Coffee 101: Proper Handling
Roasting
Roasting is the process of applying heat to the green coffee bean to a temperature of at least 390 degrees or more in order to convert the green bean into something that can be ground brewed and consumed in one form or another. This seemingly simple process is actually very complex due to the intricate nature of the coffee bean itself. A seemingly endless stream of taste profiles can result from different styles of roasting one type of bean.
The two main defining principles in developing a desired taste are; roast degree and duration of the roast. In general the longer the roast is drawn out the more body can be drawn out from the bean, resulting in a fuller, heavier taste. This of course is within reason, a roast that is drawn out too long will result in a dried out dull and "bready" tasting Coffee. The shorter the roast the more acidic snap or "brightness" is sustained in the coffees. Again, this too is within reason, too short of a roast will result in a overly sour green tasting coffee.
At Volcanos, our philosophy is to roast the coffee "The way it wants to be roasted". Our recipes are based on an understanding of the coffee that brings forth the most profound flavor attributes. So many of the intriguing characteristics of coffee can be either muted or are completely dissolved by a dark roast. That said some flavor characteristics can be brought to life through a skillful dark roast. The roasters challenge is to find which coffee tastes best which way and which ones taste great both ways. Most often in a dark roast the objective is to taste the roast more so than the bean.
Roasting dark brings forth the smoky, spicier elements of the bean resulting in a stronger taste. One of the mistakes that is commonly made is to roast every coffee dark. This denies great coffee the true potential it has to express an exciting ouray of flavor profiles that can only be revealed in a lighter roast. Often times the dark roast strategy can be strategically implemented in order to mask poor quality or various in-consistencies.
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