Roasting coffee is the only way to unlock the unique flavors locked within the beans during their cultivation. This delicate balancing act of scientific acumen and artistry takes passion and dedication to perfect. Over 150 years of experience and decades of trial and error, have earned us an unmatched process of extracting the very best flavors any bean has to offer.
Green beans are little bundles of potential but unroasted lack taste. The introduction of heat through the roasting process unlocks and releases the flavors waiting within. Whilst the process has only three clear stages, coffee beans can be very temperamental, so roasting can easily take a bad turn, fast. Knowledge, training and experience are critical to ensure all of this potential can be fully captured within the final roasted bean.
The coffee roasting process consists of several key stages that transform green coffee beans into the aromatic, flavorful beans used for brewing. Understanding and expertise of these stages is critical in achieving the desired flavor profile.
1. Drying Phase
Lasting only a few minutes the purpose being to remove moisture from the beans and build internal pressure. The beans will begin to change color from green to yellow.
2. Roasting Phase
This is the phase during which the coffee will develop nearly all of their flavors and character. Part way into the process the iconic audible first ‘crack’ occurs. The roasting process literally ‘cracks’ the beans protective shell allowing their natural oils to push through bringing forth the aroma, characteristics, flavors. This is the point when the ‘Maillard reaction’ begins when sugars and amino acids in the bean react together to make hundreds of new color and aroma compounds (melanoids). It’s from this reaction that the familiar smell and taste of the coffee bean are created. The beans start to brown, and the aroma becomes more pronounced and the beans grow in size. Roasting continues until the desired roast level is reached. This further develops flavor and aroma; and at this stage adjustments can be made based on desired characteristics.
This phase is basically a combination of temperature and time, with the goal to be controlling the two precisely as the roast progresses to avoid any sudden spikes or drops, as these would adversely affect the roast quality. These tweaks and adjustments made become the ‘roasting profile’ which should be unique to each bean.
3. Cooling & Resting
After reaching the desired roast level, beans are quickly cooled to stop the roasting process.
Roasted beans should rest for 2-3 days before brewing. This allows all of the gases to fully escape the beans and the flavors to stabilize.
Most importantly we start with the bean, as the roasting profile must be individually tailored to best extract the untapped flavor profiles within. Then critically, over the year’s we are proud to say we have created a rather unique (and secret) method of controlling and monitoring the development of the beans at every second of the roast, allowing micro adjustments to be made during the process to produce outstanding results.
Roasting to different temperatures and timings results in different roast varieties which are usually categorized by color. Lighter roasts tend to highlight the more floral and fruity notes within the coffee and have a brighter taste profile. Medium colored roasts are considered the perfect balance of highlighting the full diversity of the origin of the bean balanced with rich, smooth roasted flavor. Whilst darker roasts bring out the boldest flavors within the beans for a rich and smoky taste.
All of our roast profiles are individually tailored to optimize and highlight all of the best notes within the beans. We carefully decide with each collection which roasts best capture the unique beans full potential and offer these to you.
We offer a MEDIUM roast in all of our coffees, as this is always the best balance of origin and roast. We offer a DARK roast in some of the collections, where the beans have richer bolder notes that are complemented by a more intense roast. Our newest roast level which are now launching in our Small Farmers Collection, is a LIGHT-MEDIUM roast, which was inspired by our loyal customers.
Experience coffee at it’s best. Just as with all other agricultural products, coffee tastes better fresh. Peak freshness for coffee is around 48 to 72 hours after roasting. At this stage you will taste every note and nuance that was unlocked and released from the beans.
To ensure we provide you with the freshest coffee, we only roast when we receive your order. We manage to do this by roasting daily during the weekdays in small batches. Any leftovers, we enjoy ourselves.
After roasting we package it into bags with a one-way valve, designed to allow the carbon gases out and prevent oxygen, light and moisture getting in. We then ship direct to you, allowing the degassing period to complete during shipment, so it arrives with you at its peak flavor profile.
Whole Bean stored in our bags will stay fresh for up to three months. We recommend storing it in the original bags and after removing a portion of beans giving the bag a good 'squeeze' to let any trapped air release through the one-way valve.
Click below to show all available beans by our available roast types
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