Know your Beans

The Magic of the Roasting Process

When the bean is roasted, the process influences the taste of the beverage by changing the coffee bean both physically and chemically. The bean decreases in weight because moisture is lost in the roasting process. It then increases in volume, causing it to become less dense.

The increase of density influences the strength of the coffee. As the bean absorbs heat, the color also shifts to yellow and then to varying shades of brown. During the later stages of roasting, oils appear on the surface of the bean, making it shiny. The roast will continue to darken until it is removed from the heat.

The Basics of Roasting

Roasting begins to take place when the temperature inside the bean reaches approximately 200°C. This is an approximate due to the variance in moister in each variety of bean so they roast at slightly different rates. Roasters typically operate at temperatures between 188 and 282 °C (370 and 540 °F), and the beans are generally roasted anywhere from 3 to 30 minutes.

The Scientific Explanation of Roasting

For those wanting a deeper explanation of what occurs during roasting: In the process of roasting, caramelization occurs due to the intense heat breaking down starches in the bean, thus changing them into simple sugars. These sugars begin to brown therefore caramelizing and changing the color of the bean from green to a chosen shade of brown. The darker the roast, the less sucrose is still contained in the bean and in the darkest roasts it may disappear entirely.

What are the Characteristics of Dark and Light Roasts?

DARKER ROASTS: generally smoother, because they have less fiber content and a more sugary flavor.

LIGHTER ROASTS: more caffeine, resulting in a slight bitterness, and a stronger flavor from aromatic oils and acids otherwise destroyed by longer roasting times. Some say they have a slight “nutty” flavor.

Try it, You'll Like it!

You should try the whole spectrum of freshly roasted coffee beans to decide which one will provide you with the coffee experience you are craving.