Barista Terms: 30 Words Every Coffee Lover Should Know
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Barista terms are the shorthand coffee pros use to describe how espresso and milk drinks are made: you dose ground coffee into a basket, tamp it flat, pull a shot, look for golden crema and pour silky microfoam on top. Learn the 30 words below and you will understand café menus, espresso recipes and brewing videos with ease.
We grouped the terms by where you meet them: the equipment, the espresso shot, milk work, the drinks themselves and the beans.
Barista Terms for Equipment
- 1. Portafilter. The handle with a metal basket that holds the ground coffee and locks into the espresso machine.
- 2. Basket. The perforated metal cup inside the portafilter. Single, double and triple baskets hold different amounts of coffee.
- 3. Group head. The part of the machine where the portafilter locks in and hot water flows through the coffee.
- 4. Burr grinder. A grinder that crushes beans between two burrs for an even particle size. Consistent grind is essential for espresso, which is why baristas avoid blade grinders.
- 5. Tamper. A flat, heavy tool used to press ground coffee evenly into the basket.
- 6. Knock box. A sturdy bin with a bar across the top. Baristas knock the portafilter against it to empty the used coffee.
- 7. Steam wand. The metal tube that blasts steam into milk to heat and texture it.
Espresso Shot Terms
- 8. Dose. The weight of dry ground coffee in the basket. A double shot commonly uses about 18 g, though recipes vary.
- 9. Tamp. To compress the coffee into a level, firm bed, called a puck, so water flows through it evenly.
- 10. Puck. The disc of compressed coffee in the basket, before and after brewing.
- 11. Pull. To brew a shot of espresso. The term comes from early lever machines, where baristas literally pulled a lever.
- 12. Shot. A single serving of espresso. A doppio is a double shot.
- 13. Yield. The weight of liquid espresso in the cup. A classic double might be 18 g in and about 36 g out.
- 14. Brew ratio. Dose compared with yield. A 1:2 ratio (18 g in, 36 g out) is a common starting point for espresso.
- 15. Crema. The golden-brown foam on top of a fresh espresso shot, formed by gases and oils emulsified under pressure. Read more in what is espresso crema.
- 16. Channeling. When water finds a weak spot in the puck and rushes through it, leaving other areas under-extracted. The result tastes sour and bitter at once.
- 17. Pre-infusion. Wetting the coffee with low-pressure water for a few seconds before full pressure, which helps reduce channeling.
- 18. Dial in. To adjust grind size, dose and time until a coffee tastes its best. Baristas dial in every new bag.
- 19. Extraction. How much flavor water dissolves from the coffee. Under-extracted shots taste sour and thin; over-extracted shots taste bitter and harsh. Our article on extraction math and TDS goes deeper.
- 20. Ristretto and lungo. A ristretto is a short, concentrated shot with less water; a lungo is a long shot with more water. Compare them in ristretto vs lungo vs espresso.
Milk and Latte Art Terms
- 21. Microfoam. Milk steamed into tiny, uniform bubbles so it looks glossy, like wet paint. It is the key to smooth lattes and latte art.
- 22. Stretching (aerating). The first phase of steaming, when the wand tip sits just under the surface and draws air in, making a gentle hissing sound.
- 23. Texturing (rolling). The second phase, when the wand is lowered slightly to create a whirlpool that breaks big bubbles into microfoam and heats the milk.
- 24. Latte art. Designs such as hearts, tulips and rosettas made by pouring microfoam into espresso.
- 25. Dry vs wet. A “dry” cappuccino has more airy foam and less liquid milk; a “wet” one has more steamed milk and less foam.
Drink Terms on the Café Menu
- 26. Macchiato. In Italian, “stained”: an espresso marked with a spoonful of foam. A latte macchiato is the reverse, milk stained with espresso. See our macchiato explainer.
- 27. Cortado. Espresso cut with a roughly equal amount of warm milk. Learn more in what is a cortado.
- 28. Americano. Espresso diluted with hot water for a drink similar in strength to brewed coffee.
Here is how common espresso drinks compare. Exact amounts vary between cafés, so treat these as typical ranges.
| Drink | Espresso | Milk or water | Foam | Typical size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Espresso macchiato | 1–2 shots | None | A spoonful | 2–3 oz (60–90 ml) |
| Cortado | 2 shots | Equal part steamed milk | Very little | 4–4.5 oz (120–135 ml) |
| Cappuccino | 1–2 shots | Steamed milk | Thick layer | 5–6 oz (150–180 ml) |
| Flat white | 2 shots | Steamed milk | Thin microfoam | 5–6 oz (150–180 ml) |
| Latte | 1–2 shots | Plenty of steamed milk | Thin layer | 8–16 oz (240–475 ml) |
| Americano | 1–2 shots | Hot water | None | 6–12 oz (180–350 ml) |
Still confused by the milk drinks? Our comparison of latte vs cappuccino vs flat white breaks them down side by side.
Coffee Bean Terms
- 29. Single origin vs blend. Single origin coffee comes from one country or region; a blend combines several origins for balance and consistency. Feel Espresso offers both, from Ethiopia Natural to the six-origin 6 Bean Blend.
- 30. Degassing. Freshly roasted coffee releases carbon dioxide for days after roasting. Espresso made from beans straight out of the roaster can be gassy and uneven, so many baristas rest beans a few days first. Learn more in coffee degassing explained.
Bonus Terms
- Cupping: the standardized way professionals taste and score coffee, slurping brewed coffee from a spoon.
- Bloom: the bubbling rise of fresh grounds when hot water first hits them in pour-over brewing.
- Backflush: cleaning an espresso machine’s group head by running water (and sometimes detergent) through a blind basket.
Barista Terms FAQ
What does “pull a shot” mean?
To pull a shot means to brew a single serving of espresso. The phrase dates back to lever espresso machines, where the barista pulled a lever to push water through the coffee. Modern machines use pumps, but the term stuck.
What is the difference between dose and yield?
Dose is the weight of dry ground coffee you put in the basket. Yield is the weight of the liquid espresso that comes out. Together they form the brew ratio, such as 18 g in and 36 g out for a 1:2 shot.
What is microfoam?
Microfoam is milk steamed so the bubbles are tiny and evenly mixed, giving it a glossy, paint-like texture. It tastes sweeter and smoother than stiff, bubbly foam and is required for latte art.
What does it mean to dial in espresso?
Dialing in means adjusting the grind size, dose and shot time until the espresso tastes balanced. Baristas do it whenever they open a new coffee because every roast behaves a little differently.
Speak Fluent Coffee
Now that you know your dose from your yield and your stretching from your texturing, you are ready to put these barista terms to work. Practice at home with our guide on how to make espresso at home, and pick up a bold espresso roast like the Feel Espresso 6 Bean Blend or African Espresso. Every bag is roasted 1–5 days before delivery, so it is fresh enough to dial in perfectly.