Every useful drinks word, in plain English.

Alcohol by volume: the percentage of a drink that is pure alcohol.

Also: alcohol by volume

A fermentation compound that can smell like green apple when it remains at noticeable levels in beer.

The fresh, tart or mouth-watering quality in a drink. It can make wine, coffee, cider and tea feel brighter and more lively.

An ingredient used alongside the core brewing grains. Rice, maize, oats, sugar, fruit and spices can all be adjuncts depending on the beer.

A compact coffee brewer that combines immersion and pressure, usually producing a clean, concentrated cup through a paper or metal filter.

The flavours and sensations that remain after you swallow or spit the drink.

The succulent plant used to make tequila, mezcal and other agave spirits.

Holding a drink for a period so flavour, aroma or texture can develop. Ageing can happen in tank, barrel, bottle or other vessels.

Movement of water and grounds or leaves during brewing. In coffee, stirring or pouring can change how quickly flavour compounds are extracted.

A farming system that grows crops alongside trees or other perennial vegetation. In cacao, shade trees can contribute habitat, farm diversity and climate resilience when well managed.

Beer fermented with ale-type yeast, traditionally warmer than lager fermentation and often with more obvious fruity or spicy fermentation character.

A copper-coloured German ale associated with Düsseldorf, fermented with ale yeast and then conditioned cool.

A bittersweet herbal liqueur, usually served as an aperitif, digestif or cocktail ingredient.

A cacao genetic group historically planted widely in West Africa and elsewhere. ICCO identifies Amelonado as one of the major modern genetic groups within cacao.

Espresso diluted with hot water to make a longer, lighter drink while keeping the flavour profile of the espresso.

Spanish for aged. On tequila, it means the spirit has spent a longer period in oak than reposado.

Also: anejo

The portion of spirit or wine that evaporates from a cask during maturation.

Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée: a French geographical designation with rules covering origin and production.

Also: appellation d’origine contrôlée

A drink served before a meal, often dry, bitter or aromatic, intended to wake up the appetite.

A legally defined place name used on wine and some other foods and drinks, usually with rules about origin and production.

The cooking liquid from chickpeas or other legumes, used as a vegan foaming substitute for egg white in some cocktails.

Coffea arabica, the coffee species behind most specialty coffee. It often gives more aromatic complexity and less caffeine than robusta.

A protected French grape brandy from the Armagnac region of south-west France, with its own grapes, geography and distillation traditions.

What you smell from a drink. Aroma can come from the raw ingredient, fermentation, roasting, ageing, serving temperature and more.

Wine flavoured with botanicals such as herbs, roots, bark or spices. Vermouth is the best-known example.

Also: aromatized wine

A historic Ecuadorian cacao term associated with Nacional cacao and the traditional fine floral flavour linked to the upper Guayas river system. It is better treated as a historical flavour/origin tradition than as a simple modern regional guarantee.

Also: Cacao Arriba

A drying, puckering sensation caused by compounds such as tannins. Common in tea, red wine, cider and some coffee.

How much fermentable material yeast consumes during fermentation. Higher attenuation usually produces a drier beer.

American Viticultural Area: a legally defined US wine-growing region.

Also: american viticultural area

How well sweetness, acidity, bitterness, alcohol, tannin, aroma and body work together rather than one element dominating awkwardly.

A very strong ale with concentrated malt character and enough structure to be sipped slowly; some examples can age well.

Maturing a drink in wood so time, oxygen, the barrel itself and any previous fill can influence flavour and texture.

The main alcoholic spirit in a cocktail, such as gin in a Martini or rum in a Daiquiri.

A roomy perforated or mesh basket that sits inside a mug or teapot and holds loose tea while it brews. Its larger volume gives leaves more room to expand than many tea balls.

Also: tea basket · brew basket

Stirring the lees during wine ageing to build texture and sometimes add savoury or creamy complexity.

Also: batonnage

A chocolate-making approach in which one producer controls the process from whole cacao beans through roasting, grinding and finished chocolate.

A highly aromatic citrus fruit whose peel oil or flavour character is the signature note in Earl Grey tea.

Aromatic oil expressed from bergamot peel and commonly used to give Earl Grey its distinctive citrus-floral character.

A classic British ale family balancing malt with noticeable but usually moderate hop bitterness.

A taste sensation found in hops, tonic water, coffee, tea, cocoa and some botanicals. In balance it can add structure and refreshment.

Highly concentrated alcoholic flavourings made from herbs, spices, bark or roots and used in small amounts in cocktails.

A traditional cider-apple category with both notable tannin and acidity.

A traditional cider-apple category with relatively high tannin but lower acidity.

Tea made from Camellia sinensis leaves that have been extensively oxidised, producing deeper colour and flavour than green tea.

A sparkling-wine term meaning “white from whites”, most famously Champagne made only from white grapes.

A sparkling-wine term meaning “white from blacks”, referring to white sparkling wine made from dark-skinned grapes.

An unaged or very lightly rested style of tequila or other agave spirit, usually showing the clearest agave character.

A drink made by combining different lots, origins, grape varieties, tea components, coffee components, whiskies or other elements to create a chosen final profile.

