COFFEE 101

First the right bean, then the right roast
By Ed Van Herik

Starbuck’s, Peets and Seattle’s Best made their names by providing thousands of customers in the Northwest with a strong, deep cup of coffee on cold, chilly days. But, that life-affirming jolt depends as much on the coffee roast as it does on the coffee bean.

While all beans go through the same roasting cycle, many coffees deliver different taste experiences depending simply on the degree of roast. In almost all cases, though, the beans go through “first crack,” when a bean sounds like it is exploding as its water content is reduced during the heating process. Roasting is typically stopped between first crack and a few seconds after second crack, a stage associated with strong coffee taste.

While many coffee drinkers like a strong cup, well-known coffee beans like Jamaican Blue Mountain and Kona are best known for delivering a clean, mild brew, which comes in part from a lighter roast.

The different roasts
Roasters use a string of terms to categorize the finished beans, including:
• Cinnamon – very light, barely roasted;
• American – light brown, a staple along the East Coast;
• City – medium brown, the norm in the West;
• Full City – darker brown, approaching a full-bodied taste;
• French – dark, shiny beans with an oil sheen;
• Italian – even darker, shinier beans.

Green beans and roasting
Coffee beans, like any crop grown in different places around the world, exhibit unique characteristics depending on their stock, growing conditions and cultivation. And some roasts are more appropriate to specific varietals to bring out their innate qualities. While almost all coffees can develop a deep, strong taste if roasted to French, other qualities can be masked under a dark roast. For example, an Island coffee, like Kona or Jamaican, is at its best when the roast is stopped short of Full City.

In any case, coffee is always best consumed within a few days of roasting. Coffee takes approximately 4 to 24 hours to de-gas after roasting before it should be brewed. After a few days, it will begin to lose flavor by degrees, even if it is sealed in an air-tight container. If you’ve ever wondered why one can of sealed gourmet coffee doesn’t taste the same as the last one you bought, this could be one of the reasons.

Which is best?
That’s strictly a matter of taste – your taste. Different cultures find different roasts appealing, and individual drinkers have their favorites as well.