Issue link: https://www.cominghomemag.com/i/1376023
14 QUESTIONS WITH A COFFEE ROASTER Experts spill the beans about the beloved morning beverage. With almost two billion cups consumed every day worldwide, there's no question that people love coffee. There's something magical that happens after the first sip that keeps people coming back for more. What is it, exactly, that makes coffee taste so good and warrants a revisit time after time, day after day? Roasting, or the heating process that transforms the green coffee beans into the brown beans we know and love, might be the easiest answer. During this process, physical and chemical changes occur to bring out the bean's unique flavors and aroma. To learn more, we pressed Cultivar Coffee's Jonathan Meadows and Noble Coyote's Kevin Sprague about the art and science behind the bean. 7 Jonathan Meadows, Cultivar Coffee Kevin Sprague, Noble Coyote 1. What are some little-known facts about coffee roasting? Jonathan: A roaster is like an oven—you're controlling how the heat is applied to the coffee beans and for how long, but everything happens faster. We roast about 20 lbs. at a time, and the batches only take 12 to 13 minutes. Kevin: Many people think light roasts have more caffeine because the caffeine gets "burned off" in a darker roast. This is simply untrue, because caffeine burns at a far higher temperature than we'll ever roast coffee (something around 800°F!). The difference is in the weight. Dark- roasted beans weigh less because of the other organic materials (not caffeine) that get burned away, so it takes more dark beans than light beans to make a single cup of coffee. 2. What differentiates roasting methods and how does it impact coffee's flavor profiles? Jonathan: Terroir describes the environmental factors that make up the characteristics of wine. Similarly, for coffee, terroir is the idea that coffee can be grown at a specific place in a specific country, and it's going to have its own unique taste and characteristics. Our approach to roasting is to find the sweetest point in that coffee and bring out its best regional qualities. We want to offer people coffee that they'll find interesting. Kevin: I always try to showcase the flavors that are present in a particular bean. Much of the specific flavors— like strawberry, hazelnut, or baker's