Roasting: Does it mean grilling a person?

Well, when it’s coffee roasting, the answer is a NO.

Roasting in the coffee industry means transforming coffee beans from green to brown through a heating process. It can affect the flavour of any coffee per se. Green Beans have the aroma and flavours locked inside, through the chemical reaction during the roasting process, they all come out bringing a distinction in every coffee one tastes.

There are three main stages in roasting: the drying stage, browning stage and development stage or roasting stage.

1. DRYING STAGE

Humidity levels in coffee beans range from 8 to 12%. We need to dry it before roasting starts. Drying can take 4–8 minutes with a traditional drum roaster. In the final stages of drying, the temperature is typically 160°C. When roasting in a drum roaster, one needs to be careful not to overheat the beans. The drying stage also has a role to play in preserving energy for the bean because the final roasting stage is exothermic (heat-generating).

2. BROWNING STAGE

At 160 C, the coffee smells like toasted bread and hay. In this phase, aroma precursors are converted into aroma compounds. Drying continues even during the browning stage. At the browning stage Maillard reaction which means a reduction of sugar and amino acids starts making a hundred kinds of aroma and colour compounds also known as melanoidins. At this stage, roast slows down naturally and in some cases, some of the roast masters flow it down intentionally to ensure the development of flavour. At the end of the browning stage, the coffee starts to pop. It is known as the first crack and when that happens, the development stage starts.

3. DEVELOPMENT OR ROASTING STAGE

The reaction becomes exothermic in the initial stages of development, causing the coffee to crack. It is during the drying and browning stages of the coffee bean that energy is collected which causes the bean to explode. In the development stage, if one doesn't slow down the roast, the coffee will be too smoky and its flavour will be sharp. In general, the development stage lasts 15 to 25% of the total roasting time, depending on the desired flavour profile and roast level.

Know your roasts

The perfect roast is a personal choice! Knowing your roasts is the way to it.

• Light City

• Half City

• Cinnamon

With a medium brown colour and a non-oily surface, this roast has a stronger flavour. It's often referred to as the American roast due to its popularity in the United States.

• City

• American

• Breakfast

With a rich, dark colour and some oil on the surface, this roast is slightly bittersweet in flavour.

• Full City

• High
• Continental
• New Orleans
• European
• Espresso
• Viennese
• Italian
• French

How to roast?

There are numerous coffee roasting methods used by the roasters depending on their needs. The most common roasting equipment are drums and hot air machines.

Roasting your own coffee requires a large array of equipment and accessories, including roasters, thermometers, cooling trays, filters, analysis tools like colour analyzers and moisture meters, as well as a loader and bag for packing freshly roasted beans quickly, as well as a heat sealer to seal them securely. In addition to a good roaster, a good scale is needed to make sure that every batch tastes the same and weighs the same.

Roasting is both an art and a science