The Coffee Roasting Process

The Coffee Roasting Process

Posted by BBCC Media on

The Coffee Roasting Process With Our Roaster And Factory Manager, Luiz

 

 

Have you ever wondered what it takes to transform raw coffee beans into your favourite cup of coffee?

Meet Luiz, our coffee roaster with a great sense of humour and a wealth of coffee and roasting knowledge. We decided to spend some time with him at the roaster so he could share some of the knowledge he’s gained throughout his roasting years.


According to Luiz, the secret for the perfect roast “starts with high-quality beans and understanding the different stages of the roasting curve for each type of bean".

Each blend has its own special recipe, meaning we use specific ratios of green beans from different regions. 

Here’s a glimpse into Luiz’s roasting process:

1. Prepping up the roaster: First, the roaster is programmed based on the blend or single origin coffee we’re working with. This sets the temperature for each stage of the roasting process, creating the ‘roasting curve’.

 

 

2. Loading the beans: For blends, we load the perfect ratios of green beans from various origins into the scale. Once we’ve poured the right amount of each origin for the number of kilos we want to roast, the load is ready to be transferred to the hopper.

 

 

3. We roast: The beans are released from the hopper into the roasting drum. If a batch was previously roasting, the beans wait in the hopper until the drum is free. Roasting takes about 14-16 minutes (on average), depending on the beans and the desired flavour. We also carefully adjust the heat applied for how the beans were processed at their farm of origin (washed, natural, etc.).

 

4. Monitoring and adjusting: Throughout the roast, we keep an eye on the roasting curve to make sure we’re getting the colour and aroma described in the profile. We may tweak the time or temperature as needed, especially when switching blends or working with different origins.

 

 

5. Cooling down: Once the roast is perfect, the beans are emptied onto a cooling tray to bring them to room temperature, to then be collected and packed.

 


6.
Degassing: Letting the Coffee Breathe
After roasting, coffee goes through a crucial phase called degassing, where it releases built-up carbon dioxide from the beans. This process typically takes 7–10 days, and during this time the coffee’s flavour continues to develop. Brewing coffee too soon after roasting can result in excessive bubbling during extraction and a flavour that feels flat or underdeveloped.

For the best cup, we recommend allowing time for degassing before consuming - your patience will be rewarded with a smoother, more balanced brew.

 


Some fun facts about the roasting process

As the green beans roast, they go through quite the transformation. Among the many changes that happen during roasting, the beans:

  • Shift in colour from green to yellow, then tan and finally to a rich brown
  • Nearly double in size
  • Lose about half of their density
  • Gain sweetness before losing it again
  • Become more acidic
  • Develop over 800 unique aroma compounds
  • Pop loudly as they release pressurised gases and water vapour

Now you know, it’s quite a journey from the humble green bean to the delicious cup we all love so much.

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