Whisky made by combining different whiskies to create a chosen style. In Scotch, Blended Scotch combines one or more single malt whiskies with one or more single grain whiskies.

The release of trapped carbon dioxide when hot water first wets freshly ground coffee, usually seen as swelling and bubbling.

Agave tequilana Weber blue variety, the agave used for Tequila under the protected denomination.

Also: blue agave · Agave tequilana Weber

The sense of weight or fullness a drink has in the mouth, from light and delicate to rich and full.

A plant ingredient used for flavour, especially in gin, vermouth, amaro, alcohol-free spirits and bitters.

A controlled secondary fermentation in the bottle that naturally creates carbonation and leaves live yeast in the package.

An American whiskey made from a mash containing at least 51% corn and aged in new charred oak containers under US rules.

A broad family of brisk black-tea blends designed for a dependable, full-bodied cup, often with enough structure to take milk.

Also: English Breakfast · Irish Breakfast

A yeast genus that can create leathery, earthy, spicy or funky aromas. It may be unwanted in wine but deliberately used in some beers.

Also: brett

The relationship between the amount of coffee used and the amount of water or beverage produced.

Tea leaf that has been intentionally or mechanically reduced into smaller pieces. It usually extracts faster than larger whole-leaf tea.

A cocktail method where ingredients are assembled directly in the serving glass rather than shaken or stirred separately.

The tropical crop and seed behind chocolate. “Cacao” and “cocoa” overlap in everyday use, though cacao is often preferred for the plant, fruit and less-processed bean.

Also: cocoa

A legally protected geographical name for cacao whose qualities, reputation or characteristics are linked to a defined place and its human or natural factors. Chuao is a notable example.

Also: cocoa appellation of origin · cacao AO

The tropical growing zone near the Equator where climate, rainfall and humidity can support commercial cacao cultivation.

Also: cocoa belt

A local name used for pale-seeded cacao from Piura in northern Peru. Documented speciality lots have been linked with Nacional- or Criollo-associated material and bright fruit/floral flavour.

Also: Piura white cacao · Cacao Blanco

A piece of the cacao bean after the shell has been removed, usually after roasting. Nibs are the raw material ground into cocoa mass.

Also: cocoa nib · cacao nibs

The fruit of the cacao tree, containing beans surrounded by sweet pulp.

Also: cocoa pod

The sweet, moist pulp surrounding fresh cacao beans inside the pod; its sugars fuel fermentation after harvest.

Also: cocoa pulp

The Campaign for Real Ale, a UK consumer organisation founded in 1971 that campaigns for beer, cider, pubs and consumer choice.

Also: Campaign for Real Ale

Rum made from fresh sugarcane juice rather than molasses, often giving grassy, vegetal or vividly cane-led flavours.

Also: cane juice rum

An espresso-based drink with steamed milk and a noticeable layer of fine milk foam, usually smaller and foamier than a latte.

A winemaking technique in which intact grapes ferment in a carbon-dioxide-rich environment, often producing very fruity, soft-tannin red wines.

A vessel used to mature or serve drinks. In beer, cask usually refers to live beer that continues conditioning in the cask before service.

A layer of heavily charred wood created inside some casks before filling. Char changes extraction, filtration and the flavours a spirit can take from the wood.

Also: charred cask · char

A spirit bottled at or close to the alcoholic strength it had in the cask, with little or no dilution before bottling.

Controlled heating of the inside of a cask to develop wood aromas and flavours before it is filled, generally less severe than charring.

Also: toasted cask · toast

A pale-seeded Brazilian cacao type associated especially with Bahia. Some speciality examples show mild cacao, caramel, nut and floral character.

A productive Ecuadorian cacao clone widely planted in Ecuador and beyond. Quality depends heavily on harvest, fermentation, drying and making; the clone name itself is not a quality verdict.

Also: CCN51

Tea from Sri Lanka. Styles vary with region and elevation, from bright and brisk to fuller and more aromatic.

A word meaning tea in several South Asian languages. In UK retail use it often refers loosely to spiced tea, though masala chai is the more precise term for a spiced tea preparation.

Also: chai tea

A naturally caffeine-free floral infusion made from dried chamomile flower heads, usually soft, floral and gently apple-like.

Also: camomile

A sparkling-wine method where the second fermentation happens in a pressurised tank rather than individual bottles.

Also: tank method

A glass pour-over coffee brewer using thick paper filters, often producing a very clean, bright cup with relatively little sediment.

Cooling a spirit and filtering out compounds that can create haze. It improves visual stability but may remove a small amount of texture or flavour material.

A pale or streaky surface change on chocolate caused by unstable fat crystals or by sugar recrystallising after moisture exposure. It affects appearance and texture more than safety.

Also: bloom

A vessel historically designed for preparing or serving drinking chocolate, especially in European elite households from the early modern period onward.

A protected Venezuelan cacao appellation associated with the defined cacao-producing area around Chuao in Aragua and its long-standing producer tradition.

A local cacao population associated with Cusco and La Convención in Peru, valued in speciality chocolate for distinctive regional flavour diversity.

A local cacao population associated especially with Cusco and La Convención in Peru. It is valued for distinctive local diversity rather than fitting neatly into one old global genetic category.

