Coffee Roasting (More Than) Basics

For this episode, Kenneth sat down with Eric Stone of Mudhouse Coffee Roasters to talk about the art and science of roasting. They recorded this episode in Boston while competing as finalists to determine who's the best specialty coffee roaster in America.
Eric and Kenneth discuss the subject of roasting coffee in-depth including the different types of coffee roasters, how temperature imoacts the roast, the roast curve, halogen roasting, first and second crack, and tipping just to name a few of the subjects covered. They explain how the look, smell and even the noise the beans make when in the roaster at the various stages of the roast impact your cup of coffee.
 
KEY TAKEAWAYS

The way your coffee is roasted has about a 30% impact on how it tastes. 
Small sample roasters are used to evaluate new batches of beans, identify the flavor profile, and manipulate those flavors to create the best overall taste.
The same bean, roasted in different ways, can taste extraordinarily different.
A new variable in roasting is emerging which uses halogen as the heat source.
The roast profile curve is the order in which key stages of the roasting process occur - Kenneth and Eric walk you through this curve.
Light roasts are more sensitive to changes in the roasting process than dark roasts.
It is particularly important to cool the beans down as fast as possible to stop the cooking process at the right temperature once roasting is complete.
The water content and density of the bean have a significant impact on your roast.

 
BEST MOMENTS
‘Our sample drum roaster also has airflow moving through the drum, so you´re roasting with both convection and conduction. ´
‘There are countless ways you can manipulate the flavor of a coffee.’
‘Once you're past the first crack, if you apply too much heat you run the risk of making some roaster errors.’
 
EPISODE RESOURCES
Link to episode 6: What is Specialty Coffee? With John Lawrence who is also from Mudhouse Coffee Roasters: https://omny.fm/shows/coffee-101/what-is-specialty-coffee
Link for Stronghold coffee roaster mentioned in the episode that uses radiant heat - https://www.roastronix.com/

GUEST RESOURCES
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/mudhousecoffeeroasters
WEBSITE: https://mudhouse.com/
 
VALUABLE RESOURCES
Award-winning single-origin specialty coffee: https://umblecoffee.com/
 
You’re disciplined and high achieving. You never settle. Shouldn’t the fuel that helps you reach your goals be held to those same standards? Instead of a crash-inducing cup of jo, you need coffee with optimal antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. A coffee so good that you can drink it black.
At Umble Coffee, we only roast specialty-grade arabica coffee from around the world with cupping scores 84 and above. Don’t sabotage yourself in pursuing your goals - drink coffee that tastes better and is better for you. No crash, great taste, and better long-term health benefits. That’s Umble Coffee. 
 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umblecoffee/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umblecoffee/
Twitter:  https://mobile.twitter.com/umblecoffee
 
ABOUT THE HOST
As a coffee lover, physician, chemical engineer, serial entrepreneur, competitive runner, writer, and family man, Kenneth knows what it’s like to push yourself to achieve goals very few accomplish. He’s one of the best specialty coffee roasters in the United States as he’s a multi-year US Coffee Roasters’ Competition Finalist. He created Umble Coffee Co with the belief that, if sourced and roasted right, coffee can taste phenomenal and be good for you.
“Life’s too short to drink bad coffee.”
 
Podcast Description
Coffee 101 is an educational show on all things coffee. The host, Kenneth Thomas, starts with the most basic questions about coffee and builds your knowledge from there. If you love coffee, are curious about coffee, or you’re a business just looking for a resource to train your team, Coffee 101 is without question the show for you!  Season 1 is all about coffee's journey from seed to shelf.BUY COFFEE!: https://umblecoffee.com