The story begins in 1929, when Louis Dapples, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nestlé received a very special request from Brazil. In order to combat the enormous coffee surplus in the country, it was proposed that Nestlé create a coffee product that was quick to make and also reduced the amount of unnecessary waste from Brazil's coffee bean harvests.

Initially, the idea was to manufacture a cube-shaped coffee tablet, one that simply needed hot water added for an instant brew. However, after a significant amount of research, the iconic flavour couldn’t be retained, meaning the tablet format wasn’t viable. With this idea ruled out, the chemist Max Morgenthaler went back to the drawing board.

With the outbreak of World War II NESCAFÉ^® instant coffee was included in the emergency rations of every US soldier. When the war came to an end in 1945, NESCAFÉ^®, was added to CARE packages for populations in need across Europe and Japan, which was a key turning point in NESCAFÉ^® history.

A latte or caffè latte is a milk coffee that boasts a silky layer of foam as a real highlight of the drink. A true latte will be made of one or two shots of espresso, steamed milk and a final, thin layer of frothed milk on top. These elements combined result in a balanced milky coffee that's aesthetically pleasing with a smooth texture.

Despite the latte being such a popular choice, it’s often confused with a cappuccino as they’re both frothy coffees. But they are very different drinks. A latte is creamier, with espresso and steamed milk mixed together to create a more subtle taste. A cappuccino on the other hand is much stronger with equal parts steamed and foamed milk. It’s also customary in most places to serve a cappuccino with a dusting of chocolate on top.

The truth is the higher the number, the darker the roast. This means you’ll get a stronger flavour profile that’s usually more bitter, punchier and intense. Dark roast coffee is roasted past the second crack (the ‘crack’ is when the coffee makes an audible pop like popcorn, most roasts will reach the first crack). This allows for more natural oils to be released which creates a much punchier, more full-bodied flavour. Lighter roasts on the other hand usually offer drier, fruitier flavours. 

The numbers on the coffee strength scale tend to reflect the intensity of the flavour rather than the caffeine content, with the higher numbers more bitter and dark and the lower numbers lighter and fruitier.

Here’s a rough guide if you’re wondering what the coffee strength numbers mean. But bear in mind, different brands may scale their coffees differently.

• Light roast coffee
  Generally lighter and more citrusy in flavour, which is due to the fact that the beans aren’t roasted long enough for the oils to break through.
• Medium roast coffee
  Well-balanced and smooth, which makes it a popular choice - the beans possess a non-oily surface.
• Medium-dark roast coffee
  Full-bodied and well-rounded with a slightly oily surface. Our iconic NESCAFÉ^® Original blend is a medium dark roast coffee that’s perfectly balanced.
• Dark roast coffee
  Rich and intense. The beans will be very shiny with lots of oil and dark in colour.
• Very dark roast coffee
  Almost bitter tasting and extremely intense. The coffee beans will be shiny and black and appear almost charred. NESCAFÉ^® Black Roast is our darkest roast yet and carefully crafted for rich flavour.

2. The size of the grind
Interestingly, the smaller the grind, the more caffeine the blend contains. Incredibly fine ground coffee boasts the highest extraction and thus, the most caffeine content. Coffee usually comes ground as one of the following:
Extra fine: powdery and light in texture, like confectioner’s sugar 
Fine: soft and will stick together when pressed, looks like finely milled salt
Medium fine: gritty texture, almost like sand
Medium: crumbly, likened to peat moss
Medium coarse: looks and feels like rocky sand
Coarse: feels like particles of clay flaky sea salt in appearance
Extra coarse: looks like ground peppercorns and feels like broken shells
 
3. How you brew your coffee
Not only does the ratio of coffee to water impact the caffeine content, but so does the temperature you brew it at. In fact, the hotter the water, the more caffeine that gets extracted from the coffee. Also, instant coffee is known to contain less caffeine than brewed coffee. This is because of the difference brewing methods involved, which leave the grinds in contact with water for longer.

When it comes to knowing coffee, understanding strength and flavour will make your world so much rewarding.

The ‘café frappé’ started appearing in the mid-19th century with some drinks possessing a slushy-like texture and others appearing similar to an iced coffee. However, the frappé really kicked off in 1957 at the Thessaloniki International Fair in Greece. The story goes that a representative from Nestlé was demonstrating an instant chocolate drink for children with a chocolate base that was added to milk then shaken in a shaker. When on their break, an employee of the Nestlé representative realised there was no hot water to make their coffee, so instead they mixed the instant coffee granules with cold water and ice cubes, mixed it in the shaker and voila, a modern frappé was born! This version of the frappé is still incredibly popular in Greece today and you can find it in most coffee shops across the country.

