by country and region of origin as well as cultivation altitude; eg. Guatemala Antigua SHB.  Altezano only uses Arabica coffee, anything else would be unAltezano.  See also Milds, Natural Brazilian, and Robusta.

evaluation by smell of roasted coffee once it has been ground and had hot water added, usually 10g of coffee for 150mL of water.

also, rounded.  A coffee that has the basic tastes of sweet, salty, sour, and bitter in the right quantities.

located on the back of each Altezano bag and curiously similar to a date.  Read into that what you will.  See also best before.

Altezano has one of the most demanding definitions of fresh coffee and we stake our reputation on it.  Some roasters have a best before of 12 months, not because it miraculously lasts longer or our coffee is inferior, but because it’s commercially expedient.  We will not mislead you: fresh is best.  Our best before date is one month after the date the coffee is roasted and packaged on.  As the graph shows, it is better to have used the coffee within two weeks, especially if it is ground, as this greatly increases the surface area and it deteriorates quicker than whole beans.  Our bags are resealable and have one-way valves so are ideal for storing your coffee.  You can still enjoy your coffee after 30 days, but it won’t be as intense or rich as it once was.  Obviously it is more economical to buy in larger quantities but this should ideally be balanced with what you will consume within our best before recommendation.  Trust us.  See also batch number and unAltezano.

a positive characteristic of coffee referring to the tactile sensations perceived in the mouth from the liquid’s viscosity during and after sipping. The best way to determine the amount of body is to run the tongue over the roof of your mouth.

a roaster that only uses ethically sourced beans of outstanding quality, roasted in micro-batches, with an attention to detail simply not achievable in a large commercial setting.  Not only are they likely to provide a quality product, they are also likely to support it with great service, and may even enjoy what they do.  If you now realise you need more boutique in your coffee, it’s never too late to convert to Altezano.  See also unAltezano.

Manner in which your coffee is made with different effects on the cup. As a general rule, blends work well in espresso because of the short time the water is in contact with the coffee, and filter and plunger coffee is a great way to appreciate a single origin.

it may seem too self-explanatory to make it into the Altesaurus, as this is obviously how you are making your coffee.  However, the brew method can also refer to a grind, unless you have your own grinder.  This can create confusion.  If you say you want one of our blends "for espresso" we will assume you want it ground and won't automatically assume you have your own grinder and actually require whole beans.  If you ask us for an espresso blend, we will recommend based on your flavour profile preferences.  Tricky.  See also extraction, flavour profile, and infusion.

term describing the layers of flavours in a blend, typically produced by multiple origins or differing roast profiles on the same origin

a product that will break down naturally and completely over time.  Current Altezano products that are compostable are takeaway food containers and utensils.  See also degradable, recyclable, recycled, reusable, & sustainable. 

coffee is 100% seasonal.  Once the coffee is harvested it begins its inevitable decline.  We constantly have to replenish our stock with what is in season and meeting our flavour profile requirements.  This is why single origin coffees should be enjoyed while they are here - they won't be forever! 

broken beans, black beans, sour beans, beans in parchment, husks, twigs, stones ... you get the idea.  Things in the sack of coffee that you don’t want in your cup.

a product that will break down over time although not necessarily to a molecular level.  Currently Altezano takeaway cups and sugar sachet wrapping are degradable.  See also compostable, recyclable, recycled, reusable, & sustainable.

device that we run all our roasted coffee through to separate out defects.

our El Salvador coffee purchased directly from the grower; cutting out the exporter, importer, and financier.  By assuming more risk we are able to achieve the best result for the grower, and ourselves.  Our goal with Direct Trade coffee is to buy fantastic quality coffee while exceeding the Fairtrade price minimum and premium by 25%.  A true win-win.  See also relationship coffee and Fairtrade.

direct trade

European Preparation.  A reference to the standard of preparation of green coffees, usually from Central America, higher than that for the North American market.  This standard tolerates less defects in the coffee.

brew methods where near-boiling water is forced through a set amount of finely ground coffee for a prescribed period of time ideally suited to coffee with a greater degree of complexity

A fine grind that, due to the proliferation of home "espresso" machinery and the high variance in their performance, is the most difficult to get right for your machine, in the state in which you keep it.  In an ideal world, everyone would have their own grinder and thus only be ordering beans to be ground freshly for their use.  If you need yours slightly finer or coarser than our standard, please let us know and we will do our best to accomodate you.   

the 50 mL double shot resulting from 92 degrees Celsius water forced through 16 - 18g of coffee at 9 bar pressure for 25 seconds.  Double shots are standard at Altezano espresso bars.  A single shot is half of the above (25 mL shot resulting from 92 decrees C water forced through 8 - 9g of coffee at 9 bar for 25 seconds).  An extraction implies a brew method via an espresso machine as opposed to an infusion.  See also espresso grind and infusion.