Also: Cacao Chuncho · Chuncho

A fermented drink made primarily from apple juice.

The natural fat in cacao beans. It gives chocolate much of its melt, gloss and snap when properly tempered.

Ground cacao nibs transformed into a flowing paste containing cocoa solids and cocoa butter. Despite the name, it contains no alcohol.

Also: cocoa mass · chocolate liquor · cacao mass

The proportion of a chocolate recipe made from cocoa ingredients such as cocoa solids and cocoa butter. It does not by itself measure quality.

Also: cacao percentage · chocolate percentage

The powdered cocoa solids left after some cocoa butter is pressed from cocoa liquor and the remaining cake is milled.

The non-fat components of cacao that remain alongside cocoa butter in chocolate and that carry much of cocoa’s colour, bitterness and characteristic flavour.

A protected grape brandy from the Cognac region of France made under defined origin, distillation and maturation rules.

Coffee extracted with cool or room-temperature water over a long period, usually producing lower perceived acidity and a smooth profile.

A continuous distillation system made from stacked plates or columns, capable of producing spirit efficiently and often to high purity.

Tea pressed into a compact form such as a cake, brick or nest for storage, transport or ageing. Pu-erh and other dark teas are commonly sold this way.

Also: tea cake · tea brick

A chocolate-making stage in which chocolate is mixed and worked to reduce moisture, integrate flavour and improve flow and texture.

Flavour and aroma compounds in spirits beyond ethanol and water. They can come from fermentation, distillation and maturation.

A concentrated sweetened drink, usually diluted before serving. In some countries the word can also mean liqueur.

A wine fault most associated with TCA, often perceived as damp cardboard, musty cellar or muted fruit.

Chocolate made with enough cocoa butter to give fluid melting and a fine finish, commonly used by chocolatiers for coating, moulding and dipping.

The golden-brown foam on top of espresso, formed by emulsified oils, gas and fine particles under pressure.

A traditional cacao genetic grouping historically associated with some fine-flavour material. Modern genetics are more complex than the old Criollo/Forastero/Trinitario shorthand.

Crush, Tear, Curl: a tea-processing method that creates small, uniform particles and typically produces a strong, quick-brewing liquor.

Also: crush tear curl

A cultivated plant variety selected for particular traits. Tea, coffee, grapes and apples all have named cultivars or varieties.

A standardised coffee-tasting method used to compare aroma, flavour, acidity, body and other characteristics.

A producer’s particular blend, lot or bottling. The term has no single universal quality meaning.

Also: cuvee

Tea grown in the Darjeeling region of India, often prized for floral, citrus and muscatel-like aromas.

Removing some or most alcohol from a finished drink, using methods such as vacuum distillation, membrane filtration or spinning-cone technology.

Also: dealcoholization

Coffee or tea with most of its caffeine removed. The process can use water, carbon dioxide or approved solvents depending on the method.

Pouring wine or another drink into a separate vessel, usually to separate sediment or expose the drink to air.

The release of carbon dioxide after coffee roasting. Very fresh coffee can release enough gas to affect brewing.

Removing grape berries from their stems before or during winemaking.

A fermentation compound that can smell or taste buttery. It may be a fault at high levels but can be acceptable in some beer styles.

A drink traditionally served after a meal, often a spirit, amaro or liqueur.

Water added to a drink either deliberately or through melting ice. In cocktails, controlled dilution is part of the recipe.

Removing the yeast sediment from a bottle of traditionally made sparkling wine after its second fermentation and lees ageing.

Separating and concentrating alcohol and flavour compounds by heating a fermented liquid and condensing the vapour.

Dimethyl sulfide, a beer aroma compound often compared with sweetcorn when present at high levels.

Also: dimethyl sulfide

A protected Italian wine designation, Denominazione di Origine Controllata, covering geographical origin and production rules.

Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, an Italian wine designation with additional regulatory requirements beyond DOC.

The small addition made to many traditional-method sparkling wines after disgorgement, often used to set the final sweetness level.

The amount of dry coffee used for a brew or espresso shot. Dose works together with grind size and beverage yield to shape strength and extraction.

Passing a cocktail through both a standard strainer and a fine mesh strainer to remove small ice chips, herbs or fruit particles.

A broad term for chocolate drinks made from actual chocolate, cocoa powder or a combination. Real chocolate retains cocoa butter and can therefore create a richer texture than powder alone.

A drink with little perceptible sweetness. Dry does not mean lacking fruit flavour.

Adding hops during or after fermentation to build hop aroma and flavour without relying on the boil for bitterness.

Shaking a cocktail without ice, often first, to help emulsify ingredients such as egg white or aquafaba.

A dark German lager, especially associated with Munich, built around smooth bread-and-toast malt rather than heavy roast.

Alkalising cocoa to reduce acidity and alter colour and flavour. The result is often darker and softer in acidity than natural cocoa.

Also: Dutch-process cocoa · Dutch cocoa · alkalised cocoa · alkalized cocoa

Tea flavoured or scented with the distinctive citrus-floral character of bergamot. Black tea is the classic base, but green, white and decaffeinated versions also exist.

Also: Earl Grey tea

French for “water of life”; a term used for distilled fruit spirits and, in Cognac, for the individual wine spirits that are matured and blended.

