During the roasting process, there are two levels on which something happens to coffee beans: the chemical and physical level. On the chemical level, coffee roasting replicates the ripening of the fruit in nature. On the physical level, the roasting transforms bean matter from cellulose towards charcoal.
From the coffee production where the coffee beans are planted, grown, taken care of until the cherries are harvested. These cherries are then further processed. They are processed in either the dry or wet methods. Then after raw green coffee beans have been produced, this is where the roasting process takes place.
In coffee roasting, we avoid getting the beans hot enough to cause charring, but they do undergo chemical changes associated with pyrolysis including the caramelization of sugars and production of volatile compounds. Here are the main chemical reactions that impact your daily cup of coffee.
On the chemical level, coffee roasting replicates the ripening of the fruit in nature. On the physical level, the roasting transforms bean matter from cellulose towards charcoal.
· The high temperatures of roasting kills off all these nasties, leaving us with sterile and safe cocoa. Furthermore, roasting reduced the chances of running to trouble further down the chocolate production line. For example, as the heat dries out and embrittles the beans’ husks, the process of cracking and winnowing becomes considerably smoother.
· However, their bean structure is far more complex, so confusingly, during the roast, robusta actually behaves like a very dense high-altitude arabica coffee. Lucas regularly speaks with other roastmasters about the processes they go through to get the best out of arabica beans, just to give himself some context.
· During the roasting process, heat causes gases to release from the coffee beans as their cell structure breaks down and becomes more porous. This is why roasted beans are far more brittle than raw green coffee – which both home and commercial grinders alike would struggle to break down. However, roasted coffee also contains oils.
· For baristas who are eager to begin a roasting career, investing in their own education and developing their skills can help them secure a roasting position. Rob Hoos is a coffee roasting consultant. He tells me that there’s a major trend of baristas joining a roastery-café and hoping to go in as a member of the roasting team.
· However, if you keep selling more coffee and increasing your revenue, you will eventually need to relocate. To learn more about the challenges that roasters face when looking to upgrade their roasting space, I spoke with two industry experts. Read on to find out what they said. You might also like our checklist for planning your new roastery site.
· Machines can also get “clogged”, generally thanks to various buildups that occur during the roast (chaff and coffee oils, for instance). Any kind of damage or failure due to continuous use can, over time, affect batch consistency – so keeping your roaster clean and well-maintained is certainly in your best interest.
· Third wave coffee culture has become synonymous with the craft of making coffee – phrases like “hand-roasted” or “brewed by hand” are commonly used to market coffee itself and café beverages. As such, some might view the increasing presence of automation in the coffee industry to be at odds with the “art” of making coffee – whether that’s in production, …
· Green coffee may have slightly more caffeine than black coffee due to a little amount of caffeine lost during the roasting process, but the difference is likely inconsequential. Green coffee supplements, on the other hand, often include 20–50 mg of caffeine per capsule, however, some are decaffeinated during processing.
· There is also no evidence to suggest that higher retail prices (meaning higher roaster sale prices) would lead to a voluntary increase in green coffee prices. However, if a green coffee price increase was dictated by producer groups, the downstream supply chain (roasters and retailers) and their customers would theoretically be able to absorb it.
· The coffee bean is actually the seed of a cherry-like fruit that grows on a coffee bean plant called the Coffea tree. After being picked off the tree, the outer fruit is stripped, and the inner seed is left to dry which forms a raw coffee bean. Then the coffee bean goes into the roasting process. Once that is complete its ground and then brewed!
