PODcast #37 : Espresso Pods News

Welcome to The PODcast, PodMerchant's newsletter of espresso pod tips, news, education, and deals. Back issues of The PODcast are available online. This newsletter is published in HTML with images and styled text. If you are reading the "text only" version, you are missing much of the content.

Espresso Elucidations

The Roastest with the Mostest

The process of coffee roasting is one by which aromatics, acids, and other flavor components are either created, balanced, or altered in a way intended to improve the flavor, acidity, aftertaste and body of the coffee.

To maximize espresso potential, one would strive to maximize the sweetness of the coffee while minimizing the bitterness and acidity. The darkness of the roast is directly related to the caramelization of the sucrose in the bean. Roasting makes it sweeter. But too much roasting obscures the beans original flavor potential. Yet if one roasts too lightly, the bitter tasting compounds (which degrade with temperature) will not be eliminated. Let's see how roasters deal with these factors...

In the first step of roasting, the green beans are slowly dried to become yellowish in color and the beans begin to smell like toast or popcorn. The temperature is increased, and at around 400 F the beans pop or crack — somewhat like popping popcorn. This is logically called the "First Crack." At this stage the bean doubles in size, turns light brown, and looses approximately 5% in weight. Many American mass-market roasters typically end roasting at this stage. The resulting roast is light-bodied, high in acidity, and with no obvious "roast" flavor. Beans roasted to this level are dubbed Cinnamon, Half City, or New England roast.

By around 428 F, the color has changed to a medium brown and the bean is releasing carbon dioxide. This roast level is preferred by many of the U.S. Specialty roasters. The resultant roast is sweeter, has more body, and has a better balance in acidity, aroma, and flavor than light roast. Beans roasted to this level go by the label of Full City, American, Regular, Breakfast, or Brown roast.

The beans begin to pop again at around 446 F. This is the "Second Crack." The roast color is a medium-dark brown and the beans take on an oily sheen as the oils begin to exude. Roasters from the US Northwest remove the beans at this point. Italian roasts are generally in this range although the Northern Italian roast is lighter. The roast is somewhat spicy. Inherent flavors of the bean begin to diminish as flavors created in the roast begin to take over. Complexity is traded for a heavier body (mouth-feel). Beans roasted to this level are called High, Viennese, Italian Espresso, or Continental Roast.

Continuing to roast past this stage results in the beans smoking and the sugars begin to carbonize (that's carbonize, not caramelize!). The beans are very oily. You've seen these beans at coffee bars and gourmet grocers. They sure look yummy, but at this roast level none of the inherent flavors of the bean are recognizable. The flavor is smokey and there is an aroma of charcoal. This French roast.

As can be inferred from above, at a lighter roast, the bean will exhibit more of its "origin flavor" - i.e., the flavors created by the bean varietal given the actual soil, weather conditions, and care. Good quality coffee beans will taste good and bad quality beans will taste bad. Famous regional coffee like Java, Kenya, Kona, or Jamaican Blue Mountain are usually roasted lightly so their signature characteristics dominate the flavor. It might be considered a "coffee sin" to French roast Jamaica Blue Mountain beans — unless they are rejected beans.

As the beans darken to a deep brown, the origin flavors of the bean are eclipsed by the flavors created by the roasting process itself. At darker roasts, the "roast flavor" is so dominant that it can be difficult to distinguish the origin of the beans used in the roast. Which is also a way of saying that it doesn't matter where the bean comes from when French roasted.

PodMerchant News

Continued store improvements: We've implemented a tagging system to help customers find the coffee best for them. Each product is tagged with icons indicating (A)rabica, (B)lend, (S)ingle Origin, (D)ecaf, (O)rganic, as well as ($) for Premium and (¢) for Budget. These icons help to identify the type of coffee and provide shortcuts to similarly tagged products.

Blucaffe, Biologica, Brasil Santos. Where are they? Still on the water, due in first of December.

PodMerchant Coupons

PODcast subscribers get a 10% discount coupon with each issue. Just enter the code below on the Shipping Selection screen during checkout.

• Only one coupon per subscriber per issue.
• Coupon expires when the next issue is published, or at the end of the next month following publication of the issue, whichever comes first.
• Coupons are only valid for PODcast subscribers — we check use of coupons against the subscriber list.
• For more information, please see our PODcast Coupon FAQ.

For 10% off your next order — Enter code: XXXXXXX (note, that is "P-C-Zero") and please press the "Redeem Coupon" button or the coupon will not be entered.

That's all for this issue of the PODcast.


Kevin Garrett, The PodMerchant.