Pinpoint Answer

Editorially verified for the Sep 15, 2026

A hardy bean variety often found in strong blends and espresso-style drinks 🌱
A prized bean variety known for a smoother, more nuanced flavor profile 🌿
A smooth chilled preparation made by steeping grounds slowly in cool water 🧊
A quick cup made from granules that dissolve directly in hot water ⚡
A version made for those seeking the flavor with little or none of the stimulant 🌙

Words & how they fit

Each clue and why it belongs in the category

  • Robusta

    Robusta coffee

    A coffee made from Robusta beans.

  • Arabica

    Arabica coffee

    A coffee made from Arabica beans.

  • Cold brew

    Cold brew coffee

    Coffee brewed slowly with cold water.

  • Instant

    Instant coffee

    Coffee prepared from granules or powder.

  • Decaf

    Decaf coffee

    Coffee with most of its caffeine removed.

How to Solve it

A step-by-step walkthrough of this puzzle

  1. 1

    Bean Variety Guess ☕

    Robusta and Arabica are coffee-bean varieties, so the opening suggests different kinds of coffee. That reading is reasonable because both clues name familiar coffee types.

  2. 2

    Cold Brew Shift 🧊

    Cold brew is not a bean variety; it describes a brewing method. Instant refers to processing and Decaf refers to caffeine content, so the clues do not share one classification.

  3. 3

    Five Coffee Pairings 🔗

    Robusta coffee, Arabica coffee, cold brew coffee, instant coffee, and decaf coffee are all standard phrases. The shared word comes after every clue.

The pattern

Words that come before “coffee”.

Recent Pinpoint Answers

The last 7 days of solutions

Oct 8· #891

Code
Circuit
Ice
Deal
Tie (used to avoid a draw)
Words that come before “breaker”

Oct 7· #890

A+
B-
AB+
O+ (the most common)
O- (universal red cell donor)
Blood types

Oct 6· #889

Hamlet
Conurbation
Village
Town
City
Settlements of different size

Oct 5· #888

Recorder
Whistle
Piccolo
Flute
Clarinet
Wind instruments

Oct 4· #887

George Lazenby
Pierce Brosnan
Roger Moore
Daniel Craig
Sean Connery (first in "Dr. No")
Actors who have played James Bond

Oct 3· #886

Ground
Thread
Sense
Denominator
Knowledge (most people know it!)
Words that come after “common”

Oct 2· #885

Golf
Whiskey
Bagpipes
Haggis
The Loch Ness Monster
Things associated with Scotland (🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿)

What connects Robusta, Arabica, Cold brew, Instant and Decaf? That's Pinpoint #868, the LinkedIn puzzle from Tuesday, September 15th, 2026. Tap any clue above to open a nudge for that word, read the final hint if you want one more push, then reveal the category. Below the answer there's a full walkthrough: the wrong turn these clues invite, the clue that breaks it open, and what each word actually pairs with.

What connects Robusta, Arabica, Cold brew, Instant and Decaf?

The answer to Pinpoint #868 is Words that come before “coffee”. Every clue in the set — Robusta, Arabica, Cold brew, Instant and Decaf — belongs to “Words that come before “coffee””, which is the thread you're looking for.

If you got there in one or two clues, the giveaway was almost certainly Robusta paired with Arabica — that combination rules out most of the categories a single word could belong to. The clue-by-clue breakdown above the fold shows exactly where each word lands.

How Pinpoint works

RuleDetail
GoalGuess the category that connects all five clue words (for example, “Apple, Dell, Acer, HP” → computer brands).
Clues reveal one at a timeYou start with one word and get another after each wrong guess, up to five — the fewer you need, the better your score.
GuessesType the category; the game tells you if you're right. You have a limited number of tries.
ResetA new Pinpoint puzzle drops every day at midnight Pacific Time (3:00 a.m. Eastern).

Solving a clue set like this one

  • Put the first two clues side by side before guessing anything. Robusta on its own fits a dozen categories; Robusta plus Arabica usually fits one or two.
  • If your first theory dies on clue three, don't patch it — throw it out. A theory that needs an exception for one clue is the wrong theory.
  • Check for a shared word before you check for a shared topic. Pinpoint loves sets where every clue sits in front of (or behind) the same hidden word.
  • Say each clue out loud. Homophones and phrases hide in plain sight when you only read them.

How Pinpoint scoring works

You see one clue to start and earn another after every wrong guess, up to five. Solving on clue one is the best possible result and solving on clue five still counts as a win, so there's no reason to rush a guess you're not confident in — a wrong answer costs you a clue you can't get back.

Other Pinpoint clue sets

Every Pinpoint puzzle has its own page here, filed under its clue words. Use the calendar above to jump to another day, or open the main Pinpoint answers page for the current puzzle.

Frequently asked questions

What connects Robusta, Arabica, Cold brew, Instant and Decaf?

They're all “Words that come before “coffee”” — the answer to Pinpoint #868 from Tuesday, September 15th, 2026.

What was the Pinpoint #868 answer?

Words that come before “coffee”. The walkthrough under the answer explains why each of the five clues fits.

Why is Robusta a clue for Words that come before “coffee”?

The clue-by-clue table above gives the exact pairing for Robusta, along with the other four clues in the set.

How do I see today's Pinpoint answer instead?

Open the main LinkedIn Pinpoint answers page — it always shows the current day's clues, hints, and answer, plus a countdown to the next puzzle.