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Roasting Coffee – This is How it Works

The classic brown coffee bean that we are familiar with has come a long way before it finally ends up in our coffee.

How is the typical brown coffee bean made? In our article we tell you everything about the individual roasting stages and how the process works.

One of the most important steps on their journey is the so-called roasting. But how exactly can we roast coffee and what happens in the process? The roasting – also called “refining” – ensures that the coffee bean receives a flavor profile. A consistency is thus created that can unfold during later grinding. In the following we will go into the roasting process in more detail and describe how to roast coffee optimally.

The roasting process and its subtleties

The roasting of coffee beans creates a multitude of aromas and gives the coffee its unique taste. A single bean alone contains between 300,000 and 400,000 thousand cells. If heat is now applied to this, a chemical reaction occurs. The amino acids and sugar acids contained in the coffee bean are completely reassembled during roasting. Up to 1,000 aromas can be created from one cell. The roasting process makes coffee one of the most aromatic drinks of all. And this is how the roasting works in detail:

A classic and also extremely gentle roasting process is carried out with the so-called drum roaster. Up to 30 kilograms of coffee can be roasted at once. For this purpose, the coffee beans are placed in a drum that has been mounted on a corresponding roasting machine. The roasting drum then rotates for up to 20 minutes. The internal temperature is raised to around 200 degrees Celsius. The green raw beans are roasted piece by piece and get their classic brown color. After the roasting process, they must be quickly cooled down again so that there is no further change in consistency. Since the beans lose some of the oil and water in the roasting machine, they weigh up to 20 percent less in the roasted additive than before. However, roasting coffee is not nearly as easy as it sounds. The taste, variety of aromas and appearance of the roasted bean can vary greatly. This is where the subtleties of drum roasting come into play.

After just a few minutes, the slightly yellow color of the beans changes to light brown. This creates a smell as if you were preparing fresh popcorn. Since the beans still have a lot of water and fat in this state, they appear slightly wrinkled.

Probably the most important event in the roasting process is the “first crack”. The coffee beans increase in volume during the roasting process due to the gases produced and the water evaporating, which cannot escape. Until, after about nine minutes, the pressure is so great that the cell walls of the bean burst and the water vapor can escape. The color of the bean has evolved from its previously pale green color to a yellow/brownish color by this point. Once the “first crack” has taken place, the roaster must be extremely vigilant from now on. Now the coffee beans begin to unfold their aromas and form their typical, tasty character. Chlorogenic acids are broken down piecemeal, the cell structure decomposes, and sugars caramelize inside. The longer the coffee is roasted, the more acids are broken down. At the same time, more and more roasted aromas unfold. A coffee that has been roasted for a long time has a much stronger and more bitter taste. Those who prefer it more individual can rely on short roasting times and thus enhance the coffee’s own taste.

The individual roasting stages

As already mentioned, the roasting time plays a decisive role in the final coffee taste. The degree of roasting varies depending on the heat input and the duration of the roasting. In the following we will show you the individual roasting stages for the coffee beans:

Cinnamon Roast: Probably the lightest of all roasts. A light tan ensures strong acidity and a minimal aroma profile. This state arises directly after the “First Crack”.
City Roast Plus: The medium-brown bean has reached its perfect roast point about two minutes after the “first crack”. There are light roasted substances to taste, but very acidic.
Full City: The bean is a bit dark brown. For this, almost four minutes must elapse after the “first crack” has started. The coffee bean smells spicy and hot and tastes of bitter and roasted substances. The acid takes a back seat.
Continental (French roasting): Shortly before the second crack, the bean is already dark brown. An oily consistency emerges and the taste is dominated by strong roasted aromas.
Dark French (Heavy): After the first half of the second crack, the caramelized sugar is broken down. The bean keeps getting lighter. The taste focuses entirely on roasted and bitter aromas.
Spanish Roast: At the end of the second crack and beyond, the bean is blackish-brown. It shines and has hardly any ingredients left. The taste is slightly burnt and can only be perceived through some bitter substances and roasted aromas.
Roasting coffee can be a real craft. Master roasters train on new variations every day and thus learn more and more about the variety of aromas in coffee and how this can be best brought to light.

