In House Roasting
What is a Micro Artisan Roaster
Roasting coffee is both an art and a science. Throughout the centuries, the art of perfectly roasting coffee has captured man’s attention as we have employed everything from pan roasting over open flames to much more sophisticated equipment such as modern drum roaster – all to bring green beans to their fullest potential. As any good roasters know, coffee is a temperamental food that requires perseverance and creativity to reveal each varieties ideal roast. Fortunately for those of us who have a passion for coffee, technology has evolved to help us with this pursuit. At The Muse, we are artisan micro roasters who use a drum roaster and a profiling system to produce our coffee.
So what does all that really mean?
As it implies, micro roasters roast in small batches, similar in concept to the microbreweries that have popped up in the last few years. The advantage of small batch roasting is control; the control necessary for an artisan micro roaster to be exact with each attribute of a coffee’s taste: acidity, body, flavor and aroma.
The term artisan roaster implies much more than the creativity of the roaster. It is really a commitment to a creative process. Every coffee we roast is cupped until we feel that its coffee’s attributes are perfect. This is a time-consuming process- sometimes taking months to bring out a particular coffee’s rich qualities.
How coffee is roasted greatly influences it’s flavor. The final temperature is the most important influencer of a coffee’s flavor. Generally, a coffee will be roasted somewhere between 415°-460°, 415° being right at the edge of a light roast, 425° being right in the middle of a medium roast, and 460° being a dark, Italian roast. As the beans reach a higher temperature, sugars become more developed and different chemical reactions occur.
Because these factors are so important, we use a profile roasting system- a method of controlling the rate of heat transferred into the coffee during the roasting process, with the goal of optimizing flavor and consistency. The profile roasting system involves bean probes, environmental probes and a computer program that helps us analyze the coffee’s temperature progress over time. If the progression is constant, forming a straight line when graphed, the coffee will taste different than a roast cycle that has a curved graph. What is important here is how long the coffee is held at certain temperatures, because different chemical reactions occur at specific temperatures. For instance, a coffee held at 370° will develop more of a certain chemical (as a result of the reaction) versus a coffee that is roasted in a straight line. Profiling is the most difficult part of determining how to roast a coffee.
Each type of green coffee has its own unique roast profile. It is the roaster’s job to bring out the best in each coffee. Since green coffees from different regions possess unique qualities, each profile must be developed individually. Once we have created each profile, we can faithfully follow it to ensure consistency and quality in future roasts.
After coffee is roasted, the beans are still developing. They emit generous amounts of CO2 gas. Coffee must sit 18 hours before it is ground or consumed to ensure that the majority of CO2 is released and that the flavor has been fully matured. During this time the coffee is packaged into foil bags with one-way air valves. The one-way valve allows CO2 to escape, but prevents oxygen, which can be damaging to the coffee, from entering.
Between growing quality coffee, profile roasting each variety, and packaging in a timely manner, there is an enormous amount of effort and knowledge necessary for producing a good cup of coffee. But, it does not end here. Even top quality coffee can be brewed incorrectly thus detracting from the coffee’s flavor. Therefore, it is important to understand the properties of brewing coffee to make sure you get the most out of your specialty coffee investment.