Also: eaux-de-vie

European Brewery Convention colour units, one system used to describe beer colour numerically.

Extra Special Bitter: a stronger member of the British bitter family, usually with more malt weight and alcohol than ordinary or best bitter.

Also: extra special bitter

A concentrated coffee brewed by forcing hot water through finely ground coffee under pressure.

A Tequila class matured for at least three years in qualifying oak or holm-oak containers.

Also: extra anejo

The process of dissolving flavour compounds from coffee, tea or other ingredients into water or alcohol.

Small tea particles produced during sorting. They extract quickly and are commonly used in tea bags, but particle size alone is not a universal quality score.

A form of chocolate bloom caused when cocoa-butter crystals migrate or become unstable, often after poor tempering or temperature swings.

The process in which microorganisms such as yeast convert sugars into alcohol, carbon dioxide and many flavour compounds.

A wooden or other food-safe box used to ferment fresh cacao beans and pulp, allowing heat and microbial activity to build under controlled handling.

A broad quality concept for cacao valued for distinctive flavour potential and careful post-harvest handling rather than bulk cocoa character alone.

Also: fine flavour cocoa · fine cocoa

Adding a substance that binds with unwanted particles so they can settle or be removed, improving clarity or stability.

The flavours, texture and sensations that remain at the end of a sip.

Heating tea leaves to stop or control oxidation and reduce moisture so the tea can be stored.

The first major tea harvest of the season, especially associated with Darjeeling, often giving delicate and highly aromatic teas.

A cask being used for the first time to mature a particular spirit after previously holding another drink, commonly bourbon or sherry. It usually gives stronger cask influence than later refills.

An espresso-based milk drink with a thin layer of fine microfoam, generally smaller and more coffee-forward than a latte.

Tea whose aroma or taste has been deliberately supplemented with ingredients such as oils, extracts, fruit, peel, spices or flavourings.

A traditional trade grouping applied broadly to much mainstream cacao. Modern genetic research recognises considerably more diversity than this old umbrella term suggests.

Wine strengthened with distilled spirit, as in Port, Sherry and many vermouth bases.

An immersion coffee brewer in which grounds steep in water before being separated by a mesh plunger.

A caffeine-free or low-caffeine infusion built from dried fruit, peel, flowers, herbs or flavourings rather than necessarily from fruit juice.

Also: fruit tea

A Chinese lidded bowl used to steep and pour tea, especially useful for repeated short infusions.

A finishing ingredient added to a drink for aroma, flavour, appearance or all three.

A Dutch and Belgian juniper-flavoured spirit that predates modern gin and often has a more malty character.

A naturally caffeine-free drink made by steeping or simmering fresh or dried ginger rhizome in water.

Also: ginger tea

A Chinese tea-brewing style using a high leaf-to-water ratio and repeated short infusions, usually in a small pot or gaiwan.

A tart German wheat-beer style with low bitterness and traditionally a light touch of salt and coriander.

Unroasted coffee beans, usually the dried seeds removed from coffee fruit before roasting.

Rooibos processed to limit oxidation, giving a lighter, fresher and more herbal profile than conventional red rooibos.

Tea made from Camellia sinensis leaves whose oxidation is stopped early by heat, preserving fresher green and vegetal flavours.

How coarse or fine coffee is ground. Finer particles extract faster; coarser particles extract more slowly.

A traditional Belgian sparkling beer made by blending young and mature lambic, then allowing further fermentation in the bottle.

Also: geuze

A high-grade Japanese green tea shaded before harvest, often giving pronounced sweetness, savoury umami and a rich texture.

Informal names for early, middle and late fractions of a distillation run. Distillers choose which portions to keep for the final spirit.

A pale Munich lager centred on soft bread-like malt with restrained hop bitterness.

A drink made by steeping plant material other than Camellia sinensis, such as mint leaves, chamomile flowers, ginger or rooibos.

Also: herbal tea · tisane

A vivid ruby-red, tart herbal infusion commonly made from the dried calyces of Hibiscus sabdariffa.

A rum description for spirit with a high concentration of fruity and other aromatic ester compounds, especially associated with highly expressive Jamaican styles.

Also: high-ester rum · high ester rum

A simple long drink built from a spirit and a larger amount of non-alcoholic mixer, usually served over ice in a tall glass.

A coffee-processing method where some sticky fruit mucilage remains on the bean during drying after the skin is removed.

A naturally caffeine-free South African herbal infusion made from Cyclopia species, usually with a softly sweet, honeyed and floral character.

Slow extra fermentation that can happen after dry hopping when hop enzymes create new fermentable sugars and live yeast remains.

The flowers of Humulus lupulus used in beer for bitterness, aroma, flavour and microbial stability.

The everyday umbrella term for a hot cacao-based drink. It may be made from cocoa powder, melted chocolate or both, so the ingredients tell you more than the name.

A floating measuring instrument used to estimate the density of a liquid, useful for tracking fermentation.

International Bitterness Units: a laboratory-based measure related to hop-derived bitter compounds in beer. Perceived bitterness can still vary widely.

Also: international bitterness units

A sweet, concentrated cider made by using winter cold to freeze water and concentrate apple sugars and flavours before fermentation.

