Coffee roasting is undertaken to transform green coffee into the fresh, aromatic roasts you can buy from your local coffee shop. This is done because without roasting, green coffee would make a pot of coffee that is virtually undrinkable. Coffee made from green coffee beans is extremely acidic and bitter flavored. Definitely NOT something you’d like to share a cup of with the neighbor!
Green coffee beans are very similar to any other dried bean you might purchase at the store. Just like a bag of navy beans can be transformed into a tasty pot of bean soup, green coffee beans allow a much longer shelf life and can still be transformed by coffee roasting into a deliciously drinkable brew.
The process of coffee roasting actually forces water out of the bean, causing dryness and expansion in the bean. The coffee roasting process causes some of the natural sugars to be transformed into CO2 and still others get caramelized. This creates the complex flavor nuances that are the hallmark of ‘good coffee’.
By the end of the coffee roasting process, the coffee bean you wind up with is much darker and about 18% lighter in weight, as well as about 50-100% larger in size than its green coffee bean counterpart. After coffee roasting, it’s customary to allow the coffee to ‘degas’ for a day or two. This helps to protect the flavors and aromas, as well as avoid an acid taste that can occur if you drink the coffee immediately after roasting.
However, don’t wait too long to drink! Just a week from the time the coffee is roasted it will have already started to lose some of its best aromas and flavors. That’s why if you can find a coffee provider close to home that does their own coffee roasting you can be assured of the best freshness possible.
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