I know several gourmet coffee lovers who feel completely at ease with the “lip to cup” experience, but thought I’d shed some light on how coffee bean roasting works and how gourmet coffee is actually achieved. If anything a little information on the roasting process of coffee beans could enhance your appreciation for good cup of coffee.
The first thing many people don’t realise about coffee and its flavor is that the flavor of coffee is actually initiated and fulfilled in the roasting process. If you simply ground “green” coffee beans, as they are called before roasting, you would basically have a bitter and largely undrinkable beverage after brewing.
Roasting the coffee beans for gourmet coffee does a couple things first it creates the aroma associated with great coffee and also provided the flavor that the discerning coffee connoisseur craves.
During the roasting process of coffee beans the green coffee beans turn a yellowish color and after a few minutes, around 8 depending on roaster and temperature, the beans actually pop a little like popcorn. When this popping occurs the beans actually double in size.
How Coffee Bean Roasting Works
At this point the coffee beans have reached about 400 degrees and the beans begin to change from the yellowish color to a darker color. This occurs as the oils from the coffee bean emerge from the bean and interact with the heat of the roasting process. Pyrolysis is occurring at this point, which is the interaction of the oils in the bean with the heat. Pyrolysis is what give your cup of gourmet coffee that wonderful aroma and flavor, how about that.
Around this point, actually just a few minutes later, a second pop occurs and this is the point at with the bean is “done” roasting. Kinda like a bell on a microwave, although not as exact, this second pop is the indicator to remove the coffee beans from the roaster.
Roasting gourmet coffee is an art of the senses really. An experienced roast master uses sight, smell, and sound mostly to determine the perfect timing of stopping the roasting process. Time is the main player in creating different coffee flavors. The shorter the time the less “strong” the final brew. Typical American coffee, for example, would have a bean roaster for shorter amount of time than, say, and espresso bean.
How to Roast Your Own Coffee Beans
Roasting your own coffee beans can be accomplished in a few different ways one of the simplest is by using a stove top roaster. Much like a stove top popcorn roaster, a do it yourself coffee bean roaster, allows you to roast beans at the time you desire to grind and brew your coffee. Fresh coffee beans roasted, ground and brewed is safe bet to produce a great gourmet coffee. Many people associate gourmet coffee with flavor and complicated brewing, but it’s not necessarily so. Coffee looses its freshness quickly and if you accustom to buying coffee from a grocery store in the blue or red buckets, your in for a pleasant surprise if you should ever try to roast your own coffee beans.
