What is my barista talking about?

Have you ever stood at the counter of your favorite coffee shop, listening to your barista talk about "extraction" or "dialing in" and wondered what on earth they were talking about? Coffee has a language of its own — and we want to help you learn the lingo. 

We're breaking down the most common coffee terms your barista uses in this series of blogs, so the next time you order your flat white or espresso, you can dazzle everyone with your knowledge and wit.

"extraction"

This refers to how much flavour and coffee is pulled from the grind suring brewing. 

• Under-extraction – If the water passes through the coffee too quickly, the result will taste sour and weak.
• Over-extraction – If the water sits too long with the coffee, it will pull out too many bitter compounds, making it taste harsh.
• Balanced extraction – This is the sweet spot — where acidity, sweetness, and bitterness are perfectly balanced.

Barista Tip: The ideal espresso shot should pull in 25–30 seconds for balanced extraction.

"dialing in"

This is simply adjusting the grind size of your coffee to get the most balanced and best tasting espresso. 

Every bag of beans requires an adjustment in the grind, especially if you are changing beans. It takes skill to know what grind size enhances different coffee flavours. But for a quick reference; 

• If the shot is too sour – Use a finer grind.
• If the shot is too bitter – Use a coarser grind.

"tasting notes"

These are usually found on the back of a bag of coffee beans.

These are natural flavor compounds that come from the coffee's origin, processing method, and roast profile — not added flavours. 

Your coffee might expect your coffee to taste like chocolate but this just indicates what kind of flavour to expect.  

"cupping"

Cupping is the professional tasting process used to evaluate coffee’s flavor, aroma, and body. Mostly found on your notes above. 

Baristas and roasters use cupping to identify flavor notes like:

Fruity (berries, citrus)
Nutty (almond, hazelnut)
Chocolatey
Floral (jasmine, rose)

Next time your barista mentions “cupping notes,” they’re talking about the flavors they tasted during this process.

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