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Custom Roasting

Personalized Coffee Roasting

Roasting brings out the flavors in coffee, but at high temperatures there are other effects. The final roasting temperature is definitely a personal preference. Some believe that roasting to a very dark color actually leaches out the coffee flavor and increases bitterness as the sugar in coffee is carmelized. This is possibly why very few people drink straight espresso; but drink capuccinos or lattes and add sugar. Also, the darker the roast, the less caffeine there is in the coffee.

Temperatures do not translate from one roaster to another. On the fluid bed roaster used for our coffee, the "first crack" starts somewhere between 380 and 405 degrees (farenheit) and continues to about 420 degrees. It is called the first crack, because, like popcorn it starts to make a noise that sounds like a crack. The second crack occurs at approximately 450 degrees. Medium roasting will produce beans that are brown, dry and have no initial oil. Roasting To 460 degrees will cause the beans to become very dark and oily (similar to a French roast).

We offfer two standard roasts; our medium at 445 degrees and our dark at 455 degrees. We believe that taste is very personal; for example, we like our coffee roasted at 457 degrees which produces a dark brown bean with some oils immediately and a full bodied flavor with no bitterness.

To assist you in discovering your personal preference, we offer a sampler of four 4 ounce bags ranging from 440 degrees to 460 degrees.

You can order one pound bags of either our medium or dark roasts or you can tell us the exact roasting temperature you desire. This order must be for at least five pounds, but we will ship it for free.