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SAMPLE ROASTING TIPS
Invest in a real sample roaster that can roast 100 grams! What coffees to purchase can be the most important decisions you make for your business. A profile roaster is not a sample roaster. If you cannot afford a beautiful Probat sample roaster, look for similar brands that are more affordable, share the use of a sample roaster with a friend, or in a worst-case scenario get a cheap air home roaster as a temporary solution.
HONEY, NATURAL & CARBONIC MACERATION
We develop honeys, naturals & carbonic maceration naturals for 40 to 55 seconds to prevent burning off too much mucilage. The second they're not visibly wrinkled (a sign of under-development), we pull the roast.
Charge to first crack
In our small machine we charge at 356 F with the gas off for 1 minute, but in bigger roasters you may have to start with the gas on (to avoid long, baked roast that kills cupping notes). Our coffees are best roasted in under 10 minutes. Before or at first crack (depending on momentum), decrease or cut the gas and increase air flow considerably.
washed process
We develop washed coffees for between 1:15 to 1:40 minutes max, watching the coffee carefully during development and pulling when it's no longer wrinkled (but never too dark).
washed pacamara/maragogype/maracaturra
It's very easy to over-develop these enormous beans—they're less dense. Charge cooler at 340 F, soak a bit, then roast normally but pull earlier, right when they're no longer wrinkled (under-developed). If you taste ashy/baking chocolate notes, pull earlier.
common mistakes to avoid
Burning a roast:
Too often roasters will burn a roast or over-develop it. See comments on development time above. This is the way your great grandparents may have enjoyed their coffee. If the whole beans show oil, it's way too dark. But they don't need to show oils to be burnt.
Baking a roast:
When a coffee is roasted at too low a temperature for too long, it can get baked. This zaps it of all enzymatics (flavorful cupping notes) and makes it taste very bland. Sometimes people will both bake it and also over-roast it, which makes it not only bland but also taste like burnt toast.
Under-develpoing or too-fast roasts:
If our coffee ever tastes grassy, or "cardboardy," it's likely because you under-developed the roast or roasted it too quickly. A roast that is 6 or 7 minutes long is too fast and can taste like popcorn kernels. A roast that is under-developed (beware of wrinkles on roasted beans) can taste like grass or cardboard and can also be confused with bagginess associated with old coffee. It's also possible to do both too fast a roast and under-develop, in which case you could get the worst of under- and fast- development. Feel free to call us for help.
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