Coffee Roasting Process

All processes by which the coffee passes before reaching the cup or the final consumer need a mix of dedication, perseverance, and passion for the best results. Each step is an art in which people need to have a level of knowledge and become deeply involved in each activity.

The roasting of coffee is a key process where you can improve or ruin the coffee as it involves physical and chemical processes. It takes much knowledge and skill of the person who roasts to control the physical and chemical changes during roasting (13 to 17 minutes) which are many and complex. There are infinite number of variables from one coffee to another, even in coffees of the same region due to the varieties of coffee, soil types and techniques to process it (wet process) in the farm.

The elevation in which the coffee is produced also influences the cell density of the beans and together with moisture affect the thermal conductivity of the beans during the roasting process.

Cupping will assess the following characteristics: 

All these variables affect the way coffee reacts during roasting, and it is for this reason that each coffee has to have a profile (method of roasting) to achieve the best attributes of each coffee. The old method of roasting all coffees with the same method is over. If the company really wants to focus on quality and best attributes of coffee it must invest time to know each coffee.

The transfer of heat to the coffee bean is achieved through three types of electrical conduction: convection (hot air), conduction (contact with hot surface) and radiation (energy delivered by hot objects). Roasting temperatures range from approximately 180 º F to 420 º when the coffee is ready.

In El Injerto we work with a Diedrich IR-24 coffee roaster with infrared burners that help the transfer of heat to be more stable and controlled, thereby improving the quality of the final cup. We take the time to make a profile or method of roasting for each variety of coffee we produce to obtain the best final results and satisfy the demanding tastes and palates.