Artisan Roasting

At Big City Coffee, we hand-select the green coffee beans to order, blending the required varieties or choosing the best single origin gourmet beans. Then we artisan roast the beans in small batches using a 5 kilo drum roaster.

It’s an intimate craft process; you hear the beans tumble, feel the heat transfer, smell the coffee as it roasts, then you thrill to the snap and crackle of the beans as they reach the peak of their roast cycle.

The perfect results cascade from the drum into the cooling tray before being inspected again to assure the roast quality.

Your order is then weighed, bagged, and packed by hand, insuring that many of our coffee experts have agreed to put their names on the quality testament for every customer order.

Recently there has been a major shift in medical opinion regarding the consumption of coffee. In fact, it might be said that in the old adage ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’ the word ‘apple’ has been replaced by ‘a cup of coffee’.

Before anyone rushes out to brew up a gallon or two, it’s still wise to remember that drinking multiple cups of black, highly-caffeinated coffee on a daily basis isn’t a healthy option. The instant buzz of an espresso shot comes at a price – palpitations and raised blood pressure being just two of the things the addicted coffee drinker will experience after a caffeine overdose. Everyone is very aware of the caffeine content of coffee, but it’s only recently that the positive health properties of coffee have been investigated.

This has to be good news for coffee aficionados. The bad news is that drinking caffeinated coffee to excess can still be bad for your general well-being. Nevertheless, as with all things in life, sensible coffee consumption can have beneficial effects. So sticking to the recommended two or three cups a day can actually do you good.

Current research has elevated this everyday beverage to the Number One antioxidant in America, having ten times more antioxidant properties than red wine or tea, traditionally the two big front-runners in the battle against free radicals. But what are free radicals, and why do we need protection from them?

Unlike fish, the human body needs air to survive; in other words, we cannot exist without oxygen. We breathe it in, and it is transported, via the blood stream, to every cell in the body. Put simply, this essential ingredient can become unstable and produce ‘free radicals’

So we generate these ‘baddies’ as a natural by-product within our cell structure but, at the same time, the body is exposed to outside influences such as cigarette smoke, air pollution, and ultra-violet rays, in daily life. Therefore, our bodies are suffering a double attack, from both internal and external forces.

In the light of this information, we are constantly searching for the magic ingredient to ward off health problems brought about by these renegade ‘free radicals’. In high doses however, antioxidants can actually produce a reverse effect, promoting pro-oxidation, or free radical production, but as long as antioxidants are sourced from natural products, and included as part of the daily diet, there will be no problem with over- dosing, and the body will be well protected.

Coffee beans contain chlorogenic acid, which is a potent antioxidant, and a 200 ml. cup of arabica coffee can provide up to 200 mgs. of chlorogenic acid. It’s the roasting process that actually activates the antioxidants, and beans roasted for ten minutes to produce a medium to dark roast are the most beneficial.

The addition of a small amount of sugar and milk are said to boost the antioxidant properties as well. The process of de-caffeination seems to have little effect on the beneficial effects, which is good news for those who suffer from high blood pressure or insomnia.

Maintaining Coffee Consistancy And Roast Quality

A customer recently emailed us that they liked our Big City Coffee blend and wanted to know about our consistancy and quality control.

That’s a great question for any small artisan coffee roaster commited to delivering every order to high standards. The great artisan roasters are fanatics about repeatable processes to achieve predictable results. It’s the variables that will drive the Roastmaster nuts; and the biggest variable is – (drum roll (it’s a pun!), please…) – The Bean.

The following is from my reply; it’s also posted here so you can add your comments, too.

We’re roasting all of the Big City Coffee brands 2-3 times a week and deliver it fresh
And quality is excellent and consistent…the beans are hand-selected and every roast is done on a small batch roaster and monitored by one our expert roastmasters.

We do a tasting several times a week, too, just for fun

An issue with small estate coffees is getting enough high-quality beans that are consistent from season to season. It’s more of a problem with ’single origin’ bean, like PanAltura, or all from one farm…even though the cup quality may be high from season to season, the taste may vary a little – like wine vintages – because of weather, soil, and other seasonal growing conditions.

With the blends, like Big City, or HiFi, it’s easier to find substitute high quality beans that still maintain the same great taste.

Megabucks and other large-scale roasters keep the taste the same by:

1) warehousing tons of product for 3-4 years (green beans do not improve with age)

2) using up to 30%+ lower-quality ‘filler’ bean

3) and over-roasting to add caramelized sugars to cover the underlying taste

But, if that’s what you like, and it fits your budget, you should probably stick with it…

More Coffee Facts

Consider Coffee Clubs As A Welcome Gift For A Coffee Junkie

If you need a gift for a coffee lover, why not consider a subscription to one of the many “coffee clubs”? For the genuine coffee lover, such a gift can be an exciting peek into new worlds, opening up new blends and treats that might have been otherwise overlooked. Coffee clubs remove the recipient’s risk because they provide samples to new and exotic coffees without spending the money to purchase an entire pound that might not be palatable to a coffee fanatic.

The problem with a gourmet coffee club is that there are a bewildering number of choices and making a decision can be overwhelming, especially to the non-coffee-junkie who just wants to please the recipient. There are strange choices to consider – like “Bonzai Pipeline” coffee. Usually, the recipient receives two samples per month but there are questions to consider:

* Duration of the club membership which ranges from one month (usually around $25) to a year ($275 is an average price)?

* Decaf or regular?

* Gourmet coffee or flavored blends?

* Whole bean or ground?