A brewing method where coffee or tea remains in contact with the full volume of water for most of the extraction.

A perforated or mesh container that holds tea or herbal ingredients in the water while they brew, then lifts out to separate the solids from the drink.

The liquid produced by steeping tea, herbs, fruit, flowers, roots or other ingredients in water; also the act of extracting flavour by steeping.

India Pale Ale: a hop-forward beer family covering many modern substyles, from lean West Coast versions to soft hazy examples.

Also: india pale ale

Tea leaves rolled into small pearls and commonly scented with jasmine before drying. They slowly unfurl during repeated infusions.

Tea, usually green tea, scented by allowing it to absorb the aroma of jasmine flowers.

A skilled agave worker who cultivates and harvests agave, including removing the leaves to expose the piña.

The berry-like cone of Juniperus communis that provides the defining flavour reference for gin.

A traditional cider-making method that removes nutrients from juice so fermentation slows and natural apple sweetness can remain.

A sealed beer container normally served using gas pressure. Keg beer can range from highly carbonated lager to soft nitro stout.

A pale beer associated with Cologne, fermented with ale yeast and then cold-conditioned for a clean, delicate finish.

Also: kolsch

A fermented tea drink made with a culture of yeast and bacteria, usually lightly acidic and naturally low in alcohol when produced as a soft drink.

Beer fermented with lager-type yeast and typically conditioned cool, often producing a clean fermentation profile.

Cold maturation of beer after fermentation, traditionally associated with lager but also used for some ales such as Kölsch and Altbier.

A traditional Belgian beer fermented through spontaneous exposure to local microorganisms and usually matured for an extended period.

An espresso-based drink with a relatively large amount of steamed milk and a thin layer of microfoam.

Separating sweet wort from the spent grain after mashing during beer production.

A description of the physical size or form of processed tea leaf. Grade terms can help describe appearance and brewing behaviour but do not form one universal quality ranking.

The tender young bud at the growing point of a tea shoot. Tips can appear silvery, pale or golden depending on the tea and processing.

Also: tea tip · bud

Sediment made largely of spent yeast and other particles left after fermentation. Ageing on lees can add texture and savoury complexity.

Keeping wine or beer in contact with fermentation sediment for a period to influence texture and flavour.

An aromatic herb with a clear lemon-like fragrance, used in herbal infusions even though it is not a citrus plant.

A tropical grass with a bright lemon-like aroma, commonly used in herbal infusions and blends but botanically unrelated to lemons.

A sweetened spirit flavoured with fruit, herbs, spices, cream or other ingredients.

In tea tasting, the brewed liquid in the cup. In other contexts, liquor can mean distilled alcoholic spirit.

A London gin made under a tightly defined production framework in which flavour comes through distillation with natural plant materials; it need not be made in London.

Also: London Dry

Tea sold as loose dry leaf rather than pre-portioned in a bag or sachet. It gives the brewer direct control over dose, leaf space and repeated infusions.

Also: loose leaf · loose tea

A longer espresso extraction that allows more water to pass through the coffee puck, producing a larger but still espresso-brewed drink.

Espresso marked with a small amount of milk or foam. Traditional versions are much smaller and more coffee-forward than many café interpretations.

Soaking solid material in liquid to extract colour, flavour or tannin. In red wine, grape skins usually macerate with fermenting juice.

A bacterial conversion that turns sharper malic acid into softer lactic acid, often reducing acidity and adding creamy notes in wine.

Also: MLF

Grain, usually barley, that has been germinated and dried so it can provide fermentable sugars and flavours for beer or whisky.

A broad South Asian family of spiced tea preparations, commonly combining strong black tea with spices, milk and sweetener.

Also: spiced chai · spiced tea

A mixture of crushed grain and hot water used to convert grain starches into fermentable sugars.

The recipe of grains used to make a whiskey or other grain spirit.

Finely ground Japanese green tea made from shade-grown leaves, whisked into water so the leaf itself is consumed.

A Mexican agave spirit category that includes many agave varieties and regional methods, often involving roasting agave before fermentation.

A generally low-strength British ale with low bitterness and a malt-led profile; modern examples are often dark but do not have to be.

An informal term often used for Tequila that is not labelled 100% agave. Under the Tequila rules, at least 51% of the fermentable sugars must come from blue Weber agave.

A coffee-and-chocolate drink, usually combining espresso or brewed coffee with chocolate and often milk. The balance can range from coffee-led to dessert-like.

A cocktail ingredient that changes or supports the base spirit, such as vermouth, liqueur or fortified wine.

A stovetop coffee brewer that uses steam pressure to push hot water through coffee grounds, producing a strong concentrated cup.

A thick by-product of sugar refining and an important raw material for many styles of rum.

A traditional turned wooden whisk used in Mexico and elsewhere to mix and froth chocolate drinks.

The physical sensation of a drink in the mouth: creamy, thin, sparkling, oily, drying, silky and so on.

The sticky, sugary layer around a coffee seed beneath the fruit skin. How much remains during drying helps distinguish washed, honey and related processing styles.

Pressing herbs, fruit or sugar in a cocktail to release flavour before or during mixing.

