This week I thought I’d chat quickly about what I’m trying to achieve when I roast coffee. I believe that roasting coffee and cooking steak hold some strong analogies. One of the key variables a coffee roaster considers is the roast degree, the temperature at which the roast finishes and is dropped into the cooling tray. The concept is the same as doneness for a steak. As the roast degree increases (i.e. as the finishing temperature of the roast rises) a number of things change. The coffee’s acidity, aroma and body rise and then fall with those individual characteristics peaking in the order I’ve listed them. Bitterness rises steadily with roast degree and starts to rise exponentially as roast degree becomes extreme (think Starbucks coffee, which is why that company sells a lot of heavily milk-based beverages).
I unashamedly roast to produce coffee that I like to drink. For espresso this means that I optimise for body whilst trying to keep bitterness under control. I’m always interested to hear what is the most important component of your coffee drinking experience!