a brand for ethically sourced goods that meet FLO requirements allowing the consumer to readily identify them.  A percentage of the sale price goes to the brand Fairtrade to fund it.  You may notice that our bags don't carry the Fairtrade logo - to do so we would have to pay a royalty that doesn't go to the grower at all.  If you simply must have Fairtrade sourced goods, our organic and unleaded (decaf) blends are exclusively Fairtrade.  See also FLO.

brew methods based on an infusion resulting from hot water being in contact with coarser ground coffee for a longer period of time ideally suited to coffees with acidity and body and an excellent way to appreciate a single origin

overall description of a coffee taking into account acidity, body, and complexity. Flavour notes may also refer to other familiar foods to help overcome the extremely subjective nature of describing a flavour.

Fairtrade Labelling Organisation: determines whether a producer or seller meets the standards, including social and employment standards, to carry the Fairtrade logo.  The price paid to producers is made up of a minimum guaranteed to the grower and a premium over and above that minimum.  The premium is usually spent on communal projects.  See also Direct Trade and relationship coffee.

evaluation by smell of roasted coffee once it has been ground but still dry.

Fairtrade

sometimes referred to as fluid bed roasting, green beans are agitated and roasted by having hot-air forced through the body of beans.  It could also be a reference to the hyperbole surrounding the benefits of this roasting method.

brew method via a plunger or filter as opposed to an espresso.  See also espresso.

100% recyclable and reusable takeaway coffee cup.  Brilliant.  The Altezano KeepCup has the further advantage of providing a rebate at any one of our espresso bars, paying for itself in less than 100 coffees.  Ay caramba!

refers to the persistence of the aftertaste

How we roast our coffee: 20 kg or less that is roasted at one time allowing greater attention to detail, as opposed to 60 – 120 kg going in as one batch typical of the large scale roasters in Aotearoa.

refers to all fine washed Arabica coffees grown in the Central and South America and also Africa.  cf natural Brazil and see also screen size.

this potentially oxymoronic phrase refers to the process used to treat coffee once it has been harvested.  It is sometimes called the dry process and is the most common in Brazil.  From time to time we purchase a semi-washed or cherry-pulped Brazil if available.  In other countries the wet process is the most common for Arabica.  cf Milds, Robusta, Arabica and see also screen size.

When a coffee takes too long to extract (over 28 seconds), thus ruining the flavour.  This must be resolved by coarsening the grind, or reducing the dosage or tamp pressure.  It can also be caused by too high pump pressure or brew temperature.

cheap substitute used to clean and backwash groupheads on espresso machines and a classic example of a false economy: you will spend much more replacing solenoids than what you saved buying this stuff.  We recommend Pulycaff because it works and doesn’t damage your machine or your wallet.   Do the right thing and just buy our Pulycaff.

relationship coffee 

a product that can be broken down and transformed for another use.  A product will be recyclable depending on both its composition and the recycling facilities available.  Our recyclable products are: KeepCup all components; takeaway 12 oz, 8 oz, & 4 oz lids; all takeaway food containers.  See also compostable, degradable, recycled, reusable, & sustainable.

a product made from materials derived from other products.  Our recycled products currently include napkins, takeaway cup-holders, and 50% of the paper product in our takeaway cups.  See also compostable, degradable, recyclable, reusable, and sustainable.

coffee purchased directly by a New Zealand organisation through their relationship with the grower.  Our commitment to purchasing these beans allows them to minimise their risk and improve the return for the grower, thus helping continue one of the fairest trading systems of all within the ethical trade umbrella.  Coffees we purchase that fall in this category are the Indonesian, the Indian, and the Brazil.  See also Direct Trade and Fairtrade.

a product that can be reused and still meet Ministry of Health requirements.  Altezano KeepCups are reusable.  Some of our busier cafe clients receive their coffee in reusable coffee containers that greatly reduce our flexible packaging consumption.  See also compostable, degradable, recyclable, recycled, and sustainable.

A complex being with lots of nuance

species of coffee that, as the name implies, thrives at lower altitudes and is easier to cultivate.  While a good Robusta is better than a bad Arabica, generally the Robusta is of a lower standard and should only make up a small percentage of the blend.  There was a period in the 90s where "100% Arabica" was shouted from the roof tops, but now you would be surprised how many roasters have snuck it back in, perhaps due to rising commodity prices and a volatile foreign exchange.  Altezano only uses 100% Arabica coffees that bring body and crema to the extraction, without having to use a Robusta.  See also Arabica and unAltezano.