But to the true coffee lover, the degree of roasting is the most important because the temperature and time spent roasting are critical to flavor. Longer roasted coffees cost more because:

1. They take longer to prepare.
2. The longer they are roasted, the less volume they have since the bean dries out. Since there is less of this coffee produced, the costs are naturally higher.

If you don’t know an American from a French roast, here’s a quick primer to make choosing a bit easier.

Cinnamon Roasts: these are the most lightly roasted beans – and the most acidic. This is a caramel-colored coffee – about the color of cinnamon – with not a lot of body. The transition of green, unroasted coffee bean to the familiar grounds that smell so delicious, happens in stages called “1st and 2nd crack”. The beans crack or pop while roasting. Th beginning of the roasting process is called “first crack” and Cinnamon Roast is definitely a first crack coffee.

American Roast: is roasted a bit longer than the Cinnamon Roast coffee, but it’s definitely a first crack coffee. This is very common in mass market American coffees and where most of these roasts stop. American is a full bodied, acidic coffee.

City Roast: is the end of the first crack coffees with a high acid content and a very strong, delicious aroma.

Full City Roast: as they continue to roast, the coffee beans will begin to crackle again. This is the beginning of the “second crack” roasts. Full City is a medium to dark roast with a sweet flavor and less acidity and more oil than than previous roasts and it has chocolate or caramel undertones.

French Roast: this coffee has been roasted so long that it has no acidity, a dark color and a generous amount of oil. The most noticeable characteristic is a bittersweet or burned taste that coffee drinkers either love or hate. The famous coffees of New Orleans and cajun country depend upon this roast.

Italian Espresso Roast: is the darkest possible roast and its color is almost charcoal black. One barista described it as “actually burned to a crisp”. The temperature of these beans reaches 480F and this roast is used for cappuccino and espresso. Its acidity is very low.

If giving memberships to coffee clubs appeals to you as a gift-giving strategy, then these are the basics you will need to consider when choosing the appropriate membership. You can find these clubs all over the Internet and in magazines so there are a huge number of options. Any coffee junkie will thank you!

Lose weight safely, and still drink your coffee, with one year of Free weight loss tips.

If you truly want to have the best cup of coffee of your life, you need to have freshly roasted coffee beans that are ground right before you brew them. Although this can be done in a number of different ways and there certainly are modern home coffee roasters that help to make the process much simpler, it still is going to require you to take an active part in it. Here are 5 different things that you must be aware of whenever you’re roasting coffee at home, regardless of how it is that you’re roasting it.

1. Color: The first rule has to do with the color of the coffee – not whenever you’re first starting out, but the color that it should be when you are finished roasting. Unless you have an eye for color, it can be difficult to get this right on a consistent basis if you are simply winging it. It is a much better idea for you to keep some beans that are left over from your last batch or from perhaps a batch which you consider to be perfect. This will help you to nail the color – which means you will also nail the flavor!
2. Temperature: The second rule addresses the temperature of the coffee beans as they are roasting. There are thermometers that are available to help you to take care of this, but it is only necessary for you to pay attention if you’re not using a modern home roasting machine. If you’re doing it on the stove-top, or in the oven, temperature is critical to the finished roast.
3. Sound: You need to be able to hear the coffee as it is roasting as well. There is a distinctive crackling sound that occurs at two different times while you are roasting the coffee. Being able to hear of these crackling sounds and knowing what they mean can go a long way in helping you to roast consistantly great coffee
4. Scent: The smell of roasted coffee is also important, and makes up the fourth rule that we will consider about roasting the perfect coffee. Although this may take a little bit of refining on your part, the smell of coffee will be apparent whenever the beans are reaching the right stage. Some folks are able to roast just using the smell of the coffee beans and not paying too much attention to the beans’ color.
5. Time: The final thing that makes a difference in the outcome of the coffee beans is the time that they are roasting. This is not always the case and depending on slight difference is in the heat, it can change the roasting time considerably. If you have a way of maintaining the heat at a constant temperature (see rule number 2) then you can time things out fairly accurately.

No single one of these rules is going to make the difference in the final product. Being able to use all of the elements in conjunction with each other, however, will help you to roast the perfect coffee, and to do so consistently.

Last week we had a roasting party at my friends Toby and Laurie’s house.
The first batch of 2008 Panama estate coffee was brewed in the french press, cups passed along…the ritual began – Laurie was the first to say what we were all thinking…”Smells like grass.” Other comments followed fast – “Tastes sorta grassy.” And “This would be better as a tea…” Oops.
There are two main reasons coffee might smell or taste like an alfalfa field. Here are the definitions that cover ‘grassy’ when used to describe coffee:
grassy: A odor taint giving the coffee beans a distinct herbal character similar to freshly mown alfalfa combined with the astringency of green grass. Created by the prominence of nitrogen compounds in the green beans while the cherries are maturing. Typical taste of unripe beans and of certain freshly harvested coffee batches, corresponding to the beginning of the harvest.

green: A taste taint giving the coffee brew an herbal character due to an incomplete development of the sugar carbon compounds in the roasting process. Results from insufficient heat during too short a period. A taste associated with that of a raw fresh vegetable leaf, often found in early new-crop coffees.

In the case of ths first batch, the roast was too light, 6 minutes in the Fresh Roast…definately an instance of being ‘green’.

We had great success with the next batch

I’m just now winding down after full day at the new roasting facility & had fun inventing new organic gourmet blends: get more info on availablility – subscribe to our RSS feed or join our newsletter!

How Coffee Is Roasted