Ristun

"A simplified explanation of a complicated topic, here is a basic introduction to the roasting process."
ROASTING PROCESS SINGLE ORIGIN/BLEND ROAST LEVEL
| THE ROASTING PROCESS |

While the roasting process can appear incredibly complex, the basic premise is relatively simple. A drum roaster utilizes a "drum" or rotating cylindrical chamber that is made of perforated or solid steel to agitate and heat the "green" or unroasted coffee. This process can take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes depending on how the Master Roaster implements a particular roast profile.

This profile is a prescribed set of instructions on when and how to use direct heat from natural gas burners and hot air to turn green coffee into roasted coffee, ready to be brewed and enjoyed. As we know from the previous section, coffee has innumerable variables that will determine how it will taste; from where it's grown, to the variety, to the processing method. The Master Roaster will take all of these in to account when developing a roast profile that will highlight and emphasize the best characteristics of each coffee. For the Master Roaster it's a balancing act of heat and time to perfectly coax out and highlight these subtle nuances naturally found in the raw material.

THREE PHASES OF THE ROASTING PROCESS

WARMING STAGE

When the coffee first enters the hot 'drum', it needs to warm up. This 'warming stage' brings the coffee from room temperature to about 350 degrees Fahrenheit. The coffee will start to change from green, to a straw-like yellow, to an orange-y brown and the coffee will smell like hay or grass.
DRYING STAGE

Here the moisture still in the coffee reaches a temperature where it turns to water vapor and erupts from the bean along with carbon dioxide and other gases. When it erupts, the gases escape through the center crack, the bean will grow in size considerably and a loud, audible popping noise can be heard. This is called 'first crack.'
DEVELOPMENT STAGE

Finally, the 'development stage' is where the Master Roaster will fine-tune the coffee's final flavors and characteristics, and must be conscious of the perfect time and temperature to drop the coffee to cool.
The newly roasted coffee must be cooled quickly to stop the roasting process. Once the coffee has been roasted to perfection, the Master Roaster 'drops' the coffee into the cooling tray with a rotating arm to aid in expediting the cooling process.

After the coffee is roasted, it needs to rest for a day or two to stabilize before it is ready for brewing and enjoying.

| SINGLE ORIGIN AND BLENDING |

For us, coffee is all about the story. We love knowing that each coffee is a labor of love from the time that the coffee was harvested until it is freshly roasted and shipped to your door, ready to be brewed. We feel that the best way to recognize the story of each coffee is for our roasters to carefully source high quality coffees at origin, roast them lightly to highlight their unique characteristics and let the coffee tell its own story.

We prefer single origin coffees because we are able to enjoy the fruits of each farmer's labors, put the names of each farmer or Coop on the bag and celebrate the unique attributes that make their coffee special. By blending different coffees and origins together, you lose some of that story and some of what makes each coffee special.

| OUR ROASTING PHILOSOPHY |

While many coffee drinkers are accustomed to the smoky and roasty flavors associated with darker roasts, not all coffees taste that way. When a coffee is roasted, it undergoes several chemical changes. Depending on how the roaster chooses to roast a coffee, they can highlight the flavors that already exist in the coffee, or they can hide them. Simply put, the longer you roast a coffee, the less origin characteristics are present- those unique flavors and qualities that come from how it was grown, harvested and processed - and roasty flavors of smoke and burnt sugars emerge.

We love lightly roasted coffee because this roast level accentuates each coffee's inherent characteristics that come from its growing region, soil, elevation, weather patterns, and processing method.

Every coffee requires different people along the way to share its story; the farmer, the miller, the roaster, and the brewer. Enjoying a lightly roasted single origin coffee gives you, the consumer, the opportunity to become a part of that coffee's unique story.

While we only feature lightly roasted, single origin coffees in our MistoBox, fear not! If you have an affinity for a slightly darker roast or like brewing a balanced blend, we carry a variety of offerings from all of our roasters, including blends and coffees of varying roast profiles.