Freshly crushed grape juice, skins, seeds and sometimes stems before or during wine fermentation.

An Ecuadorian cacao population with historic fine-flavour importance, often associated with floral aroma. Its genetics do not fit neatly into the old Criollo-versus-Forastero quality shorthand.

An important Ecuadorian cacao genetic group associated with the country’s fine-flavour heritage. ICCO notes Nacional as an example of why simple Criollo/Forastero quality rules have exceptions.

Cocoa powder that has not been alkalised. It usually retains more natural acidity and can taste brighter or sharper than Dutch-process cocoa.

A coffee-processing method where coffee cherries are dried with the fruit around the seed before the beans are removed.

Containing no caffeine by nature rather than having caffeine removed later. Rooibos, peppermint and chamomile are examples; blends still need their full ingredient list checked.

A traditional high-strength gin or rum descriptor. For gin it commonly refers to bottlings around 57% ABV.

Highly rectified alcohol made to have very little distinctive aroma or flavour, commonly used as a base for vodka, gin and liqueurs.

Also: neutral alcohol · neutral grain spirit

Freshly distilled spirit before cask maturation, especially in whisky production.

Beer dispensed with nitrogen in the gas mix, creating fine bubbles, a dense head and a softer creamy texture.

Botrytis cinerea affecting ripe grapes under favourable conditions, concentrating sugars and creating distinctive honeyed and dried-fruit character in some sweet wines.

Also: botrytis

A spirit that has not undergone chill filtration before bottling, so natural haze may appear at low temperatures or after dilution.

A tasting term for the aromas of a drink.

Wood widely used to mature wine and spirits. It can contribute vanilla, spice, toast, tannin and slow oxygen exposure.

A classic cocktail structure built from spirit, sugar, bitters and dilution, most famously made with whiskey.

A historic gin family generally associated with a rounder or sweeter profile than London Dry, though modern examples vary widely.

Also: Old Tom

A tea category made from partially oxidised leaves, spanning styles from light, floral and green to dark, roasted and fruity.

White wine fermented with extended grape-skin contact, giving deeper colour, more tannin and a different texture from conventional white wine.

Also: skin-contact white wine

Tea processed through more traditional whole-leaf or large-leaf methods rather than the small-particle CTC process.

Chemical reactions involving oxygen that can change aroma, flavour and colour. It may be a fault or a deliberate part of some styles.

The overall taste and mouthfeel of a drink, or the taster’s ability to perceive them.

A papery protective layer surrounding a coffee bean after the outer fruit has been removed and before final milling.

Controlled heat treatment used to improve the microbiological stability of a drink.

Protected Designation of Origin: a geographical protection used in the UK and EU for products whose production and characteristics are strongly tied to a defined place.

Also: protected designation of origin

Partially decomposed plant material historically burned as fuel in whisky malting, where its smoke can create earthy, medicinal or smoky flavours.

An aromatic mint, Mentha × piperita, used for a cooling, naturally caffeine-free herbal infusion.

Also: peppermint tea

A brewing method where fresh water passes through a bed of coffee or tea rather than all the liquid steeping together.

A fermented drink made from pear juice, especially traditional perry pears grown for fermentation rather than eating.

Pétillant naturel: sparkling wine usually bottled before primary fermentation has fully finished, trapping natural carbon dioxide.

Also: pet nat · pétillant naturel

Protected Geographical Indication: a geographical protection used in the UK and EU for products with a defined link to a place, generally with broader rules than PDO.

Also: protected geographical indication

A measure of acidity on a logarithmic scale. Brewers, winemakers and coffee professionals use pH because it affects flavour, fermentation, stability and extraction.

A broad family of compounds that can contribute bitterness, astringency, colour or aromas such as spice and smoke depending on the drink.

A tiny vine pest that devastated European vineyards in the nineteenth century and led to widespread grafting of European grapevines onto resistant American rootstocks.

A pale lager family usually showing a firmer hop bitterness and crisper finish than malt-led helles.

The heart of an agave plant after its leaves are removed, named for its pineapple-like appearance and used as the raw material for Tequila and mezcal.

Also: agave pina

A dark beer family historically linked to London, usually built around chocolate, toast and roast flavours with wide modern variation.

The handling that happens after a crop is picked. For cacao, this includes pod opening, fermentation, drying, storage and transport — all major quality stages.

Also: post harvest

A batch distillation vessel traditionally made from copper and used for spirits such as malt whisky, Cognac and many rums.

A manual coffee method where hot water is poured over a bed of ground coffee and passes through a filter by gravity.

Applying pressure to grapes, apples or other fruit to separate juice from skins, pulp or solids.

A measure of alcoholic strength used in some countries. In the US, proof is twice the ABV percentage.

A Chinese tea from Yunnan that undergoes microbial post-fermentation or ageing, either naturally over time or through an accelerated process.

Also: puer · pu erh

A roomy pre-portioned tea sachet designed to give larger leaves or botanicals more internal space than a compact flat tea bag.

Also: pyramid tea bag · whole-leaf sachet

A German smoked-beer tradition associated with Bamberg, where the smoke character comes from smoked malt.

The historic CAMRA term for live beer, most commonly cask-conditioned beer that continues to mature in its final container.

