Roasting Process
Green Coffee
Most green specialty coffee is shipped to us in either 60 or 70 kilo bags. The information on the outside of the bag identifies what it contains as to country of origin, growing region or estate, and a unique lot number that allows us to verify we have received the coffee we sampled and purchased.
Green coffee beans are the seed of the coffee plant and are contained in a ripe cherry when they are picked. To obtain the bean requires an elaborate milling and grading process that varies in each country.
Coffee Bean Roasting Color Progression
The different coffee roasts, light, medium and dark, are obtained by roasting the coffee beans until the desired roast point is reached.
Roasting Process
We roast coffee in small batches. The green beans are weighed and placed in the hopper of our Probat roaster, then when the machine reaches the proper temperature, the beans flow into the roasting chamber and begin their transformation.
The roasting process takes 12-15 minutes and the same bean can produce a different taste depending on how long it is roasted. We monitor this crucial step closely as the beans are circulated in the heated, rotating drum. Roasting depletes the beans of the moisture they contain, so they actually shrink in weight, but increase in size when they are roasted. The different roasts, light, medium and dark, are obtained by roasting the beans until the desired point is reached.
Cooler to Bagging
When the coffee beans have reached the correct roasted point, they are discharged from the roasting drum into a perforated cooling tray. Ambient air is pulled over the beans by a cooling fan while a rotating stirring arm circulates constantly to cool them evenly. The beans reach temperatures of over 400° F in the roaster, and cool to room temperature in just a few minutes.
Packaging
The freshly roasted and cooled beans are taken to the packaging process where they are weighed and packed in multi-layered valve bags. The packaging machine evacuates the oxygen from the bag, replaces it with nitrogen, and heat seals the bag to maintain freshness.
The one way valve in the bag allows the naturally occurring gases, that will continue to be emitted by the beans for hours, to escape but does not allow oxygen to enter the bag.
Our bags have a positive seal. To open, simply cut the top off the bag and enjoy the coffee, then reseal the bag with the tin tie.