How Important is Fresh Roasted Coffee To You?

Posted by david on Jan 20th, 2010 | one comment home title

For me freshness of roasted coffee is more important to me than any brand names, so to share my perspective I will explain the roasting process, and why I believe fresh roasted is the best way to go. FYI this will be a general overview; I will save a more detailed article and video for a later post.

Coffee is mostly sold in its roasted state, but very few people know about this roasting process.

The roasting process starts when we open the gate at the bottom of the hopper right above the roasting drum. The beans slide into the drum which is heated from below via gas burners. The roasting drum is a horizontally spinning drum that roasts the beans evenly with a current of hot air.

At 392°F: Roasting Process Begins: Heat breaks down starches in the coffee bean resulting in caramelization. Caramelization in coffee beans is the oxidation of complex starches turning them into simple sugars; an example of this would be sucrose in green coffee beans being broken down into the monosaccharides fructose and glucose. This process results in a nutty flavor and the browning of the coffee bean.

During roasting, oils, acids, and caffeine are altered by the extreme heat, changing the flavor

At periodic times during the process the roastmaster will check on the progress of the beans by looking at samples from a scoop, called a tryer.

At 401°F: Additional oils start developing at this temperature, again altering the flavor of the coffee bean. Caffeol is created at 392°F and is largely responsible for coffee’s distinct flavors and aromas.

When the right moment comes the roast master opens the chamber door, dumping the beans onto the cooling tray. The beans are stirred on the cooling tray as air is drawn down through them to cool them as fast as possible so that the beans cease roasting as fast as possible.

The packaging of the freshly roasted coffee is also part of the roasting process and can be just as important as roasting. In order to preserve that fresh roast taste for as long as possible the packaging must protect the beans from light, oxygen and moisture. Fresh roasted coffee is packaged within just minutes of cooling, and because coffee beans will continue to leak CO2, Carbon Dioxide, after roasting, a proper package will have a pressure relief valve to let the CO2 escape the package.

This valve will also serve to push out any oxygen that was in the bag at the time it was heat sealed. These coffee bags are also made out of foil which block out light.

Yet, even with these bare minimum requirements for fresh roast, coffee still loses 25% of its flavor within two weeks of roasting. Freshness is paramount to coffee, and coffee is a perishable product, which most people do not realize. The majority of people are drinking stale coffee, be different and taste the difference of freshly roasted coffee beans.

Wondering where to start? Our Posh Portage Coffee, look for the black coffee bag, is guaranteed fresh and will be delivered just days after roasting. Click here to view our selection.