One coffee tree produces one pound of roasted coffee per year! The first product of a coffee tree is a the raw green beans. Green beans get processed, machine (water processed) or sun-dried (natural-dry processed), graded into quality categories and then channeled to the wholesale coffee market.

The second step after raw beans processing is roasting. Green beans get roasted using high temperature and then packaged for use in coffee shops or the home market. Commonly coffee for use at home gets ground before being packaged.

Coffee is best 4 to 24 hours after roasting. For espresso peak flavor is reached 1-3 days after roasting. During this time, coffee emits enough C02 to keep the oxygen (that will eventually make it stale) at bay. The CO2 production is known as degassing. As a general rule, darker roasted beans tend to de-gas quicker than lighter roasts, which will de-gas and be at their peak after a number of days. Also, lively coffees that havent had long to de-gas can sometimes be a joy in a french press or vac pot, but for an espresso lively isnt normally a good attribute.

The essential flavor oils are delicate, and fade or become tainted quickly despite all our interventions. Stored as whole beans in an airtight glass jar in a dark place, coffee can stay "fresh" for roughly 5-6 days.

All that whole bean, vacuum-packed stuff at the supermarket is the result of large centralized roasting companies. In order to package coffee it must degas first which means that it remains exposed to oxygen which stales it. Some companies use better technology and provide packages with one-way valves which permit degassing but stop the oxygen from entering inside. Another way is flushing coffee with NO and immediately packaging it which gives even better results. NO removes oxygen from the delicate beans.

Mass market coffees are usually coffees of (less than) average quality, roasted badly and packaged sloppily and cheaply. The main emphasis is on marketing and logistics costs. Rarely you can find companies who provide coffee packaged with one-way valves, or NO (like Illy or Mollinari). Coffee lovers strive to find the best coffee available from their local neighborhood micro roasters.

Home Roasting

The last years home roasting has started becoming a trend again, especially in the USA and Northern European Countries. Home coffee roasting gives many benefits it's probably the only way to deliver the best coffee possible. Benefits include:

• Freshness
• Beans quality
• Ideal blend
• Cost
• A new experience, a sense of self accomplishment and fun!

Freshness

Freshness is one most important factors determining the coffee quality. Stale coffee gives a bitter brew with few aromatics. Some companies try to cover staleness with artificial flavors like vanilla, caramel, hazelnut etc etc. Fresh coffee gives a delicious beverage with fine taste and aroma that satisfies your senses. Don't forget that coffee loses its peak quality after only five days, if packaged sloppily.

Beans Quality

If you roast at home then you are the one to choose the green beans. There are a lot of quality green beans in the market, that can satisfy any need and taste. Coffees with mild acidity or higher acidity (like Kenya), coffees with light body (like Mexico) or full body (like Sumatra) and so on. You can also find Estate coffees, specialty coffees of extraordinary quality than will impress you as well as your friends!

Ideal Blend

A home roaster is able to create his own blend that satisfy his particular taste. He can also vary his blend to meet his ever changing tastes, or his need for adventure and experimentation! You can find information about different coffees in the coffee regions section, and information about blending clicking here. You'll never get bored if you change regularly and experiment!

Cost

Green unroasted beans are cheaper. You can find green coffee that's 10%-50% cheaper than roasted coffee. Even if you count for the loss of about 15%-20% of their weight during roasting from a loss of moisture, it's still more economical. Furthermore there's no waste of stale coffee, because you determine when you want to roast and how much you want. There's also the added benefit of gas economy and time saves cause you don't have make trips to your supermarket for coffee. You can roast in about 10 minutes, and it can last for one week. The cost of a roasting device can be as low as 2$ if you buy a use popcorn machine!

A new fun experience

Roasting coffee is a worthwhile new experience that can gradually transform to a new hobby! Roasting your own coffee gives you a sense of accomplishment. It's your unique creation! It's an experience which involves your senses of smell, sight and hearing. A lot of home roasters also join online forums like the Fresh Coffee Forum and share their experiences and knowledge. They also make new friends and sometimes organize roasting meetings!

