HOW IS COFFEE ROASTED?

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November 24, 2022

From the "What's behind a quality coffee?" series, today we're talking about roasting.

Roasting is the key stage, through which the characteristic taste, aroma, and final bouquet of coffee beans are developed. Coffee beans are transformed, through roasting, changing their size, smoothing, and acquiring various aromas, but to get there they have to go through several stages, from green coffee to roasted coffee status:

1. Green beans – Before roasting, the coffee bean is green, with a vegetal aroma. If you were to prepare a coffee from unripe beans, the result would not have any recognizable coffee flavor.

2. The drying stage – the first stage of roasting is the drying stage. Now the beans turn yellowish to light brown, the water evaporates, and the acids react and break down, disappearing the vegetal taste of the beans. At this stage, the coffee beans smell like popcorn, hay, or toast and raisin with the color change.

3. High Pressure – As the water in the beans heats up, the pressure in the structure increases, and the color intensifies. Some berries turn brown and look ripe, but will lighten up in the next stages when they pop.

4. The first pop – The force of the steam finally causes the cellular structure to break with a popcorn-like sound. Now the bean increases in size become smoother on the surface and uniform in color and begin to smell like coffee. 1-2 minutes after the first crack, roasting for filter or French press coffee is normally stopped.

5. Roasting Stage – Sugars, acids, and compounds react, producing various flavors. Starch turns into sugar. Acids break down, sugars caramelize, and the cellular structure weakens and dries out.

6. Second Pop – At some point, a second pop will be heard, caused by the pressure inside the coffee bean, and the oil will reach the surface of the bean. Many espresso coffees are roasted too, or a little after, the second crack.

7. After the second pop – The beans still have some original coffee flavors. A bitter, roasted taste will cover this. Once on the surface, the oil oxidizes the coffee bean, which quickly takes on a harsh flavor.

Does the degree of roasting matter?

It is good to know the degree of roasting because it will give us certain information from the start about the taste of the coffee we are about to enjoy. It will taste grassy, and rooty (light roast), it will have a complex flavor with fruity, floral, or chocolate notes (medium roast) or it will have an intense, piercing taste (heavy roast).

What roasting profile do we use at Narativ?

We at Narativ only roast our coffee light-medium, which means we stop roasting when the first crack starts, cool the coffee immediately and it will retain its light brown color and aroma in the bean.

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