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Food

Coffee Roasting

Roasting process

The refining of the green coffee is probably the most important step in the value chain. During the roasting process, the bean not only gets its brownish color, but also develops its irresistible aroma and acidity. But their weight, size and smell also change. This happens through complex chemical reactions inside the bean. The roasting time and temperature depend on the type of coffee or type and the desired result. The same beans roasted at different temperatures and times will have different flavor profiles. Decaffeinated coffee beans are decaffeinated before roasting – the aroma and taste are not or hardly affected.

How do you roast coffee? There are two ways to roast the beans:

The hot air process with hot air up to 600˚C
Drum roasting with slow, gentle roasting at temperatures around 200˚C

Hot air process

During the hot air process, the green coffee is roasted in a very short time (approx. 2 – 5 minutes) with extremely hot air (up to 600 ˚C). However, this process often leads to uneven roasting, in which the beans are still raw on the inside. However, with hot air roasting, a large amount of green coffee can be processed in a very short time. The beans are then cooled with water and/or air and packaged.

Drum roasting

Drum roasting is not suitable for refining large quantities of green coffee, because time is an important factor here. At temperatures of around 200 degrees, the green coffee is roasted in 14 – 25 minutes. This slow, gentle process allows the aromas and acids to develop optimally and the beans to be roasted evenly.

Acids that are unfriendly to the stomach can also be broken down in this way. The master roaster decides when the roasting stops and the beans are placed on the cooling sieve to cool down. Only a short moment decides on taste and variety of aromas.
We also use the drum roasting process for our Coffee Perfect house roasts.

Degrees of roasting

Coffee drinkers have different tastes. Some prefer lighter roasts with a floral or fruity aroma. Others prefer darker roasts with a spicy aroma and bold flavor. The following degrees of roasting are the best known:

Light Roast / Cinnamon Roast
Medium Roast / American Roast
Strong roast / Viennese roast
Double Roast / French Roast
Italian Roast / Espresso Roast
Spanish roast

Coffee sommelier/coffee expert

A coffee sommelier combines both knowledge about the production of a perfect coffee and knowledge about the cultivation, processing and refining of green coffee. He is able to create harmonious coffee blends and give the beans a personal profile during roasting. He can recognize the type of coffee, the growing area and the special features of coffee beans and evaluate their quality.

The job of a coffee sommelier

The area of responsibility of a coffee sommelier cannot be defined precisely, as it is not a profession but a recognition of his coffee expertise. A coffee sommelier can be involved in many different jobs in the coffee industry.

He can be a roaster or importer, restaurateur or barista or just a coffee lover who has studied his favorite beverage in more detail. Above all, it is about passing on knowledge and preserving or bringing back the coffee culture.

How do you become a coffee sommelier or an expert?

There are a number of ways to learn more about coffee. Various courses and with different levels of learning offer certificates or diplomas. The courses are aimed at people who work with coffee professionally and want to expand their knowledge.

If you successfully complete your training (not training in the sense of an apprenticeship) at the “Institute for Coffee Experts” in Vienna, you are called a qualified chief coffee sommelier. Before that, however, one must pass two previous courses. There are also opportunities to take coffee sommelier courses in Hanover and Cologne.
The SCAE – Specialty Coffee Association of Europe – also offers advanced and further training courses in three different learning levels for those interested in coffee. The international association of coffee specialists and lovers has set itself the task of improving coffee quality. With the Coffee Diploma System, a program has emerged that is not only recognized by its worldwide members (importers, roasters, baristas, restaurateurs and retailers), but above all imparts extensive coffee knowledge in six modules. Those who achieve a total of 100 points by passing the six modules receive the Coffee Diploma, which demonstrates well-founded and wide-ranging coffee expertise.

