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Coffee Roasting: The birth of the Coffee flavor

After sun-drying the coffee beans, you must roast them.

Coffee-roasting is probably the most important part of the process once you have selected your coffee beans. The way in which coffee is roasted can have a profound effect on its taste. Roast too quickly at too high a temperature, and you'll scorch the exterior of the bean. Roast too slowly at too low a temperature, and you'll sap the bean of its of flavor.

Over the years, numerous roasting methods have been developed to address these challenges, all with the same objective: To transfer heat to the coffee bean, initiating a series of chemical reactions that prepare it for consumption.

There are two basic methods: drum roasting technique (this is the traditional roasting method), and high-volume assembly-line roasting, in which the coffee is hot-air roasted in only 4-6 minutes, but the final result is inferior to drum-roasting. Many coffee sellers state in their advertising that their coffee undergoes a special and secret roasting method to get its good taste. Do not even bother on that, first of all you cannot get really good flavor from inferior coffee, no matter how "special" their roasting methods claim.

Most roasting methods include the following six phases:

Drying Cycle This is the first phase of the roasting process, when the temperature of the beans rises to 100 degrees centigrade. Also in this phase, the beans change from a bright green color to a pale yellow. First Crack When the beans reach 160 degrees centigrade, complex chemical reactions begin to occur causing a cracking sound. Roast Initiation The beans swell to 140 - 160% of their initial size. Elements within the beans begin to caramelize, giving the beans their brown color. Pause In this phase, the audible cracking ceases, but the reactions continue. The time of this silence will depend on the amount of heat applied by the roaster. Second Crack The progressive dehydration of the beans has made them brittle. As a result, more cracking can be heard. It is at this stage that elements in the bean begin to carbonize, producing the burnt characteristics of extremely dark roasts. Stopping the Roast Once the optimal amount of roasting time has elapsed, the beans must be cooled quickly. This is usually accomplished by introducing large amounts of cool air or water.

First, one needs first-class quality coffee beans, and then to roast them properly.

Therefore, always put the value in good quality beans and a traditional roasting method. There are commercial drum roasters that meticulously maintain the optimal roasting conditions – temperature, air flow, and time–bringing gourmet coffee beans to their full flavor potential.

Within one working day, the roasted and packaged coffee is ready for export.

Do not overlook the packaging

Exposing coffee to extended air and light makes it's delicate flavor diminish. Look for gourmet coffee in opaque, airtight packaging or with air valve on it preferrably. This guarantees the roast-fresh flavor it s not lost from the beans. This type of package allows gourmet coffee to be stored for up to 6 months in the packaging, without losing flavor and freshness.