Further or repeated distillation used to increase alcoholic strength and remove more flavour compounds, often producing a cleaner or more neutral spirit.

A lack-of-oxygen condition that can create sulfurous aromas in wine and other fermented drinks. Some reductive aromas dissipate with air.

A cask used to mature spirit after it has already been used for one or more previous maturation cycles, usually giving gentler wood influence than a first-fill cask.

An agave-spirit ageing term, especially for tequila, indicating a period of rest in oak between blanco and añejo.

Sugar left in a drink after fermentation stops or is stopped, contributing sweetness and body.

A membrane-separation technique that can remove water or alcohol from liquids and is used in some wine and alcohol-free production.

An underground plant stem. Ginger and turmeric are rhizomes, not roots, even though both are often casually called roots.

A shorter espresso extraction with a smaller beverage yield, usually giving a concentrated, intense cup.

The date coffee was roasted. Coffee changes quickly after roasting as gases escape and aromatic compounds evolve.

How far coffee or malt has been roasted, affecting colour, aroma, bitterness and flavour development.

Coffea canephora, commonly called robusta: a coffee species with more caffeine and often a heavier, more bitter profile than arabica.

A tea-processing step that twists or bruises leaves, shaping them and helping release compounds that influence oxidation and flavour.

A naturally caffeine-free herbal infusion from South Africa made from Aspalathus linearis rather than the tea plant.

The fruit of a rose plant, commonly dried for tart, fruity herbal blends and often combined with hibiscus.

A style of rum made from fresh sugarcane juice rather than molasses, strongly associated with the French Caribbean.

Also: rhum agricole

Whiskey in which rye grain plays the defining role; in the US, straight rye must use a mash with at least 51% rye.

A dry, lively farmhouse-ale family associated with Belgium and northern France, often showing peppery and fruity yeast character.

The north-western Madagascar cacao-growing valley around Ambanja, widely associated with the country’s fine-flavour cacao and fruit-led speciality chocolate.

Also: Sambirano Valley

Tea deliberately exposed to aromatic flowers or botanicals so the finished leaves absorb their fragrance. Jasmine tea is the classic example.

A tea-making technique where finished or partly finished tea is exposed to fragrant flowers or botanicals so their aroma transfers into the leaf.

A widely produced Japanese green tea, usually steamed after picking and known for fresh vegetal, grassy and savoury notes.

Mixing a cocktail vigorously with ice to chill, dilute and aerate it.

A family of fortified wines from the Jerez region of Spain, ranging from very dry Fino to rich sweet styles.

A tangy syrup traditionally made with fruit, sugar and vinegar, used in soft drinks and cocktails.

The Spanish word for cider. Traditional Asturian sidra natural is typically dry, still or lightly sparkling and served with a high pour.

A basic mixture of sugar dissolved in water, used to sweeten cocktails and alcohol-free drinks.

In Scotch, whisky distilled at one distillery from water and malted barley with or without other malted or unmalted cereals, and which does not meet the definition of single malt.

Also: single grain

Whisky made at one distillery from malted barley, most commonly associated with Scotch but also produced elsewhere.

A product identified with one geographical origin rather than blended from several origins. The precision of that origin can vary.

Chocolate made from cacao sourced from a named place such as a country, region, estate or cooperative. Origin can be informative but is not automatically a quality guarantee.

Time that juice spends in contact with grape skins, affecting colour, tannin, aroma and texture.

A coffee variety selected in Kenya and widely associated with high-quality Kenyan coffee, often showing vivid acidity and complex fruit character.

A cacao bean showing a slate-grey or purple interior associated with insufficient fermentation. High proportions are generally treated as a quality defect.

A fractional blending and ageing system where younger liquid is progressively combined with older stocks, classically associated with Sherry and also used for some spirits.

A cocktail family built around a base spirit, citrus juice and a sweetener, with optional foaming ingredients such as egg white or aquafaba.

A broad beer category in which noticeable acidity is deliberate rather than a fault.

Wine containing dissolved carbon dioxide, created naturally through fermentation or added by carbonation depending on the style.

A mint species with a softer, sweeter aroma than peppermint and less of peppermint’s intense menthol character.

To soak tea, coffee or other ingredients in liquid so flavour compounds dissolve into it.

A vessel used for distillation. The word can also describe a wine or cider without noticeable carbonation.

Mixing a cocktail with ice to chill and dilute it while keeping aeration relatively low.

A dark beer family typically using roasted grain for coffee-like, cocoa or charred flavours, with styles ranging from dry to sweet and very strong.

To separate a cocktail from ice or solid ingredients as it is poured into the serving glass.

A rough, pale chocolate surface caused when moisture dissolves sugar and the sugar recrystallises as the surface dries.

An Indonesian cacao selection documented in Sulawesi production and speciality evaluation, sometimes appearing alongside MCC-series selections.

Sulfur dioxide and related compounds used in winemaking and some other drinks to protect against oxidation and unwanted microbes.

Drying cacao beans using solar heat and moving air after fermentation. Good practice aims for slow, even moisture reduction without mould, smoke or rain damage.

The perception of sugar or sweet-tasting components in a drink. Aroma and alcohol can also make a drink seem sweeter than its actual sugar level.

