Roasting

Roasting Roasting Coffee - How to Roast Coffee Beans

The art of coffee roasting has made dramatic improvements in recent years. Roasting coffee changes the chemistry and physical characteristics of the green coffee bean. The beans shrink about 20% by weight, and acquire the deep dark hue and aroma of fresh roasted coffee.

Coffee Roasts vary from light to dark:

Italian Roast is our darkest roast. We roast it extremely dark, almost black. The flavor is determined by the degree of roast rather than the type of bean used. A slightly smoky taste with a bittersweet tang is the end result.

Our French Roast is roasted very dark brown with a bittersweet tang and no acidic tones.

Espresso is the lightest of our dark roasts. We use it in all of our espresso bar drinks. It is an excellent blend that works well in any brewer. The flavor is full bodied, rich, slightly sharp, but never bitter.

T r i v i a #1: Is Espresso a type of roast or a coffee drink? (Answer: Both!)

This can be confusing! Espresso is a type of roast, yet it is also a type of coffee bar drink. Espresso is produced by extracting the best and most exquisite coffee flavors under high-pressure steam using an espresso machine.

T r i v i a #2: Which is the correct spelling: Expresso or Espresso? (Answer: Espresso.)

Assuming a constant temperature, the longer coffee is roasted the darker it becomes. Coffee roasting times can range from 3-18 minutes, depending on the equipment, the type of coffee used, the temperature and even the weather. Toward the end of the coffee roasting cycle the difference in roasting can range from 5 seconds to 1 minute depending on the conditions stated above. Roasting coffee is a very hands-on process and can only be perfected through experience.

If the coffee roasting time is too short for a particular coffee bean, not all the chemical reaction will take place. This may leave the brewed coffee with an underdeveloped flavor. Coffee roasting time that is too long can destroy many aromatic compounds, giving the coffee a bitter taste or burnt aroma.

A light roast term is Cinnamon, which is a light brown color with a pronounced nut flavor and the highest point of coffee acidity. This is a very light roast, not often used.

American or City roast is an even chestnut brown with a pronounced caramel-like flavor and no trace of dark roast flavor. This is considered a medium roast.

Full City roast is a darker brown with no traces of oil on the surface, full development of coffee flavor, sometimes with a hint of dark roast flavor and some loss of coffee acidity.

At Surf City Coffee Co., we let the bean determine to degree of roast, this also makes using the best green beans very important. The trend to “dark roast” everything hides the distinction between the varietals from each country.

While chemicals are used to decaffeinate most coffee, Surf City Coffee is decaffinated using the SWISS WATER® Process which uses only water. It’s a patented process that results in great tasting coffee that is never subjected to chemicals.

We hope you have received a bit of a coffee roasting education about Surf City Coffee Co. coffees as well as our coffee roasting philosophy, and the various distinctions between our coffee roasts. Should you have any questions about coffee roasting, please contact us.

All About Roasting Coffee at Home by Lucid Cafe

Get a coffee roasting education! If you’ve ever considered roasting your own coffee beans at home, but don’t know where to start, this is a great article!