Roast Levels Names

	1. Light Cinnamon	Very light brown, dry , tastes like toasted grain with distinct sour tones, baked, bready
	2. Cinnamon	Light brown and dry, still toasted grain with distinct sour acidy tones
	3. New England	Moderate light brown , still sour but not bready, the norm for cheap Eastern U.S. coffee
	4. American or Light	Medium light brown, the traditional norm for the Eastern U.S .This roast restricts the coffees development and does not allow it to reach its full potential. Some moisture has been released, but the important coffee oils have yet to develop fully.
	5. City, or Medium	Medium brown, the norm for most of the Western US, good to taste varietal character of a bean.
	6. Full City	Medium dark brown with maybe some slight oily drops (almost none). Good for varietal character with maybe a little bittersweet taste. Just before second crack.
	7. Light French, or "Espresso" or Vienna or Full City+	Moderate dark brown with oily drops, light surface oil, more bittersweet, caramel flavor, acidity muted. Few seconds into second crack. Characteristic of Northern Italy espresso blends.
	8. French	Dark brown oily, shiny with oil, also popular for espresso; burned undertones, acidity diminished.
	9. Italian or Dark French	Very dark brown very shiny, burned tones become more distinct, acidity almost gone.
	10. Spanish	Very dark brown, nearly black and very shiny, charcoal tones dominate, flat.

Description of the roasting process

Roasting is basically like cooking or making popcorn. All you need is heat and good heat dissipation. Basic methods include wok roasting, stovetop poppers, popcorn machines, hotgun method, barbecue drums, stir crazy, dedicated roasting machines for home use like the HotTop or the iRoast and the list goes on...

For the first few minutes the bean remains greenish, then turn lighter yellowish and emit a grassy smell. The beans start to steam as their internal water content dissipates. The steam becomes fragrant. Soon you will hear the "first crack," an audible cracking sound as the real roasting starts to occur: sugars begin to caramelize, bound-up water escapes, the structure of the bean breaks down and oils migrate from their little pockets outward. After the first crack, the roast can be considered complete any time according to your taste. The cracking is an audible cue, and, along with sight and smell, tells you what stage the roast is at. Caramelization continues, oils migrate, and the bean expands in size as the roast becomes dark. At this point a "second crack" can be heard, often more volitile than the first. Small pieces of the bean are sometimes blown away like shrapnel! As the roast becomes very dark, the smoke is more pungent as sugars burn completely, and the bean structure breaks down more and more. Eventually, the sugars burn completely, and the roast will only result in thin-bodied cup of "charcoal water". When roasted, coffee releases over 800 components that build up its taste and flavours. This makes coffee one of the most complicated foods around, and such an unique organic product.

First and Second Crack

First and second crack are sure signs of roast development. First crack is an expansion of the bean and a warming of the coffee oils, creating an exothermic reaction, which means the beans are giving off heat as a consequence of their expansion. This results in a popping noise similar to that of popcorn. Second crack sounds more like a quick crackle, similar to the sound of foil rattling. One thing to beware of is, sometimes, first and second crack can merge into each other. Its important to listen intently during these stages. You can find very useful roasting videos showing the first and second crack by visiting the downloads section.

Factors affecting roasting and the final result

There are several factors affecting ideal roasting profiles:

Origin

Where the bean is from will have a major bearing on the way the roast behaves and looks. Monsooned Indian coffees require a special roasting treatment. Delicate island coffees like the Jamica Blue Mountain also require a special technique. Usually high grown coffees can withstand darker roasts than coffees grown in lower elevations like Brazil. Check out the coffee regions section for more information.

Processing

There are wet, dry, semi-washed, decaffeinated, monsooned, aged etc coffees. Different processing drives to different roasting treatment. Dry-natural coffees usually take darker roasts than washed coffees. In this way the acidity of washed coffees is also accentuated. Check out the coffee processing section for more information.

Humidity, temperature...

Higher humidity and lower temperature drive to bigger roasting times.

Length of Roast

The length of time a bean is roasted can have a profound effect on the taste. The roast profile is very important in achieving the best taste for each bean. Professional roasting can take around 11-20 minutes. Some roasting curves, or the speed and temperature at which the roast develops, differ quite drastically, and this can affect the final taste. The length of time between the first and second crack is also very important.

Roast Method

It is a commonly held view that gas roasting gives a different finish to the bean during the roasting process, when compared to roasting with electric machines. To which one could add that hot air roasting and drum roasting give different results too, and these are also important factors to consider. Drum roasting tends to give more fuller bodied roasts, but lacks the brightness that an air roaster can give. The air roaster can also give a more matted appearance on the bean.

Age of Green Beans

As coffee ages it loses some of its water content. As the bean dries, its structure, taste and behaviour in the roast changes. Aged coffee may give more mellow coffee, with lower acidity. It can also quite easily give stale flat coffee with off-flavours! There are some specially aged green coffees which have interesting cup profile like some aged Sumatras.

Sample Roasting Methods

Heatgun Roasting

Popcorn Roasting

Turbo Crazy Roasting

Oven Roasting

Videos

You can find very useful roasting videos visiting the downloads section.

Additional Information

You can find more information at www.sweetmarias.com and www.homeroaster.com

source: SweetMarias.com