Coffee and Tea

If you think all coffee tastes the same, you are mistaken. Much of the final taste of coffee depends on the drying and roasting process. DO you like a light roast or a dark roast best? To find out, first you need to learn a bit about coffee roasting.

Sometimes, the coffee beans are subjected to a wash at the beginning of the drying and roasting process. Since the beans come in different types and densities, some of them float while others sink. This allows them to be sorted easier. The wash also helps to clean the beans and remove the outer fruit. Other processors use a drying process which is more expensive and takes more time.

Wet-processed beans tend to have a greater acidity than dry-processed beans do. Exactly how much acidity is desired depends on individual tastes. One thing is certain though, some acidity is better than no. If your morning cup had no acidity at all it would taste lifeless and flat.

During the first stage of the roasting process, the green coffee beans slowly turn to a yellowish color as they heat up. Usually, if they’ve been properly roasted, the beans will smell somewhat like popcorn or toast at that point.

As they reach temperatures of 338-392F (170-200C), the carmelization process begins. If the beans do not have the proper moisture content to begin with, then carmelization will not work properly and the final brew will not come out well.

When the beans get to about 400F (205C), the beans begin to get bigger. They wind up being about twice the size they started out at. They also turn light brown and lose around 5% of their weight. The beans will lose around another 13% of their weight and give off CO2 gas by the time they get to temperatures of around 428F (220C).

The next major milestone in the process is 446F (230C), at which point the beans turn a medium-dark brown color and develop an oily sheen. This is also called the ’second crack’ phase, because the beans often make a loud popping noise.

It’s very easy to burn the beans at that point in time. The roasters have to be careful not to overdo the roast. Over-roasting allows oxygen to mix with the oils on the outside of the beans and remove good flavors and leave a burnt taste in their place.

Coffee roasters have to take great care during the entire roasting process if they want the best possible outcome. So many acids, flavors and aromas are produced during the process that the slightest error could cause a completely different end result. Each coffee bean should, with a lot of skill and a bit of luck, produce just the right balance of flavors.

It is also important that coffee have good body. The word ‘body’ actually refers to how coffee feels on your tongue when you rub it against the roof of your mouth. The body of a cup of coffee is determined by its fat content. The fat content is largely determined by how the beans are grown and by the way the beans were roasted.

Dark roasts can have a chocolaty, burnt sort of taste, while lighter roasts can cause the coffee to have a more bitter taste. Which roast is right for you? Well, the only way to figure that out is to try several different types. So, instead of getting stuck in the same old rut, the next time you go for your same old cup of coffee, don’t be afraid to experiment a bit instead. You might find that drinking coffee becomes a whole new experience.

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