A flat white is a blend of microfoamed milk poured over a single or double shot of espresso. This microfoam is steamed milk infused with air which creates a smooth, velvety texture and creamy taste. Precise pouring and steaming of the microfoam is essential when making a flat white.

There are many things that go into creating the flat white coffee. What makes a flat white depends very much on where you get your coffee from and the individual barista, who serve their milks in different ways; thick, frothy or foamy, piping hot or lukewarm. Some stay true to a more traditional approach, maintaining a consistent ratio of milk to coffee.

An iced coffee is basically a cold version of your favourite coffee. But unike a regular coffee, ice is added to the hot espresso and milk to make it even more refreshing!

Espresso is a delicious concentrated form of coffee, served in shots. It’s often the coffee base of many other beverages, such as cappuccino, latte, americano and macchiato. An espresso is intense and bold, but nonetheless delicious, and usually served in small demitasse-style cups for this reason.

As with many famous coffee recipes, the espresso was invented in Italy, around 100 years ago, and is credited to a man by the name of Luigi Bezzera, from Milan. He was the first to use a steam-pressure method of brewing coffee, which produced a strong cup of coffee faster than ever before. In fact, the name ‘caffé espresso’ translates to ‘pressed out coffee’, referring to the water being pushed through the finely ground coffee at a very high pressure. Espresso became increasingly popular when demand for coffee grew in the late 1800s and early 1900s. By the 1940s, the process of making espresso had been refined, creating the espresso known and used around the world today.

An americano is simply just hot water and espresso. It’ll either be served 1/2 and 1/2 or 1/3 espresso to 2/3 water, depending on the coffee shop in question or how you’ve chosen to brew it. There is debate about which should be added first, but in the case of the americano, espresso should always be added first as the crema mixes in and creates a more mellow, even taste.

Essentially, drip coffee is coffee that is made by filling a special coffee maker with ground coffee and pouring hot water into it, allowing the water to drip through to the pot. With an americano, water is poured over the espresso but the process is much quicker and there is no 'dripping' involved.

There are two types of coffee bean typically used for creating the delicious NESCAFÉ^® coffee you know and love – Arabica and Robusta.

What else could we have for C in our coffee dictionary other than cappuccino? It’s one of the most popular coffee types in the world after all! Originating in Italy, this delicious beverage contains equal parts espresso, steamed milk and milk froth and is usually served with a dusting of chocolate powder on top.

Espresso is one of our favourite coffee words because it forms the basis for so many of our favourite beverages – alternatively, it can also be served in small, strong shots too! 

This coffee term may surprise you, but did you know that when coffee beans are fresh off the plant, they’re actually green and have a grassy scent? It’s the roasting process which turns them that rich brown hue and gives them that incredible smell!

A coffee with a kick. Crafted with hot coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar and topped with cream, this warming beverage is favoured in the colder months.

Kaldi was a goat herder who allegedly first discovered the effects of coffee, so of course we had to mention him in our coffee dictionary!

The macchiato is an espresso with milk added. In fact, the beverage was developed in Italy in the 80’s as a way for baristas to identify a plain espresso and one with milk added. The name comes from the Italian word for ‘stained’. 

This coffee term is one you’ll want to avoid at all costs as it’s what happens when espresso is exposed to brew water for too long. The result is a drink that possesses a bitter or burnt taste – not ideal for making those smooth and delicious lattes or cappuccinos!

A Quaker is a coffee term which refers to un-ripened coffee beans. They usually have a wrinkled surface and remain pale even when roasted. 

Single origin coffee is when the beans are sourced from a single location. Due to this, it’s generally of a much higher quality with a stronger flavour profile as it’s not a blend of beans from varying locations and growing conditions. Why not give it a try with our NESCAFÉ^® Gold Origins range?

Uganda is in the top 10 coffee producing countries. Its landscape with rich, volcanic soil provides the ideal conditions for growing coffee plants.

A coffee term that refers to how the layers (skin and pulp) around the coffee bean are removed. This is the most common way for coffee beans to be processed.

Yield is a coffee term that refers to the weight of the espresso in the cup, put simply, the more yield, the more espresso!

When learning about where coffee comes from, it’s important to know that it doesn’t originate from just one place. In fact, coffee is grown in more than 50 countries around the world, in what is known as the ‘coffee belt’. This includes Africa, Latin America and Asia. These regions have just the right combination of altitude, soil and weather, providing the perfect climate for growing the most delicious beans. 

Considered one of the coffee capitals of the world, coffee from Latin America makes up most of the blends found on supermarket shelves today. The flavour is universally enjoyed which is mostly attributed to its well-rounded taste. A few of the key characteristics of Latin American coffee are:

• Nutty
• Low acidity
• Light or medium roast