Coffee Glossary · Brewing
Crema
The tan foam crowning espresso: CO2 from roasting, driven out by nine bars of pressure, emulsified with coffee oils and stabilized by proteins and melanoidins. Crema signals freshness (degassed old coffee produces little) and extraction dynamics, and Robusta's higher soluble content famously builds thicker, more persistent crema — the structural reason Italian espresso blends prize quality canephora like washed Fine Robusta. Taste-wise crema is bitter in isolation; its role is aromatic and textural.
Related terms
Robusta (Coffea canephora)
The second commercial coffee species: higher-yielding, disease-hardy, caffeine-rich, and traditionally traded…
Extraction (Espresso & Brew)
The dissolution of coffee's soluble compounds into water — quantified as extraction yield (percent of grounds…
Roast Levels & Profiles
The transformation map from green to brown: light roasts (ending near 'first crack') preserve origin acidity…
Reading up before buying? Volcana Coffee exports SGS-inspected specialty Arabica and Fine Robusta from the Bolaven Plateau, Laos — and we're happy to walk new importers through every term on a real offer sheet.
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