Roasting coffee is an art and a science at the same time. It is a complex process in which coffee beans change from green to pale or dark brown. Roasting is what influences the taste of coffee the most.

Green grains have no properties of roasted grains. They are hard, tasteless and have a grassy scent. Roasting turns them brown, crunchy with a typical aroma and taste, as we see them most often – ready to grind and make coffee.

During roasting, chemical and physical changes take place inside the grains, thanks to which they gradually transform. Most of the moisture evaporates from the grains, they increase their volume, their density decreases and thus they lose weight. Coffee beans lose 12-25% of their weight during roasting. The sugars present in the green grains caramelize under the influence of heat, which, in addition to the high temperature, also contributes to the colour change. When roasting, two types of “cracking” can be heard: first as the water escapes of the grains, when caramelization begins. In the second cracking – carbon dioxide gets out. The cracking is very loud, it can be compared to the popping of popcorn. The green grains gradually pass through the yellow, pale brown to dark brown colour, depending on the degree of roasting. As the coffee is roasted to a darker colour, oils are being formed in the beans and come to the surface.

Once the optimum properties have been reached, the coffee must be drained from the roaster and cooled immediately, otherwise the roasting process would continue, which could reduce the quality of the coffee and change its final taste.

Light roast is suitable for alternative preparations, it emphasizes the natural fruity character of the coffee, acidity, floral tones and aroma.

In medium roast, the characteristics supported by roasting are being amplified, the natural properties of the coffee begin to be lost and a balance between acidity and the body of the coffee is created.

The darker the roast, the more the acidity disappears and the easier is to feel the specific roasting profile rather than the characteristic tones of the individual coffee. 

Many people wrongly believe that the darker the roasted coffee, the stronger it is in terms of caffeine content. However, the longer the grains are roasted, the lower is the caffeine content. We roast our coffees light (especially suitable for making filtered coffee) or dark (for making espresso).

Home roasting

Many coffee enthusiasts get used to roast coffee at home. There are several ways to do this, for example on a special perforated pan, in a popcorn maker, or on a classic pan. These methods are cheap, but often at the expense of coffee quality. It is difficult to achieve equal roasting of all grains and the problem is mainly with their cooling. In case you would still decide to try roasting at home, we offer excellent green coffee beans of assorted varieties.