Coffee roasting
Coffee beans we find in retail shops are not green in colour, but
rather black, and this is the result of the roasting process. Coffee
roasting typically takes place in horizontally rotating drums heated
from below to very high temperatures. The heating process itself must be
kept short, and quickly cooled. After the roasting, coffee beans’
original shades of green turn are transformed into shades of brown and
black, characteristics which are very familiar and easy to distinguish
to the experienced eyes of coffee experts. Temperature does not just
affect colour but also brings out the typical coffee aroma, because oils
which are released during roasting appear on the surface of the bean,
and thus make them a bit shiny. It is worth mentioning that a dark roast
may reduce both acidity and aroma, and that freshly roasted coffee
tastes much better than stored coffee as a result of time and slow
evaporation of the oils in the bean, thus affecting the resulting
flavour and aroma.
Home-made coffee roasting is also possible, however it requires a great
deal of caution and constant monitoring.
Coffee grinding
When buying coffee, the golden rule is to purchase it in small
quantities. The same applies to air-tight packages: once opened, coffee
has its best used flavour and aroma, but the flavour and aroma decline
quickly over a short amount of time. Indeed, coffee is at its best
immediately after grinding when its flavour and smell are still intact.
Once in contact with oxygen in the air, oxidation of the coffee begins,
and the resulting quality of the coffee begins to deteriorate. Moreover,
it is worth mentioning that finely ground coffee looses its aroma more
slowly than coarse-grained coffee. The degree to which coffee is ground
depends on its use: the powder-like coffee is ideal for preparing
Turkish coffee, the fine-ground coffee is more ideally suited for
espresso, the medium-ground is well suited for coffee pods, and lastly
the coarse-grained coffee is intended for espresso machines.
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