Research is key in choosing the right roaster
BY BRENDA R. RUSSELL
engine is key to making it run. Part science, part art, coffee roasting combines the mechanics
B
of high-temperature heating with the craſt of bringing out the beans’ sweetness and aroma. Fortunately, even basic roasters now feature technology as
impressive as that of a luxury vehicle. Your machine’s dashboard can run the roasting process on cruise control, or lead you to discover new flavor profiles. Taking a roaster for a spin can be routine or thrilling, but
today’s technology assures a smooth ride. “Coffee roasting is a deceptively simple undertaking,” says
Terry Davis, president of Ambex Roasters, a manufacturer of professional coffee roasters and other coffee-making equipment in Clearwater, Fla. “It is not too difficult to turn coffee from green to brown, but doing it consistently and understanding the difference between coffees and how that affects the roasting process requires some study and time.” Roasting begins with cleaning and weighing green beans,
then tumbling them at temperatures above 400°F to caramelize the sugars and cut the acidity. Technology can monitor the process, break it down into steps and repeat them for every new batch. If roasting is on your roadmap to success, you’ll have to
determine which equipment will keep your shop humming without breaking the bank.
20 | April 2011 • www.specialty-coffee.com
uying a coffee roaster is like buying a car. Appearances are important, but understanding the
WHAT YOU’LL NEED Because variations in the heating process bring out different
characteristics in the beans, temperature controls are standard equipment. “At the very minimum retail roasters need a bean probe
with a digital controller,” Davis says. Bean probes allow the external temperature of the coffee to be measured throughout the entire roasting process. “Tis allows for better information and control for consistency and safety,” he explains. Operators can take time and temperature measurements
that will profile, or create a recipe for, each new roast. Te data can be logged on a graph manually, or automatically with a profiling data logger system—a soſtware application that enables roaster operators to create a roast profile curve more easily than doing it on paper. “Profiling data loggers are probably the largest innovation
for smaller roasters,” Davis says. “Tese allow for consistency between roasts and between different operators by giving a real-time track of the time and temperature curve.” A stopwatch, temperature probe and manometer, or gas
pressure gauge, are basics needed to roast a consistent product on-site, says Bill Kennedy, president and chief executive officer of Fallon, Nev.-based Coffee PER (Processing Equipment & Repair), maker of the San Franciscan coffee roaster. “Ability to control air flow is nice to have,” Kennedy adds,
since roasters are basically convection ovens that circulate heated air. “Some roasters have a variable-speed motor, which
