Specialty coffee borrowed its vocabulary from wine, then added its own. For cocktail bartenders, knowing the working terms helps when you choose a bean for a coffee cocktail, and when you talk to your bean supplier. Here is the working glossary.

The five primary axes

Acidity. The bright, sometimes citric, sometimes wine-like sharpness on the front of the palate. High-acidity coffees include Kenyan, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, Costa Rican Tarrazu. Low-acidity: Sumatran Mandheling, Brazilian Cerrado.

Body. The weight or thickness on the palate. Heavy-bodied: Sumatran, Indian Monsoon Malabar. Light-bodied: Ethiopian washed, most Kenyans.

Sweetness. Natural sweetness from sugars developed during roasting (Maillard reactions) and the fruit body of the cherry. High sweetness: Brazilian, Colombian Huila. Lower: dark French roast, robusta.

Balance. How well the acidity, sweetness, body, and bitterness work together. Hard to taste in isolation; learnt by cupping multiple coffees side-by-side.

Finish (or aftertaste). How long the flavour lingers after swallowing. Long finishes are positive in specialty coffee. Short or dry finishes often indicate over-roast or stale beans.

The SCA Flavor Wheel

The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) publishes a Flavor Wheel that organises coffee tasting notes into categories. The major branches:

  • Fruity (citrus, berry, dried fruit, other fruit)
  • Floral (jasmine, hibiscus, chamomile)
  • Sweet (caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, honey)
  • Nutty / Cocoa (almond, hazelnut, dark chocolate, milk chocolate)
  • Spices (clove, anise, cinnamon, pepper)
  • Roasted (cereal, pipe tobacco, ash, charred)
  • Other (woody, papery, chemical)

Each branch fans out into more specific descriptors. The SCA's wheel is the lingua franca for professional coffee tasters.

Mapping vocabulary to cocktail use

For espresso martinis: high-body, low-acidity coffees. Indonesian, Brazilian. Want chocolate, nutty, caramel notes that pair with vodka and Kahlúa.

For brighter coffee cocktails (Mr Black Tonic, coffee Negroni): medium body, medium acidity. Colombian, Costa Rican. Want citrus or stone-fruit notes that lift through the bitterness.

For coffee Old Fashioneds and dessert cocktails: dark roast, low acidity. Sumatran or Italian-leaning blends. Want chocolate, caramel, baking-spice notes.

For cold brews used as cocktail ingredients: medium roast, single-origin Ethiopian (Yirgacheffe, Sidamo). The natural floral and stone-fruit notes survive the cold extraction and add character.

Malaysian coffee terminology

Malaysian kopitiam coffee uses different vocabulary. Worth knowing:

  • Kopi-O: coffee, black, no milk. The most-useful for cocktails.
  • Kopi-O kosong: kopi-O without sugar.
  • Kopi peng: iced kopi-O.
  • Kopi gao: stronger coffee (more grounds).
  • Kopi pok: the original burnt-margarine-and-sugar style. Bigger body, more rustic. Cult Malaysian profile.

For cocktail use, kopi-O brewed strong (cold or hot) substitutes excellently for Western single-origin coffees in any coffee cocktail. The traditional sugar-and-margarine roasting gives kopi a darker, more chocolate-heavy character that pairs beautifully with rum and bourbon.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the five primary axes of coffee tasting?

Acidity (bright, sometimes citric sharpness on the front of the palate), body (the weight or thickness in the mouth), sweetness (natural sugars developed during roasting and ripening), balance (how the four other qualities sit together), and finish (how long the flavour lingers after swallowing). Together these five make up the working framework used in SCA-style cupping and in most barista training programmes.

How do I match a coffee bean to a cocktail style?

For Espresso Martinis, use a high-body, low-acidity bean: Indonesian or Brazilian, leaning chocolate and nutty. For brighter coffee Negronis and tonics, pick a medium-body Colombian or Costa Rican that holds citrus notes. For coffee Old Fashioneds and dessert builds, lean into dark-roast Sumatran or Italian blends. For cold brew cocktail bases, single-origin Ethiopian holds floral and stone-fruit through extraction.

What is the SCA Flavor Wheel?

The Specialty Coffee Association Flavor Wheel is a circular reference that organises coffee tasting notes into branches: fruity, floral, sweet, nutty and cocoa, spices, roasted, and other. Each branch fans out into specific descriptors like jasmine, brown sugar, hazelnut, or clove. Professional tasters use it as a shared vocabulary so two cuppers in different cities can describe the same brew with the same words.

How is kopi-O described in this vocabulary?

In SCA terms, sock-brewed kopi-O reads as high-body, low-acidity, low-natural-sweetness, with strong roasted and nutty-cocoa branches and a long, slightly bitter finish. The margarine-roast and longer brew add caramel and toast notes that an arabica espresso does not have. For cocktail use, kopi-O behaves like a dark-roast Sumatran with extra body and a touch more bitterness.

Where can I taste different coffee cocktails in PJ?

Both Dissolved Solids (43-1 Jalan SS20/11 Damansara Kim) and Soluble Solids (50-1 Jalan SS2/24) keep a small range of coffee cocktails on the menu, spanning bright Ethiopian cold-brew builds to dark kopi-O Old Fashioneds. Tell the bartender whether you want a coffee cocktail that leans bright or one that leans chocolate, or message us on WhatsApp +60 11-4008 7607 or +60 11-1682 8651.