Word
terroir
Phoneticster·roir
US/tɛˈrwɑːr/
UK/tɛˈrwɑː/
Definition
n. a specific natural environment including soil, climate, and geography that gives a crop like coffee its unique flavor and characteristics
n. the complete set of environmental factors, including soil chemistry, altitude, and climate, that contribute to the unique sensory profile of a specific agricultural product.
Examples
“The coffee from this farm has a special taste because of its unique terroir.”
“Many roasters believe that the terroir of the Ethiopian highlands is responsible for the floral notes in their beans.”
“The cupping session highlighted how the specific terroir of the volcanic hillside imparted a distinct mineral acidity to the Gesha variety.”
Examples
simple
“The coffee from this farm has a special taste because of its unique terroir.”
contextual
“Many roasters believe that the terroir of the Ethiopian highlands is responsible for the floral notes in their beans.”
complex
“The cupping session highlighted how the specific terroir of the volcanic hillside imparted a distinct mineral acidity to the Gesha variety.”
Real-World Examples
“Our new research, published in the Journal of Sensory Studies, introduces a world-first coffee character wheel which can be used to describe the unique “terroir” of Australian coffee.” “Everybody has better quality greens now," says Varney—a good thing for all of coffee—"But with us, and a few other roasters in Oslo, our style is definitely true to that roasting philosophy, tasting terroir and not roast.” Etymology
Derived from the French word 'terre' (meaning earth or land), it was originally used in the wine industry to describe the influence of geography on grape quality.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/terroir