At Joffrey’s we roast all of our coffees to order to ensure quality and freshness. But, there’s more to the coffee roasting process than meets the eye.
We consider the coffee roasting process to be a science AND an art form.
When coffee beans arrive at our facility they are ‘green’ – which is the way coffee beans are stored. They’re stored green because while in this state they will not lose quality or taste. Green coffee beans do not have the same characteristics as roasted coffee beans. In fact, they look, feel and smell completely different than the coffee bean you see when you receive your Joffrey’s. They actually look and smell like dried peas before roasting, nothing like what we have come to know and love about the smell of freshly roasted coffee.
Through roasting, coffee gets it delicious brown color and aroma. This is when the chemical changes take place within the beans as they are rapidly brought up to high temperatures and transforms the “green” coffee beans into what we know as roasted coffee. During the roasting process moisture dissipates, sugars break down, and the beans expand, releasing steam and CO2. In fact, all this happens in a window of 14-16 minutes depending on the degree of roast.
Once the beans reach the desired outcome, they’re quickly cooled to stop the roasting process. But this is harder than it sounds – there’s nothing that automatically tells the roasting machine when to stop. It’s all up to the Roaster themselves. During the roasting process, the Roaster will inspect the beans several times by taking a closer look and smelling and touching the beans to ensure they are roasted to the desired level.
It’s completely up to the Roastmaster to determine exactly when the roast has reached it’s perfect “profile” and the roast is complete. 5 seconds too early and you may have an underdeveloped coffee, 5 seconds too long and you may wind up with a batch of “unintentional espresso”. Because of the attention to detail needed, it takes many years for Roasters to train and develop the skills and ability to read beans
At Joffrey’s, we have two roast categories:
- Medium – beans with a medium brown color, strong flavor and no oily surface.
- Dark – shiny, almost black beans with an oily surface and slight bitterness.
Looking to learn about which roast is right for your needs and your space? Contact your Joffrey’s rep!
Want an inside look at how coffee beans are roasted? Check out this video that takes you on a coffee bean’s journey through the roaster.