A traditional large stone wheel used in some agave-spirit production to crush cooked agave before fermentation.

A group of compounds that create dryness and grip. They are important in tea, red wine, cider, oak-aged drinks and some coffee.

2,4,6-trichloroanisole, the compound most associated with cork taint in wine. It can make a wine smell musty, damp or like wet cardboard.

Also: cork taint compound

Total Dissolved Solids: a measurement of how much dissolved material is present in brewed coffee, commonly used alongside extraction yield to understand brew strength.

Also: total dissolved solids

A pre-portioned porous bag containing tea or herbal ingredients. Traditional flat bags often use smaller particles for rapid extraction.

A small perforated or mesh infuser that holds loose tea during brewing. Compact versions can restrict the expansion of larger leaves.

A deliberate combination of two or more teas, origins or lots to create a chosen flavour, strength or house style.

Very fine tea particles that extract rapidly and are commonly used where a fast, strong brew is wanted. The term describes particle size rather than automatically describing quality.

Also: dust grade

The brewed liquid itself in tea tasting, separate from the dry leaf and infused leaf.

A pre-portioned brewing pouch, often larger than a conventional flat tea bag. Roomy versions can hold whole or larger leaf grades.

Also: sachet

A sieve placed over a cup to catch loose leaves as brewed tea is poured from a pot. Unlike an infuser, it usually separates the leaf after brewing.

Also: tea sieve

Controlled heating and cooling of chocolate to encourage stable cocoa-butter crystals, helping produce gloss, clean snap and good melt.

A Mexican agave spirit made primarily from blue Weber agave and produced under defined geographical and production rules.

The combined influence of place — climate, soil, elevation, exposure and human practice — on an agricultural product and the drink made from it.

The botanical species cultivated for cacao beans, the seeds used to make chocolate and cocoa products.

Also: cacao tree · cocoa tree

Cacao from Tiền Giang in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, one of the clearest named origins in the country’s modern fine-cacao story.

Also: Tien Giang cacao · Tien Giang cocoa

An infusion made from herbs, flowers, fruit, roots or spices rather than Camellia sinensis. Examples include chamomile, peppermint and ginger.

Also: herbal tea

A carbonated soft drink flavoured with quinine and usually sweetened, most famously paired with gin.

The ability to follow an ingredient or product back through the supply chain to its source. In cacao this can support quality control, sourcing claims and environmental or labour due diligence.

A sparkling-wine method where the second fermentation occurs in the same bottle ultimately sold, followed by lees ageing and disgorgement.

A traditional cacao grouping historically associated with Criollo × Amazonian/Forastero ancestry and with important fine-flavour material, especially through Trinidad.

A strong, pale Belgian ale style that combines high alcohol with a relatively dry finish and expressive yeast character.

A herbal drink made from fresh, dried or powdered turmeric rhizome, usually earthy, warm and golden in colour.

Also: turmeric tea

A cone-shaped pour-over coffee brewer with a large opening and spiral ribs, giving the brewer direct control over flow and extraction.

A gin-making technique in which alcohol vapour passes through botanicals so their aromatic compounds are carried into the distillate.

A wine or other agricultural product identified primarily by a named variety, such as Cabernet Sauvignon or a specific tea cultivar.

An aromatised fortified wine flavoured with botanicals and used both as an aperitif and a cocktail ingredient.

The year in which grapes or other agricultural ingredients were harvested. In wine, vintage can strongly influence style and quality.

Very Special: for Cognac, the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend has been aged for at least two years.

Also: Very Special

Very Superior Old Pale: for Cognac, the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend has been aged for at least four years.

Also: Very Superior Old Pale

The fermented liquid that is distilled to make whisky or some other spirits; broadly comparable to an unhopped beer before distillation.

A coffee-processing method where fruit and mucilage are removed from the bean before drying, often producing a cleaner, more transparent flavour profile.

A beer family using a significant proportion of wheat, including German weissbier and Belgian witbier.

A post-boil brewing step where wort is circulated to collect solids and where brewers may also add hops for aroma and flavour.

Tea made from minimally processed young leaves and buds, usually with gentle withering and drying and relatively little deliberate oxidation.

Tea sold as relatively large or intact leaf pieces rather than broken leaf, fannings or dust. Whole leaf can brew more slowly but is not automatically superior in every style.

Fermentation involving naturally occurring or mixed microorganisms rather than only one deliberately pitched pure culture.

Separating the shell from cracked cacao beans so the inner nibs remain for grinding.

A Belgian-style wheat beer usually flavoured with coriander and citrus peel and fermented with expressive yeast.

A tea-processing stage where freshly picked leaves lose moisture and soften before rolling or further processing.

The sweet liquid extracted from malted grain before beer fermentation.

Extra Old: for Cognac, the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend has been aged for at least ten years.

Also: Extra Old

Extra Extra Old: for Cognac, the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend has been aged for at least fourteen years.

Also: Extra Extra Old

A microorganism that ferments sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide while producing many flavour and aroma compounds.

The amount produced from a given input. In coffee, beverage yield is the weight of liquid espresso or brewed coffee produced; in vineyards it can mean the crop harvested from an area.