Giving Your Coffee A Right Roasting

Giving Your Coffee A Right Roasting

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Coffee berries ripen on the coffee plant and resemble the appearance of red cherries. The outer layers are removed exposing the coffee beans which are then washed and dried.

Usually there are only two beans per cherry. In its raw state the coffee bean is green. In fact for over two hundred years coffee was drunk cold, rather like wine. The berries were steeped in warm water and the liquor drank cold. It was not until much later that somebody had the great idea of roasting the beans.

Raw green beans contain a lot of protein, water, sugar and caffeine. However they are not at all flavoursome! It is the roasting process that alters the state of the beans and produces it's delicious flavour and aroma.

The coffee beans lose weight as they are roasted due to evaporation of their water content. Roasting also causes an increase in volume, making the coffee less dense.

The temperature of the coffee beans increase as the external heat is applied. Roasting starts as the temperature approaches about 200 degrees centigrade. Different types of coffee beans differ in moisture content, so the temperature and duration of the roasting process may differ slightly. As the intense heat breaks down the starches, caramelization occurs, which converts the starches to sugars. The browning of the these sugars causes the beans to change color as well to their distinctive dark brown shade.

Continued roasting destroys the acidity and starts to produce the aromatic oils. Caffeol is one of the oils produced that is largely responsible for the distinct aroma and flavour of roasted coffee.

Roasting times will vary depending on the degree of roast needed, the variety of coffee bean, and the amount of beans in the batch. This can vary from 4 minutes to 35 minutes. It is a highly skilled job and commercial coffee roasting plants take great care in recruiting and training their coffee roasters.

Some coffees are medium roasted, others dark or very dark roasted. In general terms, the longer the roasting process, the darker and stronger the coffee produced.

Medium roast coffee is very popular and produces a pleasant tasting medium strength coffee. It is commonly consumed at breakfast time or during the daytime. It can be enjoyed black or with cream. Medium roasted coffees are popular in all types of coffee machine, except the espresso machine which needs a darker, stronger roast.

Medium to dark roast coffee are roasted for that little bit longer. It produces a fine tasting beverage not unlike medium roast, but with a slightly stronger and heavier flavour.

Dark roast coffee is roasted for the longest and produces a much richer and darker coffee that is normally best enjoyed after meals. It is the preferred choice for espresso coffee.

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