Lesson 5: Roast Styles/Profiles‏

The aim of the lesson today is to offer an understanding of various
roast styles that we use at Has Bean and some of the beans
associated with each one.

The content is bound to be quite subjective towards the way we do
things, and of course, other roasters may have differing opinions.
Nevertheless, I hope that you will find the overview interesting
and helpful.

For me the job of the person roasting is to help the beans fulfil
their potential and become all that they can be without there being
any of the person's own signature left behind.

For instance, the profile of a fine Kenyan is a delicate mixture
of fruit and red wine flavours. Dark roasting will eliminate many
of those flavours whilst allowing features of the roast itself to
dominate the beans in the final cup.

Conversely, a dense Celebes, Kalosi or Sumatran will taste of
nothing but under-ripe fruit if taken light, but into second
crack, the deep, earthy, spicy flavours will come to the forefront.

The following are some of the roasting style descriptions that we
use here at Has Bean:


Into First Crack (Light Roast)

A light brown to cinnamon colour with low body and light acidity.
The beans are dry at this stage. This roast restricts the
development of the coffee and does not allow it to reach its full
potential. Some moisture has been released, but the all important
coffee oils have yet to fully develop. The beans are in the very
early stages of being exothermic (creating heat by expansion).


End of First Crack (Light Medium Roast)

Medium light brown in colour. The acidity has brightened and body
has increased. At this stage the beans are releasing oils and
becoming much more like coffee as we all know and recognise it.
This roast is useful for many 'delicate' beans. Light medium is
also a suitable cupping roast.

Cupping is a method of sampling that roasters and coffee
professionals use to evaluate beans. In brief, the process involves
deeply inhaling aromas from specially brewed bowls of coffee, then
slurping from them using a cupping spoon so that the tongue is
covered and oxygen is present, which allows the flavours to fully
develop and be experienced.


In-between First and Second Crack (Medium Roast)

Medium brown in colour. The acidity continues to increase and the
body becomes more noticeable. At this stage the bean is mostly dry.
A popular roast for 'delicate' beans, suitable for many filter type
blends/origins and one of my favourite roasts. The beans are still
exothermic and their structure is on the verge of expanding further
as the coffee oils heat up. Second crack is on its way.


Start of Second Crack (Medium Dark Roast)

A rich brown colour. Very small droplets of oil appear on the bean
surface. The acidity has slowly diminished and body is at its best.
Second crack has begun and the structure of the bean is starting to
break down. From now on there is a balancing act to perform in
order to retain the integrity of the bean as the primary flavour
provider and the roast as secondary.

This is the perfect roast for espresso blends and my favourite for
that purpose. It can be compared to a Northern Italian espresso
roast as favoured by many professional espresso blenders, though
in our new easy world of descriptions, we will call it a medium
dark roast.


Well into Second Crack (Dark Roast)

The term, 'well into second crack' refers, in this case, to
anything from 20 seconds onwards. The bean is a deep brownish/black
shiny colour. It has spots of oil showing or is completely oily.
Delicate flavours are lost and the taste of roasting begins to
increase, whilst aromas begin to diminish. This roast can give
certain beans real body when used correctly.


Fully into Second Crack (Exceptionally Dark)

The beans are black and covered with oils. All subtleties of
flavour are gone, and the aromas are further reduced. This roast is
characteristic of Southern Italy and of American espresso roasts.

The roast itself has by now become the primary taste, and all
characteristics of the bean have been completely demolished. There
are very few beans that stand up well to this kind of roast and it
should be used with extreme care.

So that is a little overview of roasting the Has Bean way. We are
now half-way through our ten day crash course in coffee basics.
During the next lesson we are going to have a look at what
speciality coffee actually is, and in what is probably the most
important part of the course, show you how to select a coffee that
is to your liking.

Brew it freshly! Coffee101.co.uk