Coffee blends

Only after the coffee beans have been refined are the individual types mixed with others in order to obtain an aromatic composition with fine acids and a full body. Only in a few exceptions are the beans mixed before roasting. Mixtures are called “blend” in the coffee genre. These can consist of Arabica and Robusta beans, as well as 100% Arabica beans that come from different growing countries. Coffee beans that only come from one country but from different regions (provenances) are called “Pure Origin”. “Terroir” coffee, on the other hand, is single-origin. The coffee beans come from only one growing area. The taste of single-origin coffees can vary greatly, since no other varieties are added to get the usual taste. For the same reason only the highest quality beans with the best characteristics are used for “Terroir” coffee.

Reasons for making a “Blend”:

Cost reasons

The production of blends is much cheaper than the production of single-origin coffees. “Inferior” beans are also not noticeable in a blend with several types of coffee, since their bad properties are masked by the properties of high-quality beans.

Maintaining taste

A roaster tries to compensate for the natural fluctuations in the taste of the beans by making slight deviations in the mixture and roasting and thus maintaining the usual taste profile. Consumers get their usual coffee taste with every coffee purchase.

High-quality blends

Coffee blends with high-quality beans can result in a harmonious flavor composition in which the properties of the beans complement each other. If there are beans with taste deficits, these can be offset by the properties of other varieties.

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Cooking Tips

Roasting Pine Nuts: Easy Step-By-Step Instructions

Pine nuts are a popular salad topping and a popular ingredient in pesto and co. Pine nuts become particularly aromatic when you roast them. We’ll show you how it works.

Pine nuts have a very special aroma that gives many dishes a unique touch. Cultivation and harvesting are mostly done by hand. Pine nuts from the European Mediterranean region are often more expensive than products imported from China or Korea.

For the sake of the environment, we still recommend pine nuts from the European Mediterranean region, for example from Spain, Portugal or Turkey. These have a much shorter transport route behind them and often taste more intense. You can recognize pine nuts from Europe by their drop-like shape. Kernels from Asia, on the other hand, are elongated and narrow.

You can toast pine nuts in a pan or in the oven. Here you can find out how it works very easily.

Roasting pine nuts: This is how it works in the pan

Put the pine nuts in a pan without adding fat. Distribute the cores so that they are not on top of each other.
Set the stove to medium-high and turn the pine nuts several times to avoid burning them.
As soon as the pine nuts are slightly brown and smell pleasant, you can remove them from the pan.

How to roast pine nuts in the oven

Scatter the pine nuts on a grease-free baking sheet.
Set the oven to 160 degrees and put in the pine nuts.
After 10 to 15 minutes, you can take out the seeds.
Let the pine nuts cool on the baking sheet.
Roasted pine nuts are a delicious topping for salads and go well with pasta sauce and pesto. Couscous salad and various vegetable dishes are also rounded off with the delicious aroma of pine nuts.

Pine nuts not only taste delicious, but also have a lot of important vitamins and minerals. In addition to vitamin B1 and vitamin B2, they contain large amounts of iron and magnesium. They are also rich in phosphorus and the trace element zinc.

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Cooking Tips

Roasting Hazelnuts: Simple Instructions For Pan and Oven

We’ll show you how to easily roast hazelnuts in the pan and in the oven. This is how the nuts unfold their full flavor – and become a delicious snack.

Hazelnuts are in season from September to December. They are a healthy supplier of energy, contain many B vitamins and unsaturated fatty acids. They also contain important trace elements such as iron, zinc and calcium.

This also applies to roasted hazelnuts: when you heat them, the healthy ingredients are only slightly changed and are not completely lost.

Roasted hazelnuts can be found in many autumn and Christmas recipes – from cookies to chocolate to liqueur or hazelnut butter. You can buy them pre-roasted at the supermarket. However, we recommend that you simply roast the delicious nuts yourself – this way you save on plastic packaging and sometimes also CO2, which is emitted on long transport routes.

