Coffee Amor Blog

“Roasting coffee just slightly longer (than Full City Roast) brings the beans to the French Roast level. With more oil on the bean and a little darker color than Full City Roast, French Roast brings coffee to the height of its flavor. French Roast creates a deep heavy flavor, some of the more subtle flavors of coffee will be hidden by the dark roasted smokeyness. As coffee is roasted longer, the unique character of each Varietal, such as Kenya or Sumatra, is diminished. All coffee would taste the same roasted dark enough.

Roasting time for French Roast coffee is approximately 12 minutes. Recommended at this level: Any coffee used as part of a blend”

Chicago Coffee Roasters

“Distinguished by the deep brown color and heavy oil on the bean’s surface, Full City Roast further intensifies the unique character of each different coffee. Coffee does not become bitter when roasted darker. Bitterness in coffee is from poor quality beans or improper roasting. Dark roasted coffee should have a heavy, rich flavor, never burnt or bitter. The extended time in the roaster not only makes coffee darker, but also lighter in weight. Coffee contains water, that water is turned into steam during the roasting process, steam pressure causes the beans to swell in size. After roasting, coffee can weigh up to 25% less from the loss of the water within the bean.

Roasting time for Full City Roast coffee is approximately 11-12 minutes. Recommended at this level: Sumatra and Tanzanian Peaberry”

Chicago Coffee Roasters

“Vienna Roast is characterized by a slightly deeper color than American Roast, with small spots of oil present on the bean’s surface. This oil, which comes from within the coffee bean, is brought to the surface by the prolonged roasting time. The oil is important in the flavor of brewed coffee at higher roast levels, the greater presence of oil is what gives dark roasted coffee its distinguishable taste. Vienna Roast slightly intensifies the character of each coffee from different origins, as well as bringing out flavors that may remain hidden at the American Roast level. This is perhaps the most difficult roast level to master, just moments too long in the roaster will result in too much oil on the bean’s surface, and if the roast is finished seconds early no oil will appear.

Roasting time for Vienna Roast coffee is approximately 10-11 minutes. Recommended at this level: Colombian, Costa Rican, & Ethiopian Yirgacheffe”

Chicago Coffee Roasters

“The best raw coffee can be completely ruined by improper roasting. Correct roasting is a delicate balance of time and temperature. As coffee roasts, it changes from green to shades of golden-yellow to its familiar brown. American Roast is the point where coffee beans have achieved their rich, medium brown color without any of coffee’s natural oils appearing on the surface. American Roast is the traditional roast level of American style coffee.

Roasting time for American Roast coffee is approximately 9 to 10 minutes. Recommended at this level: Hawaiian, Guatemalan, Kenyan, Mexican, and flavored coffee”

Chicago Coffee Roasters

There are three characteristics that comprise the flavor of coffee. They are acidity, aroma and body. Despite its name, acidity is actually a characteristic you want in a good cup of coffee. Acidity is the feeling of dryness that coffee produces under the edges of your tongue and on the back of your palate. It gives a sharp, bright, vibrant flavor. Coffee without good acidity will tend to taste flat.

Aroma brings across very subtle characters of coffee. Aroma is the combination of fragrances before and during drinking. Body is the feeling that coffee has in your mouth. It is the thickness, heaviness, or richness that is perceived when you drink it. Heavy bodied coffee is often described as earthy or nutty. A good example of body is the way whole cream feels in your mouth compared to skim milk.

Flavor is the combination of acidity, aroma and body, all together. Each person perceives these coffee components differently which is why the same coffee will be described differently by each person who drinks it. This personal taste also explains why there can be so many desired varieties of coffee worldwide.

Coffee is processed in one of two ways. The dry, or unwashed, method is unhurried and inexpensive. The cherries are spread out on concrete slabs to dry in the hot sun for several weeks. During this time they are repeatedly raked to ensure even drying. The cherries are deemed dry when the moisture levels within the cherries are no more than 11%. Once the outer shell has dried to a dark brown, they are hulled to uncover the green coffee bean. This method causes the coffee to have more acidity with a thinner body.

In the wet, or washed, method the harvested cherries are “hulled” by machine to remove the outer skin and pulp. Next, the beans are placed in fermentation tanks to let the naturally present micro-organisms break down the last bit of residue. They are then dried either in the sun or placed in commercial dryers. This method will cause the coffee to have a heavier body with less acidity.

There are 2 primary types of coffee trees: Arabica and Robusta. Arabica is less disease- and pest- resistant and yields less coffee per year as each tree yields only 1 to 1 ½ pounds each year. Arabica beans are hand-picked, which produces the best cup, as only ripe beans are chosen. They are slower to mature because they are grown at higher altitudes with cooler weather. All these factors contribute to the more expensive but better tasting bean.

Robusta trees generally produce poor quality beans. They are grown at low altitude, making them less laborious to pick. Robusta beans are picked by machine which allows all cherries; good, bad, ripe, and unripe to be harvested. This makes them less expensive and more readily available. Robusta is used in less expensive coffee.