Once dried, the brittle
parchment is removed to expose the green coffee beans,
which are then further dried, bagged and shipped in
burlap bags to importing countries.
At Brown
& Jenkins we roast our green coffee which is roasted
fresh daily to meet the exact needs of our orders. We
use a gas-fired rotary drum type roaster and we roast in
small batches of anywhere from 10 to 40 pounds at a
time. We take a caring and artful approach to our
roasting.
Each variety of coffee roasts
differently. Thus every coffee requires a different
roasting treatment to achieve the maximum development of
its own very unique characteristics. Every roast is
monitored constantly to maintain the integrity of each
and every green bean, as it slowly becomes the wonderful
coffee we know and love.
The green beans are
poured in the top of the roaster; the rotary drum the
coffee roasts in, is heated by two radiant gas burners.
As the beans tumble in the hot roaster, they begin to
change color. They slowly change from light green, to
pale yellow, to rich ochre. At the same time, the beans
are losing moisture...at first from the surface and then
later from deep inside the bean. As the internal
moisture forces its way out, the bean expands and
produces a snapping of crackling noise... it actually
"pops", a bit like popcorn.
As the internal
temperature of the bean increases, the fats in the bean
become hotter and hotter and ultimately develop into
coffee oils...the flavor essence that we are looking
for. By this time the beans have reached their final,
full, rich dark-brown color. During the final stages of
the roast, we take samples of the beans form the
revolving drum using a small scoop called a "tier". This
enables us to examine the beans carefully and determine
the exact moment of roasting perfection for the specific
variety.
During the roasting process the coffee
beans lose a considerable amount moisture. This also
means that they lose a considerable amount of weight. We
may roast 100 pounds of green coffee and end up with
only about 80 roasted pounds.
Many coffee
roasters who put profits above quality will actually
stop the roasting process before reaching the peak of
flavor development for the bean so that they can save a
few pennies. Coffees that are under-roasted lack flavor.
They are a light to medium brown color and they will
have a taste than can be described as earthy, sour, or
harsh. An under-roasted bean is difficult to break apart
with your fingers, and if you bite one, it doesn't
pulverize nicely in the teeth. These are all things the
master-roaster does to help evaluate the developing
coffee as it nears completion of the roasting
process.
Once the roast has reached its maximum
flavor, it is emptied into the cooling chamber where it
is mechanically stirred while cool air is forced through
the beans in order to stop the roasting process by
quickly cooling the beans. Some companies use a
cold-water spray to cool the beans, but this is an
unacceptable practice, since it deteriorates the flavor
and adds false water weight to the beans.
When
cooled, Brown & Jenkins coffees are packaged and
shipped the same day to you and our other coffee loving
customers around the world. |