Maybe you have a hazelnut bush in your garden or you can buy hazelnuts in an organic shop or get them from a farm near you. It is best to use a jute bag to transport them.

How to roast hazelnuts in the pan

To roast hazelnuts at home, you can use a simple frying pan. Proceed as follows:
Crack the shells of the hazelnuts, for example with a nutcracker.
Put the hazelnuts in a pan without fat. Portion them so that they are not on top of each other.
Place the pan on the stove over medium-high heat.
Roast the hazelnuts for about 7 to 10 minutes. Stir regularly so that nothing burns.
Take the hazelnuts out of the pan.
Tip: If you want, you can now easily skin the nuts by wrapping them in a cloth. If you rub the nuts together in the cloth, the skin will almost come off by itself.

If you don’t want to use the nuts right away, you should let them cool down and put them in a sealable container. Store them in a dark, cool place. This keeps the roasted hazelnuts for several months.

Roasting hazelnuts in the oven: this is how it works

Alternatively, you can roast the hazelnuts in the oven.
Crack the hazelnuts.
Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet. Again, they should not be on top of each other.
Place the hazelnuts in the oven at 180 degrees top/bottom heat for eight to twelve minutes. (Tip: If you want to save energy, don’t preheat the oven. Put the nuts in the oven right away and just let them toast a few minutes longer.)
Check regularly to see if the nuts are ready – this will prevent them from burning. They should be brown in color and smell nutty.
Remove the hazelnuts from the oven and then from the baking sheet. Let them cool down and then put them in a sealable container.

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Roasting Sunflower Seeds: Simple Instructions and Delicious Variations

You can roast sunflower seeds in the pan or in the oven for a delicious and healthy snack. We will show you what options there are and what you should pay attention to when preparing them.

Roast sunflower seeds: The seeds go particularly well with this

Sunflower seeds are known to contain a lot of unsaturated fatty acids. They are also rich in vitamins and provide valuable fiber. This makes them a healthy snack that you can eat raw or roasted. If you roast the sunflower seeds beforehand, their nutty taste will develop even better.

The roasted sunflower seeds taste particularly good in salads, as a topping in soups or in muesli in the morning. They are also suitable as an ingredient in bread and biscuits or as a basis for homemade pesto. Roasting the seeds not only develops a stronger aroma, they also have more bite.

Roast sunflower seeds: Fat-free in the pan

The quickest way to roast sunflower seeds is to heat them up in a pan. A coated pan works best for this. This means that the sunflower seeds are less likely to burn during roasting.

Place the pan on the stove and heat it on high.
Add the sunflower seeds to the heated pan and turn the heat down to the lowest setting. The kernels only need a few minutes to finish roasting.
Swirl the sunflower seeds around as you toast them, being careful not to burn them.
The kernels are ready as soon as they are slightly brown in color and smell aromatic.

Roast sunflower seeds with oil

If you don’t have a non-stick pan or want to add spices, you should also use some oil to roast the sunflower seeds.

Put a tablespoon of oil in a pan and heat it on high. Use sunflower oil, for example: it has a high smoke point.
Add the sunflower seeds and toast them over low to medium heat for a few minutes until golden brown.
Swirl the sunflower seeds regularly while toasting or spread them out with a spatula.
Finally, you can season the roasted sunflower seeds with a little salt and spices.

Roasting sunflower seeds: This is how it works in the oven

If you want to roast a larger amount of sunflower seeds, it is best to use the oven. This method works like this:

Preheat the oven to 175° C top/bottom heat. Tip: If you want to save energy, you can also do without preheating. Simply roast the sunflower seeds a little longer.
Spread the nuts out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure that the cores are not on top of each other.
Put the tray in the oven and roast the sunflower seeds for a few minutes. Turn them occasionally so they can brown evenly.
Tip: You can store roasted sunflower seeds in an airtight container for a few days, but they lose their aroma very quickly. They taste best freshly roasted.

