Newly picked coffee beans are green and firm, and still have their flavor potential locked away. Using both science and experience, processors apply controlled heat to transform those small nuggets into perfectly toasted beans ready to use. Specialty coffee roasters are able to enhance regional coffees by carefully raising the interior temperatures of each bean in order to release the desired depth of flavor.
Without roasting, the characteristic smell of a freshly brewed pot would not exist. Raw beans have the same basic shape as roasted, but are much smaller. Commercial producers commonly employ large, rotating drums heated to around 550 degrees, and as the contents tumble, the oils inside each bean begin to change during a process called pyrolysis. Their size doubles, and fragrance and flavors are released.
Readily available lower-cost commercial coffees can smell fantastic while being brewed, and contain enough caffeine to satisfy most people, but cannot really compare to beans that have been specially planted according to topography, carefully harvested, and then roasted perfectly. Although modern equipment is employed, roasting has become a creative skill that requires using the sense of smell, sight, and even hearing.
Similar to wine-growing regions, the flavor of raw beans can vary according to micro-climate and soil components. Those with an established reputation in one area may seem quite different when raised and picked in another, and those variants can be enhanced or changed through roasting. Most roasted products are visually classified according to color, as well as their final temperature.
As their name suggests, light roasts are typically made of less intense varieties. Oils rarely appear on the surface, because the heating process does not last long enough for them to break through. The same is true for medium styles, which are slightly darker but still not oily, and are most popular in the United States. Medium-dark roasts usually are heated long enough for some oils to escape, and have a strong aftertaste.
Authentic dark roasts are an ebony or chocolate color, usually have visible surface oils, and leave a bitter residual taste if chewed. The length of time in the roaster determines final depth of color, and some roasts are nearly charred to create robust beverages like espresso. No matter which variety of bean is being roasted, the amount of time it spends during the process dramatically changes the flavor.
A respected coffee processor can bolster the popularity and reputation of a particular variety or region by intensifying and highlighting the subtle internal flavors that appear with heat. Rather than simply filling a machine and turning on a timer, many artisans carefully consider the flavor variations that occur naturally. They adjust roasting times to fit each type of bean.
They make allowances for humidity, outside air temperature on the day of roasting, and the desired style or taste. Experience enables specialty roasters to know when a bean is finished simply by smelling the batch, or by checking the color. The final product is based on human senses as well as science. When delicious aroma and flavor are the goal, there is no substitute for an educated palate.
Without roasting, the characteristic smell of a freshly brewed pot would not exist. Raw beans have the same basic shape as roasted, but are much smaller. Commercial producers commonly employ large, rotating drums heated to around 550 degrees, and as the contents tumble, the oils inside each bean begin to change during a process called pyrolysis. Their size doubles, and fragrance and flavors are released.
Readily available lower-cost commercial coffees can smell fantastic while being brewed, and contain enough caffeine to satisfy most people, but cannot really compare to beans that have been specially planted according to topography, carefully harvested, and then roasted perfectly. Although modern equipment is employed, roasting has become a creative skill that requires using the sense of smell, sight, and even hearing.
Similar to wine-growing regions, the flavor of raw beans can vary according to micro-climate and soil components. Those with an established reputation in one area may seem quite different when raised and picked in another, and those variants can be enhanced or changed through roasting. Most roasted products are visually classified according to color, as well as their final temperature.
As their name suggests, light roasts are typically made of less intense varieties. Oils rarely appear on the surface, because the heating process does not last long enough for them to break through. The same is true for medium styles, which are slightly darker but still not oily, and are most popular in the United States. Medium-dark roasts usually are heated long enough for some oils to escape, and have a strong aftertaste.
Authentic dark roasts are an ebony or chocolate color, usually have visible surface oils, and leave a bitter residual taste if chewed. The length of time in the roaster determines final depth of color, and some roasts are nearly charred to create robust beverages like espresso. No matter which variety of bean is being roasted, the amount of time it spends during the process dramatically changes the flavor.
A respected coffee processor can bolster the popularity and reputation of a particular variety or region by intensifying and highlighting the subtle internal flavors that appear with heat. Rather than simply filling a machine and turning on a timer, many artisans carefully consider the flavor variations that occur naturally. They adjust roasting times to fit each type of bean.
They make allowances for humidity, outside air temperature on the day of roasting, and the desired style or taste. Experience enables specialty roasters to know when a bean is finished simply by smelling the batch, or by checking the color. The final product is based on human senses as well as science. When delicious aroma and flavor are the goal, there is no substitute for an educated palate.
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