Sunday, September 27, 2009

Darker vs. Lighter Roasted Coffee

There a several differences between a darker roast and a lighter one. I divide the taste in the cup into the flavors in the coffee and the roast flavor(similar to the char taste of BBQ or broiling, producing carbonic acid). The darker the roast the more "roast" flavor will be in the cup. There are also various flavors in the coffee that will be stronger or more subdued depending on the degree of roast. Coffees that have fruited
(berry, stone fruit, apple, lemon, ginger and or nutty flavors (depending on the origin and varietal and type to processing)will shine at a lighter roast while chocolates will stand out more at medium to slightly darker levels. Vienna and French roast levels will be dominated by "roast" tastes. The quality of the coffee beans is much more important in light roasts. The growing conditions, care in picking and sorting, insect damage, molds, care in processing, handling, shipping, storage etc. will all effect the final quality. These are called defects in green coffee beans. Many beans are only dark roasted to cover up the defects in the beans. Light roasting quality beans takes much skill but when done properly yields a fantastic cup. I highly recommend trying lighter roasts from a quality Roaster.
check out this related post: "Fresh" Roasted Coffee Beans

Monday, May 25, 2009

Sweet Maria's launch a New Web Home Coffee Roasting Forum


Sweet Maria's, The best dedicated online vendor of green coffee beans for homeroasters has just launched a new web forum site. Tom and Maria Owens have one of the finest online businesses on the web. They provide a wealth of information for the homeroaster including other coffee related resources. Tom travels the world to find the finest farm grown coffees. Many of the coffees are bought directly from the farmer or cooperative who are paid well for them (farm gate™ direct trade). The coffees are often specially packaged at source to maintain quality and freshness. Tom provides detailed descriptions and cupping notes on all the beans offered. New Forum
Sweet Maria's also offers a weblog, a Roasted weblog, a email discussion list, and a Coffee image gallery

Thursday, April 30, 2009

"Kick It Up for Coffee Kids" Benefit Auction, during May at Homeroasters.org


Lots of great items for homeroasters and more!!!
Throughout the month of May 2009, Homeroasters.org is conducting
auctions on a wide variety of items, many of which the specialty
coffee industry donated with jubilation. Items up for bid range from
assortments of top-quality green coffee, to magazine subscriptions,
grinders, brewers, roasters and much, much more; all proceeds going
directly to Coffee Kids.

Coffee Kids® Grounds for Hope was born out of the specialty coffee
industry by Bill Fishbein in 1988. Coffee Kids® has distributed over
$4 million dollars in funds “to help coffee-farming families improve
the quality of their lives.” With four distinct areas of focus, Latin
American countries have realized improvements in healthcare, education
for children, community-based projects and micro-credit loans that have
enabled over 4,000 women to own their own businesses and support their families.

If you would like to bid on an item, please register as a member of Homeroasters.org and enjoy the auction.
Kick It Up for Coffee Kids Auction Homeroasters.org link
cheers,
farmroast

Friday, April 24, 2009

"Terroir Coffee" say's it all

George Howell of Terroir Coffee Co. introduced me to the word "Terroir" a few years ago. A word I wish had it's equivalent in English. It's a term not simply explained or understood. In fact it may take a lifetime journey. For coffee it's the "all" that's in your cup. The rains, winds, sun, soil life, stewardship, processing, handling, transport care, storage, roasting just being a few. How important is "Terroir" in our coffee and in all our foods and fiber we consume? It is the most important concept we need to understand. Terroir coffee does not just quench our thirst or perk our day. Terroir coffee fulfills all. Here's a link to George Howell's Terroir story. Story