The degree to which coffee beans are roasted is often times considered one of the most important factors in determining the taste of coffee in the cup. However, this could not be further from the truth. Latitude, elevation, originating country, region, and pollinating crops in the area all make a considerable difference in the eventual taste of coffee. With all these variables in mind, each coffee must journey through the roasting process in its own way in order to realize its very best flavor and aroma to accentuate each bean’s optimal attributes in the cup.
Each bean often times tells you how it wants to be roasted in the way that it absorbs heat, resists heat, and by the amount of heat necessary to break down the inner structure of the bean as it travels from phase to phase. Coffee journeys through the drying phase where it releases its moisture. This leads it to the Milliard phase where the sugars begin to caramelize. Once the beans have absorbed all the heat they can handle, they reach their breaking point and begin to crack – marking the point of no longer absorbing heat, but giving off heat. At this point, the longer the coffee roasts and the higher the temperature to which the coffee is exposed, the darker the color. In general, the faster the coffee roasts and the lighter the color, the more bright and acidic the coffee will be.
Conversely, the longer the coffee develops during the roast, the sweeter and less acidic the coffee becomes. The most common way to describe a coffee roast is by the color of the roasted beans, ranging from light to dark (or extra dark). Oils appear on the surface of the beans at higher temperatures. Because coffee beans vary, color is not an especially accurate way of judging a roast. But combined with the typical roasting temperature that yields a particular shade of brown, color is a convenient way to categorize roasting levels.
“No cream or sugar needed when you take a sip of Special Ground’s Ugandan coffee! This coffee boasts a smooth & flavorful taste that keeps you coming back for refill after refill. Highly recommend.”
James F.
