FRESH BEANS
Fresh Roasted Daily
From its very beginning, coffee was always roasted fresh. In fact, early roasting and brewing were often done over the very same fire and in the same leisurely setting. Beans were roasted over an open fire then crushed and boiled in water. Eventually very small household roasters became available—usually no more than a metal container to turn the beans over a kitchen fire. For as much as people loved their coffee, roasting it was an inaccurate, unspecific process. But the final product had one thing going for it: It was absolutely fresh-roasted.
Coffee roasting has come a long way since those humble beginnings. Today's large-scale coffee roasters are often computer-controlled, monitoring each roast by the second. Ultimate roasting precision is possible. But that precision comes at a cost: The coffee is no longer served fresh.
To create consistently delicious coffee, we marry technology to extensive real-world experience, practiced cupping of each roast, and the ability to adapt each small batch to the beans currently in the roasting cylinder. The only way to ensure each small batch is as delicious as the next is to taste and refine our coffee roasting on a daily basis. Our roasting machines can monitor the internal temperature of the coffee beans as they roast and precisely moderate hot air flow. But we don't leave the artisanship of taste up to a mechanical roaster. We leave that up to the true artisan, the Roaster. And this is what they do.
The Roast
The roasting process starts by heating up the roaster. The Roaster pours in the green beans. Initially, there is little change as the beans take on heat from the roaster. The moisture inside the beans slowly heats up. They turn from green to pale yellow in color. A faint aroma of hay is released as the moisture inside starts to boil. After another couple of minutes, the beans start to swell as the moisture inside builds up as steam. The beans take on a light brown color. The first true coffee scents start to come out—the smell of toasted bread or grain. The heat continues to build inside the beans. The beans start to visibly expand. More heat is added to the process and speeds up the browning process. Natural sugars in the beans are transforming and the beans are browning. The beans have almost doubled in size. The heat each bean is intense. They start to release the water pressure that's built up inside— POP. First crack. It sounds like popcorn popping. The heat in the coffee roaster is rising quickly as the pressure inside the beans is let loose. The water and CO2 in the beans is escaping. The popping slows down. The beans are a cinnamon color. They continue to take on more heat. Swelling and darkening even more. The sugars in the beans start to caramelize. The cellulose structure is breaking down. SNAP. Second crack. Sounds like someone snapping their fingers. The structure of the bean is starting to crack. This is a Full City Roast. The Roaster watches the beans carefully. Listens to the cracking. Checks the temperature. The cracking is speeding up. French Roast is close. The temperature is just right. The beans are smooth and brown. The Roaster opens the machine and pours the beans into the cooling tray. The rich aroma of coffee drifts through the air. The beans cool down. They are ready to be ground, brewed and enjoyed.