Roasting sunflower seeds: delicious variations

For a special touch, you can season the roasted kernels with spices and other ingredients. Here you can find some ideas:
Sweet and hot sunflower seeds: When roasting the sunflower seeds, add one or two teaspoons of sugar and add some chili or cayenne pepper at the end. If you only want to add spices, it is best to heat the kernels in some oil.
Caramelized Sunflower Seeds: For this sweet twist, add 1-2 teaspoons of sugar or honey to the pan and let the seeds caramelize in it. A pinch of salt completes the aroma.
Add other nuts and seeds: If you’re toasting sunflower seeds, you can add other seeds like pumpkin and pine nuts if you like. Different types of nuts are also suitable.

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Roasting Coffee: This is How it Works at Home

In principle, roasting your own coffee is very easy. However, it is difficult to achieve a good roasting result at home without a coffee roaster.

You need this to roast coffee

In the food industry, coffee is dry-roasted at temperatures between 250 and 450 degrees Celsius. Special drum or fluid bed roasters are used for this, which guarantee a particularly even roasting result. A simple frying pan will also do at home, but there is a risk that the coffee beans will be roasted very unevenly.

If you would like to roast coffee regularly at home, we recommend purchasing a drum roaster for home use. Coffee roasters are not cheap. However, you avoid the coffee beans burning on the bottom of the pan. A drum roaster works on a similar principle to an air fryer. However, the drum in the drum roaster rotates continuously so that there are no “hotspots” where it is particularly hot or cold. Even in an air fryer, the heat distribution is too uneven to achieve a good roasting result.

How to roast coffee beans at home

How to roast your coffee beans using a coffee roaster or air fryer:

Preheat your coffee roaster or hot air fryer to 250 degrees Celsius.
Place the coffee beans in the roasting chamber and let the beans roast to your desired roast level. This typically takes between five and ten minutes. If you use an air fryer, stir the coffee beans regularly.
Cool the roasted coffee beans in a cool place as quickly as possible. In industry, the beans are cooled with cold air. The aromatic substances in coffee are highly volatile and therefore evaporate at high temperatures.
Store the roasted coffee beans in a gas-permeable and light-proof bag. Roasting gases form during coffee roasting, which escape during storage.

How do you know how roasted your coffee is?

Connoisseurs distinguish between more than a dozen different degrees of roasting of coffee. The degree of roasting can be easily recognized by the color of the coffee beans. The beans change color from greenish-grey to black as they roast. Roasting can be roughly divided into three phases:

The first crack (first crack), where the beans break open on the surface for the first time, which you can tell by the crackling. The beans are still light brown here. The coffee aroma is particularly acidic.
The second crack (Second Crack), whereby the beans break open for the second time. The beans are already dark brown here. This corresponds to a medium degree of roasting, as can be found in many commercial products.
Oil migrates to the surface. The beans here are very dark brown to black with small drops of oil on the surface. The chlorogenic acid in the coffee is almost completely broken down here, making the coffee very digestible. The aroma is particularly full-bodied and intense. This level of roasting is particularly popular in Spain, France and Italy.

Why dark roasted coffee is more digestible

Basically, dark roasted coffee is more digestible, sweeter and richer in vitamins than light roasted coffee. This is because acids and irritants are broken down during roasting and vitamin B3 is formed from trigonelline.

How dark you roast your coffee is entirely up to your personal preferences. Especially the dark roast degrees are difficult to implement at home if you don’t have a coffee roaster. In an air fryer, the heat distribution is quite uneven, so there is a high risk of burning some coffee beans.

Roasting coffee at home is only for real coffee nerds. Good roasting results can hardly be achieved at home without a coffee roaster. It is best to use ready-roasted beans from fair trade cultivation with an organic seal. So you can enjoy good coffee without much effort.

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